The Conversation

The Federal Reserve held off hiking interest rates − it may still be too early to start popping the corks

Written by D. Brian Blank, Assistant Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell is watching the data.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady at their monthly policy meeting on Sept. 20, 2023 – only the second time they have done so since embarking on a rate-raising campaign a year and a half ago. But it is what they hinted at rather than...

Wildfire risk is soaring for low-income, elderly and other vulnerable populations in California, Washington and Oregon

Written by Mojtaba Sadegh, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University

Many of the people caught in the wildfire that swept through Paradise, Calif., in 2018 were older adults.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As wildfires burn across the Western U.S., the people in harm’s way are increasingly those least able to protect their homes from fire risks, evacuate safely or recover after a fire.

In a new study, we and a...

How local police could help prevent another January 6th-style insurrection

Written by Matthew Valasik, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Alabama

Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, at left, and group member Joe Biggs were sentenced to many years in federal prison.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Some of the most prominent members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant group that functions more like a street gang than a militia, have been sentenced to long terms in federal prison for...

What can board games teach students about climate change?

Written by Debra J. Rosenthal, Professor of English, John Carroll University

Teamwork is a common theme among the growing number of board games that deal with climate change.Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Among the world’s ever-expanding array of board games, a small but growing number deal with climate change. But are these games any good?

As a professor of English who specializes in...

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you

Written by Jacob S. Suissa, Assistant Professor of Plant Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

You may be surprised by what's growing on a familiar trail.Benjamin Goulet-Scott, CC BY-ND

When you hear about the abundance of life on Earth, what do you picture? For many people, it’s animals – but awareness of plant diversity is growing rapidly.

Our planet has nearly 300,000 species of flowering plants. Among animals, only beetles can...

Tinmel – Morocco's medieval shrine and mosque – is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake

Written by Abbey Stockstill, Assistant Professor of Art History, Southern Methodist University

A group of men praying in front of the mosque in Tinmel village that has suffered serious damage in the recent earthquake.Matias Chiofalo/Getty Images

The damage from the earthquake that struck Morocco on Sept. 8, 2023, is still being assessed. Moroccans are grappling not just with the loss of thousands of lives, but also with the widespread...

AI won't be replacing your priest, minister, rabbi or imam any time soon

Written by Pauline Hope Cheong, Professor of Human Communication and Communication Technologies, Arizona State University

An android called 'Kannon Mindar,' which preaches Buddhist sermons.Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Early in the summer of 2023, robots projected on a screen delivered sermons to about 300 congregants at St. Paul’s Church in Bavaria, Germany. Created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the...

Earthquakes and other natural hazards are a risk everywhere – here's how people are preparing in the US and around the world

Written by John van de Lindt, Professor of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University

With a magnitude of 6.8, the earthquake in Morocco killed approximately 2,500 people.Sima Diab/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Disasters can happen anywhere.

Some places are more prone to hazards such as earthquakes, flooding and hurricanes, but there’s nowhere where the risk is zero. The good news is that humans can make good decisions...

What are 'mule addresses'? Criminologists explain how vacant properties serve as depots for illegal online purchases

Written by David Maimon, Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University

Nobody's home, just as the sender intended.AndreyPopov/ iStock via Getty Images Plus

Online shopping isn’t just a convenient way to buy batteries, diapers, computers and other stuff without going to a brick-and-mortar store.

Many Americans also use the internet to quietly acquire illegal, fake and stolen items. Guns, prescription drugs no...

Racial trauma has profound mental health consequence - a Black clinical psychologist explains and offers 5 ways to heal

Written by Char Newton, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota

Racial trauma can cause feelings of isolation among Black people. Taiyou Nomachi/Getty Images

Since European expansion into the Americas, white people have demonized Black people and portrayed them as undesirable, violent and hypersexual. Originally, the intent of this demonization was to legitimize the conquest and sale of African people.

One...