The Conversation

Why Pete Buttigieg may be reviving progressive ideals of the Social Gospel Movement

Written by David Mislin, Assistant Professor of Intellectual Heritage, Temple University

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination.AP Photo/Darron Cummings

In recent weeks, Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has captured wide media attention.

One reason is that Buttigieg is the first openly gay presidential candidate. Another is that he has been unguarded in speaking...

Russia isn't the first country to protest Western control over global telecommunications

Written by Sarah Nelson, Ph.D. Candidate in History and Comparative Media Analysis and Practice, Vanderbilt University

Why might a country want to cut off its internet connection?KonstantinZhuravlev/Shutterstock.com

As the international community becomes increasingly concerned about misinformation and data breaches, the Russian government has announced plans to test its own, sweeping solution to the problem: disconnecting Russia from the global internet.

Russian...

Sea creatures store carbon in the ocean – could protecting them help slow climate change?

Written by Heidi Pearson, Associate Professor of Marine Biology, University of Alaska Southeast

A sperm whale goes down for a dive off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Heidi Pearson, CC BY-ND

As the prospect of catastrophic effects from climate change becomes increasingly likely, a search is on for innovative ways to reduce the risks. One potentially powerful and low-cost strategy is to recognize and protect natural carbon sinks – places and...

The new digital divide is between people who opt out of algorithms and people who don't

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

Do you know what happens when you share your data?mtkang/shutterstock.com

Every aspect of life can be guided by artificial intelligence algorithms – from choosing what route to take for your morning commute, to deciding whom to take on a date, to complex legal and judicial matters such as predictive policing.

Big tech companies like Google...

A political stalemate over Puerto Rican aid is leaving all US disaster funding in limbo

Written by Lauren Lluveras, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis, University of Texas at Austin

Three-year-old Ailianie Hernandez waits with her mother, Julianna Ageljo, to apply for Puerto Rico's nutritional assistance program.(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

Senate Democrats recently blocked US$13.5 billion in relief for Americans whose lives were disrupted by hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding and other natural disasters. The objections had...

In Notre Dame fire, echoes of the 1837 blaze that destroyed Russia's Winter Palace

Written by Paul W. Werth, Professor of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

On a cold December night, the symbol of Russia's imperial prowess went up in flames.Wikimedia Commons

In a city graced with remarkable architecture, the cathedral of Notre Dame may be Paris’ most striking edifice. So when it was engulfed by a fire that toppled its spire, it seemed as if more than a building had been scorched; the nation had...

The dirt on soil loss from the Midwest floods

Written by Jim Ippolito, Associate Professor of Environmental Soil Quality/Health, Colorado State University

A John Deere tractor makes its way through floodwaters in Fargo, North Dakota.AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

As devastating images of the 2019 Midwest floods fade from view, an insidious and longer-term problem is emerging across its vast plains: The loss of topsoil that much of the nation’s food supply relies on.

Today, Midwest farmers are facing...

Boeing crashes and Uber collision show passenger safety relies on corporate promises, not regulators' tests

Written by Adam Gabriele, Ph.D. Student in Sustainability, Arizona State University

Automation can often get ahead of safety regulators' efforts.Tarikdiz/Shutterstock.com

Advanced technologies deliver benefits every day. But, sometimes interactions with technology can go awry and lead to disaster.

On March 10, the pilots aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were unable to correct a failure in one of the Boeing 737 Max 8’s...

What it means to ‘know your audience’ when communicating about science

Written by John C. Besley, Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations, Michigan State University

You have a lot of work to do before you step up to the mic.Chinnapong/Shutterstock.com

Communication experts love to tell people to know their audience, but it is not always clear what they’re meant to know.

Knowing someone’s age, education and gender is nice. So too is knowing context about economic, educational, cultural and...

Journalism's Assange problem

Written by Kathy Kiely, Professor and Lee Hills Chair of Free Press Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia

These days, anybody with an internet connection can be a publisher.

That doesn’t make everybody a journalist.

This distinction has become more important than ever in light of two recent events.

One was the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The other was a proposal by lawmakers from Georgia, the Peach State, that looked more like an...