The Conversation

US history shows spending on infrastructure doesn't always end well

Written by Richard White, Professor of American History, Stanford University

Constructing barge canals took a massive investment that didn't pay off.New York State Archives

Over the past two centuries, federal, state and municipal governments across the U.S. have launched wave after wave of infrastructure projects.

They built canals to move freight in the 1830s and 1840s. Governments subsidized railroads in the mid- and...

To end war in Afghanistan, Taliban demand Afghan president's removal

Written by Madhav Joshi, Research Professor & Associate Director, Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), University of Notre Dame

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani at the White House for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on June 25, 2021.Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

The Taliban continue to gain territory in their bloody insurgency to seize control of Afghanistan. Recently, Taliban leaders said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s removal is a condition for...

4 ways college students can make the most of their college library

Written by Carrie M. Macfarlane, Director of Research and Instruction, Middlebury

College students who use the library are more likely to have higher GPAs. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

If you’re a student about to go to college, then perhaps you’ve scanned college orientation websites and social media feeds for glimpses of your new life. As a college librarian, I believe you should explore your...

Melting Mongolian ice reveals fragile artifacts that provide clues about how past people lived

Written by William Taylor, Assistant Professor and Curator of Archaeology, University of Colorado Boulder

Archaeologist and paleoenvironmental researcher Isaac Hart of the University of Utah surveys a melting ice patch in western Mongolia.Peter Bittner, CC BY-ND

In the world’s high mountain regions, life needs ice. From the Rockies to the Himalayas, glaciers and other accumulations of snow and ice persist throughout the year. Often found on...

Complicity and silence around sexual harassment are common – Cuomo and his protectors were a textbook example

Written by Sandy Hershcovis, Professor at Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seen here in July 2021, announced on Aug. 10, 2021, that he would resign amid a sexual harassment scandal. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation came after more than a week of bad news, starting with a damning report from the state attorney general’s office that detailed his...

Apple can scan your photos for child abuse and still protect your privacy – if the company keeps its promises

Written by Mayank Varia, Research Associate Professor of Computer Science, Boston University

If you have an Apple device and upload photos to iCloud, the company will use some clever math to sniff them for instances of child abuse – without actually looking at the photos.Vinicius "amnx" Amano/Unsplash

The proliferation of child sexual abuse material on the internet is harrowing and sobering. Technology companies send tens of millions...

What are COVID-19 variants and how can you stay safe as they spread? A doctor answers 5 questions

Written by Lilly Cheng Immergluck, Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine

Vaccination, masking and social distancing are tried and true ways to protect against COVID-19 infection.Marko Geber/DigitalVision via Getty Images

With the delta variant making up over 93% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. at the end of July 2021, questions arise about how to stay protected against evolving forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here,...

The maximum human life span will likely increase this century, but not by more than a decade

Written by Michael Pearce, PhD Candidate in Statistics, University of Washington

Biologists and demographers are actively debating whether there is a natural cap on the human life span, and how high that might be.eucyln/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When Jeanne Calment of France died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days, she set a record for oldest human. That record still stands.

As statisticians who study demography,...

State policies can provide clear guidance on when to put on and take off masks – with benefits to health, education and the economy

Written by Julia Raifman, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University

Amid growing COVID-19 transmission, hospitalization and death rates, mask mandates are returning in some states.Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Although many people are eager to remove their masks, experts and much of the public increasingly recognize that indoor mask mandates can provide protection in areas where COVID-19 cases,...

Claims of voter suppression in newly enacted state laws don't all hold up under closer review

Written by Derek T. Muller, Bouma Fellow in Law & Professor of Law, University of Iowa

Activists at a voting rights rally near the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 3, 2021. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As states across the U.S. enact new laws relating to elections, there have been efforts to capture, in aggregate, the effects of those laws. Reports, found in both journalism and advocacy group statements, that new election laws will...