The Conversation

Preying on white fears worked for Georgia’s Lester Maddox in the ’60s − and is working there for Donald Trump today

Written by David Cason, Associate Professor in Honors, University of North Dakota

Lester Maddox is sworn in as governor of Georgia on Jan. 11, 1967.Bettmann/Getty Images

In January 1967, after a gubernatorial election that saw neither candidate gain enough votes to win, the Georgia Legislature was faced with a vital decision: the selection of the state’s 75th governor during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Legislat...

College students in Austin, Texas, have dwelled in windowless rooms for years − here’s why the city finally decided to ban them

Written by Juan Miró, Professor, Dick Clark Chair in Architecture, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin

Thousands of windowless rooms like this one have been built near the University of Texas at Austin.Juan Miro

In the past few years, the city of Austin, Texas, has approved the construction of thousands of windowless rooms in new apartment buildings next to The University of Texas at Austin.

Most of these rooms are being leased to UT students,...

Latest inflation figures are good news – even if they give a lot of people heartburn

Written by Christopher Decker, Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska Omaha

Headline inflation is cooling, too.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The U.S. economy is slowing, but not crashing. In the dismal science, this is what counts as good news.

That’s the message I took away from the latest inflation data, released May 15, 2024, which showed U.S. consumer prices rising 3.4% in the 12 months to April 2024. This is...

5 thoughts for new college grads seeking to find the right balance between meaningful work and making money

Written by Christopher Wong Michaelson, Professor of Ethics and Business Law, University of St. Thomas

The Class of 2024 had a college experience like no other, starting its first year during peak pandemic and graduating amid protests of the war in Gaza. Many of its graduates will be joining a working world that holds their future in its hands and that was transformed by technological advancements and changing attitudes about work while they were...

It’s OK to mow in May − the best way to help pollinators is by adding native plants

Written by Christina Grozinger, Professor of Entomology and Director, Center for Pollinator Research, Penn State

It’s a simple idea: Stop mowing your lawn in the month of May to let flowers in the lawn, such as dandelions and clover, grow and support bees and other pollinators.

“No Mow May” was started in 2019 by Plantlife, a conservation charity based in the United Kingdom, in response to a well-documented loss of meadows and an alarming...

Florence Nightingale overcame the limits set on proper Victorian women – and brought modern science and statistics to nursing

Written by Melissa Pritchard, Professor Emeritus of English and Women’s Studies, Arizona State University

Florence Nightingale experienced her personal call to nursing at age 16 and ultimately became known as the "Lady with the Lamp."Photos.com/Getty Images

For nearly 200 years, Florence Nightingale’s name has been synonymous with gentle compassion and mercy.

In the mid-19th century, Nightingale became perhaps the most celebrated woman of her era...

An obscure provision of Ohio law could keep Biden off the ballot there in November

Written by Jonathan Entin, Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University

The William McKinley Monument, silhouetted on the west side of the Ohio Statehouse, on April 15, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

President Joe Biden might not appear on the November 2024 presidential ballot in Ohio. Ohio law requires that presidential candidates be certified – that is, the state must be notified that...

Black holes are mysterious, yet also deceptively simple − a new space mission may help physicists answer hairy questions about these astronomical objects

Written by Gaurav Khanna, Professor of Physics, University of Rhode Island

An illustration of a supermassive black hole. NASA/JPL

Physicists consider black holes one of the most mysterious objects that exist. Ironically, they’re also considered one of the simplest. For years, physicists like me have been looking to prove that black holes are more complex than they seem. And a newly approved European space mission...

Viruses are doing mysterious things everywhere – AI can help researchers understand what they’re up to in the oceans and in your gut

Written by Libusha Kelly, Associate Professor of Systems and Computational Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Many viral genetic sequences code for proteins that researchers haven't seen before.KTSDesign/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Viruses are a mysterious and poorly understood force in microbial ecosystems. Researchers know they can infect, kill and manipulate human and bacterial cells in nearly every environment, from the oceans to your gut....

Term limits aren’t the answer

Written by Charlie Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

Would term limits lead to a more effective and less polarized Congress?Andrey Denisyuk/Getty Images

There’s no denying that the current Congress has been one of the most chaotic in recent memory. The paralysis in 2023 and 2024 over the selection of the speaker of the House helped lead to one of Congress’ most unproductive years in...