The Conversation

Exxon, Apple and other corporate giants will have to disclose all their emissions under California's new climate laws – that will have a global impact

Written by Lily Hsueh, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Arizona State University

Marathon Petroleum Corporation's Los Angeles refinery, California's largest producer of gasoline. David McNew/Getty Images

Many of the world’s largest public and private companies will soon be required to track and report almost all of their greenhouse gas emissions if they do business in California – including emissions from their...

Supreme Court to hear arguments in key case about gerrymandering

Written by Claire Wofford, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston

Tourists visit the Supreme Court building on June 23, 2023, in Washington.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News via Getty Images

A South Carolina case about gerrymandering – the drawing of legislative district lines to maximize political power – that could affect voting rights around the country will be one of the cases decided by the U.S....

Is Taiwan a country or not?

Written by Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College

A soldier holds Taiwan's national flag during military drills. AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying

Defining what is and isn’t a country is a lot more complicated than many people would realize. Take the case of Taiwan.

On Aug. 30, 2023, a committee of the U.K. Parliament referred to Taiwan as an “independent country” in a report. This is the...

How 'nones' − the religiously unaffiliated − are finding meaning, purpose and spirituality in psychedelic churches

Written by Morgan Shipley, Foglio Endowed Chair of Spirituality & Associate Chair of Religious Studies, Michigan State University

An ayahuasca ceremony at a Hummingbird Church in Hildale, Utah, in 2022. AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski

More and more surveys point to decreasing membership in religious institutions and a corresponding rise of “nones.” Many people might assume that this indicates the absence of belief or a lack of spirituality.

Particularly in the West,...

Claudia Goldin’s Nobel Prize win is a victory for women in economics − and the field as a whole

Written by Veronika Dolar, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Old Westbury

The world's newest Nobel laureate takes a bow.Carlin Stiehl/Getty Images

Economic history has long been chronicled through a male lens, emphasizing the contributions of men and their viewpoints. For proof, just look to the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. It’s been awarded to 90 men since 1969 – and just three women.

The third...

Why more school counselors and psychologists alone won't solve America's mental health crisis among students

Written by Joni Williams Splett, Associate Professor of School Psychology, University of Florida

Student-to-counselor ratios in America's schools often exceed what is recommended.SDI Productions via Getty Images

Of all the challenges that threaten the well-being of America’s schoolchildren, one of the most serious and severe is the lack of school counselors and school psychologists. Despite the increased demand for their services,...

Spicy food might burn in the moment, but it likely won't harm your health in the long term

Written by Paul D. Terry, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Tennessee

Many cultures integrate hot peppers into traditional dishes. AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File

Everyone has a different tolerance for spicy food — some love the burn, while others can’t take the heat. But the scientific consensus on whether spicy food can have an effect — positive or negative — on your health is pretty...

Cancer in kids is different from cancer in grown-ups – figuring out how could lead to better pediatric treatments

Written by Ranjini Bhattacharya, Ph.D. Candidate in Integrated Mathematical Oncology, University of South Florida

Cancer in children is often more invasive and aggressive than that of adults.FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images

Cancer arises when cells accumulate enough damage to change their normal behavior. The likelihood of accruing damage increases with age because the safeguards in your genetic code that ensure cells function for the greater good of the body...

Why Al-Aqsa remains a sensitive site in Palestine-Israel conflict

Written by Ken Chitwood, Senior Research Fellow, Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at IUPUI and Journalist-fellow, USC Dornsife Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California

A view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City.Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

As a scholar of global Islam, I teach an introduction to Islam course and include a discussion about Al-Aqsa as part of the syllabus. That’s because Al-Aqsa has deep religious significance for Muslims around the world.

But...

Today's white working-class young men who turn to racist violence are part of a long, sad American history

Written by Colin Kohlhaas, Doctoral Candidate, History, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Dressed in orange prison garb, Payton Gendron is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 10 Black people in Buffalo, N.Y. Derek Gee/Buffalo News/Pool via Xinhua

In recent years, the United States has seen a surge of white supremacist mass shootings against racial minorities. While not always the case, mass shooters tend to be young white men....