The Conversation

Joe Biden, a father’s love and the legacy of 'daddy issues' among presidents

Written by Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, IUPUI

Joe Biden, right, and his son Beau had a strong relationship until Beau's death in 2015.Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden often talks about the close relationship he had with his father and how this influenced him growing up as “the scrappy kid from Scranton,” Pennsylvania.

Biden was born into wealth, the son of...

What Greek epics taught me about the special relationship between fathers and sons

Written by Joel Christensen, Professor of Classical Studies, Brandeis University

Odysseus reuniting with his father, Laertes.Leemage/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Father’s Day inspires mixed emotions for many of us. Looking at advertisements of happy families could recall difficult memories and broken relationships for some. But for others, the day could invite unbidden nostalgic thoughts of parents who have...

Americans gave a record $471 billion to charity in 2020, amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, job losses and racial justice

Written by Anna Pruitt, Researcher and Managing Editor, Giving USA, IUPUI

Food banks, with help from volunteers, scrambled to meet higher demand.Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A flood of donations to support COVID-19 relief and racial justice efforts, coupled with stock market gains, led Americans to give a record US$471 billion to charity in 2020.

The total donated to charity rose 3.8% from the prior year in...

With Ford's electric F-150 pickup, the EV transition shifts into high gear

Written by Brian C. Black, Distinguished Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Penn State

Ford calls its all-electric F-150 Lightning "the truck of the future."Ford, CC BY-ND

When President Joe Biden took Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning pickup for a test drive in Dearborn, Michigan, in May 2021, the event was more than a White House photo op. It marked a new phase in an accelerating shift from gas-powered cars and trucks to...

It wasn't just politics that led to Netanyahu's ouster – it was fear of his demagoguery

Written by Dov Waxman, Director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Israel Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Benjamin Netanyahu sits in the Knesset before parliament voted June 13, 2021, in Jerusalem to approve the new government that doesn't include him, Amir Levy/Getty Images

There is something Shakespearean about Benjamin Netanyahu’s downfall.

As in a scene from “Julius Caesar,” who was assassinated by Roman senators, Netanyahu was...

Bringing joy back to the classroom and supporting stressed kids – what summer school looks like in 2021

Written by Raphael Travis Jr., Professor of Social Work, Texas State University

Summer schools need to address the emotional and academic needs of children. CandyRetriever/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Already 62% of parents believe their children are behind in learning, according to a survey conducted by the National PTA and Learning Heroes. The transition from in-person to remote learning in 2020 has disrupted students’...

Sticky baseballs: Explaining the physics of the latest scandal in Major League Baseball

Written by John Eric Goff, Professor of Physics, University of Lynchburg

It used to be spit balls, but now sticky baseballs are giving pitchers an advantage.Tage Olsin, CC BY-SA

Cheating in baseball is as old as the game itself, and pitchers’ modifying the ball’s surface is part of that long history. Adding to the lore of cheating is a new scandal involving pitchers who may be applying sticky substances...

Artisan robots with AI smarts will juggle tasks, choose tools, mix and match recipes and even order materials – all without human help

Written by Glenn S. Daehn, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University

Factory robots could soon acquire a range of skills, including the ability to choose how to make things.studiostockart/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Failure of a machine in a factory can shut it down. Lost production can cost millions of dollars per day. Component failures can devastate factories, power plants and battlefield equipment.

To...

Teaching kids social responsibility – like how to settle fights and ask for help – can reduce school bullying

Written by Jonathan B. Santo, Professor of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha

Elementary school students in Brazil learn healthy ways to resolve conflicts during a three-day workshop in 2019.Sarah Roza, CC BY-NC-ND

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Schools that encourage their students to care for their classmates’ feelings and to peacefully resolve conflicts with their...

Friends are saying 'I do' – but might not understand the legal risks of their platonic marriages

Written by Nausica Palazzo, Postdoctoral Fellow in Comparative Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Since there’s no romantic relationship, judges are likely to default to ruling that platonic marriages are an attempt to game the system.Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images

When a couple decides to tie the knot, they’ll often say they’re marrying their best friend.

But what if two actual best friends – no sex or even romantic...