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How the US census kickstarted America's computing industry

  • Written by David Lindsay Roberts, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, Prince George's Community College
An employee creates punch cards using information from a filled in 1950 Census Population Form.U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Constitution requires that a population count be conducted at the beginning of every decade.

This census has always been charged with political significance, and continues to be. That’s clear from the controversy over the...

Read more: How the US census kickstarted America's computing industry

Sanctuaries protecting gun rights and the unborn challenge the legitimacy and role of federal law

  • Written by John E. Finn, Professor Emeritus of Government, Wesleyan University
The Waskom City Council passed a sanctuary city ordinance in June 2019.Screenshot, NBC6 Studio

In June 2019, the small Texas town of Waskom declared itself a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.”

Waskom’s city council passed an ordinance that labels groups – like Planned Parenthood, NARAL and others – that perform abortions...

Read more: Sanctuaries protecting gun rights and the unborn challenge the legitimacy and role of federal law

If impeachment comes to the Senate – 5 questions answered

  • Written by Sarah Burns, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader, has a lot of power.AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley

Editor’s note: If the House of Representatives concludes its impeachment inquiry by passing articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump, attention will turn to the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican,...

Read more: If impeachment comes to the Senate – 5 questions answered

Why we need to treat wildfire as a public health issue in California

  • Written by Faith Kearns, Academic Coordinator, California Institute for Water Resources, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Fires that affect populated areas raise different safety and public health issues than wildfires.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Deadly fires across California over the past several years have shown how wildfire has become a serious public health and safety issue. Health effects from fires close to or in populated areas range from smoke exposure to...

Read more: Why we need to treat wildfire as a public health issue in California

Presidential 'debates' aren't debates at all – they're joint press conferences

  • Written by John P. Koch, Senior Lecturer and Director of Debate, Vanderbilt University

Democratic presidential contenders gather Tuesday evening in Ohio for the latest in a series of televised question-and-answer sessions in the lead-up to the 2020 primary season.

These sessions are called debates by their sponsors and the participants. But are they really?

Presidential debate scholars have long lamented that presidential debates are...

Read more: Presidential 'debates' aren't debates at all – they're joint press conferences

Blind people have increased opportunities, but employers’ perceptions are still a barrier

  • Written by Michele McDonnall, Research Professor and Director, Mississippi State University
A woman walking with a white cane, which has become a symbol of independence for people who are blind. Akemaster/Shutterstock.com

Communities across the world observe White Cane Day on Oct. 15 to recognize the contributions of people with blindness and low vision and to promote equal opportunities. The day was first observed in the U.S. in 1964,...

Read more: Blind people have increased opportunities, but employers’ perceptions are still a barrier

How to know which impeachment polls to believe – and which to skip

  • Written by Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan
Senator Chuck Schumer holds up the White House transcript of a call between President Donald Trump and the president of Ukraine.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Pollsters are trying their best to track public opinion about the House Democrats’ decision to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

Currently, it is doubtful the...

Read more: How to know which impeachment polls to believe – and which to skip

Curious Kids: How does a curveball curve?

  • Written by Jim Gregory, Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University
A pitcher tries to throw a ball past a batter. AP Images/Eric Gay

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How does a curveball curve? – Marek Powell, age 12, Dorchester, Massachusetts

You may have seen a pitcher throw a curveball...

Read more: Curious Kids: How does a curveball curve?

Kurds targeted in Turkish attack include thousands of female fighters who battled Islamic State

  • Written by Haidar Khezri, Assistant Professor, University of Central Florida

Kurdish fighters under attack by Turkey have described President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria as a “stab in the back.”

Since bombing began on Oct. 9, Turkish military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, Washington’s staunchest and most effective allies in...

Read more: Kurds targeted in Turkish attack include thousands of female fighters who battled Islamic State

Income-based repayment becoming a costly solution to student loan debt

  • Written by Robert Kelchen, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Seton Hall University
Student loan debt is approaching the $1.5 trillion mark.zimmytws/Shutterstock.com

When Congress established the income-driven repayment for federal student loans back in 2007, it was touted as a way to help student loan borrowers save money by capping monthly payments at a certain percentage of a borrower’s income.

Since then, student loan...

Read more: Income-based repayment becoming a costly solution to student loan debt

More Articles ...

  1. Blue light isn't the main source of eye fatigue and sleep loss – it's your computer
  2. Voters often parrot the party line, even when polls suggest otherwise
  3. Why Barack Obama was particularly unsuited to live up to the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize
  4. Lithium ion Nobel Prize shows how individual brainstorms add up to world-transforming innovations
  5. Why don't more women win science Nobels?
  6. Turkish attack on Syria endangers a remarkable democratic experiment by the Kurds
  7. US will send migrants to El Salvador, a country that can't protect its own people
  8. Why more places are abandoning Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day
  9. Could helmetless tackling training reduce football head injuries?
  10. Why ending the secrecy of 'confession' is so controversial for the Catholic Church
  11. Panama celebrates its black Christ, part of protest against colonialism and slavery
  12. Conservation policies threaten indigenous reindeer herders in Mongolia
  13. Computer science now counts as math credit in most states – is this a good idea?
  14. The Latin American left isn't dead yet
  15. For Russia, talk of Trump impeachment is the gift that keeps on giving
  16. Hurricane Michael recovery efforts point to the power of local generosity after overlooked disasters
  17. 6 ways to establish a productive homework routine
  18. Games blamed for moral decline and addiction throughout history
  19. Fast evolution explains the tiny stature of extinct 'Hobbit' from Flores Island
  20. Nobel Prize in Physics for two breakthroughs: Evidence for the Big Bang and a way to find exoplanets
  21. Workplace sex discrimination claims are common – but they're not making it into court
  22. Cómo los huracanes fuertes benefician a los peces caribeños
  23. Investigations usually hurt a president's public reputation – but Trump isn't usual
  24. Fundamentalism turns 100, a landmark for the Christian Right
  25. Discovery of how cells sense oxygen levels earns Nobel Prize
  26. Colt ends public sales of the AR-15, but gun-control advocates shouldn't celebrate
  27. Government restrictions on labeling products as 'meat' aren't likely to help anyone
  28. More mental health care won't stop the gun epidemic, new study suggests
  29. Strong family ties during teen years can help ward off depression in later life
  30. Growing the big one – 6 tips for your own prize-winning tomatoes
  31. Curious Kids: How deep is the ocean?
  32. Latin America shuts out desperate Venezuelans but Colombia's border remains open – for now
  33. The Supreme Court and refugees at the southern border: 5 questions answered
  34. How birth control pill prescriptions by a pharmacist could broaden access and keep costs down
  35. Trump’s America shines bright for Europe's radical New Right
  36. What's so wrong about lying in a job interview
  37. How the US could afford 'Medicare for all'
  38. Mining powers modern life, but can leave scarred lands and polluted waters behind
  39. People are increasingly interrupted at work, but it's not all bad
  40. New England power line corridors harbor rare bees and other wild things
  41. America now solves problems with troops, not diplomats
  42. 3 questions about vodka, answered
  43. Curious Kids: How do my eyes adjust to the dark and how long does it take?
  44. This year at the Supreme Court: Gay rights, gun rights and Native rights
  45. Trump's bad Nixon imitation may cost him the presidency
  46. What moons in other solar systems reveal about planets like Neptune and Jupiter
  47. Gandhi's 150th birthday: A little-remembered philosopher translated the Mahatma's ideas of nonviolence for Americans
  48. 3 reasons Forever 21’s bankruptcy doesn’t spell the end of brick-and-mortar retailing
  49. Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
  50. South America's second-largest forest is also burning – and 'environmentally friendly' charcoal is subsidizing its destruction