The Conversation

How a 1905 debate about 'tainted' Rockefeller money is a reminder of ethical dilemmas today

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

MIT President L. Rafael Reif acknowledged in a letter that the late Jeffrey Epstein gave funding to many researchers.AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File

Many nonprofits, including top universities and museums are confronting serious ethical dilemmas regarding accepting tainted money.

The MIT Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research lab, has been widely...

Cultural studies key to national security

Written by Nicholas Tampio, Professor of Political Science, Fordham University

A lack of understanding between American and Middle-Eastern culture is a national security risk.Lightspring/shutterstock.com

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a commission formed to figure out why the attacks occurred. One of the culprits, according to the commission’s 9/11 report, was “lack of imagination.”

With few...

Harvard can use race as an admissions factor, at least for now

Written by Vinay Harpalani, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico

A federal judge ruled that Harvad can continue to use race as one of many factors in its admission decisions.f11photo/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: A federal judge has upheld Harvard University’s use of race in college admissions, rejecting claims that the school discriminated against Asian Americans to admit more black and Hispanic...

The Beatles' revolutionary use of recording technology in 'Abbey Road'

Written by William D. Moylan, Professor of Sound Recording Technology and Music, University of Massachusetts Lowell

A fan carries a copy of 'Abbey Road' as he traverses the infamous crosswalk that appears on the album's cover.AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

With its cheery singles, theatrical medley and iconic cover, The Beatles’ 11th – and last – studio album, “Abbey Road,” holds a special place in the hearts of the band’s fans....

Misinformation, evasion and the informational problem of live TV interviews

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

Chris Wallace interviewed White House adviser Stephen Miller about the impeachment investigation.Screenshot, Fox News

First, it happened on Fox News. Chris Wallace asked White House adviser Stephen Miller about the president’s decision to use private lawyers “to get information from the Ukrainian government rather than go through...

A brief history of television interviews -- and why live TV helps those who lie and want to hide

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

Chris Wallace interviewed White House adviser Stephen Miller about the impeachment investigation.Screenshot, Fox News

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy may come to regret his discussion with President Trump

Written by Lena Surzhko-Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. AP/Evan Vucci

The scandal that erupted in response to the July phone conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has had obvious consequences for Trump.

But there also are consequences for the...

More frequent and intense tropical storms mean less recovery time for the world's coastlines

Written by Hans Paerl, Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

More frequent coastal storms are stressing ecosystems like these North Carolina marshes.PumpkinSky/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Tropical cyclones – storms that bring strong, rotating winds and rain, and which can intensify into hurricanes or typhoons – affect coastal regions around the world. Our research team, centered at the University of...

Low blood pressure could be a culprit in dementia, studies suggest

Written by Kenneth McLeod, Professor of Systems Science, and Director - Clinical Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Low blood pressure may cause problems for many older people.Satyrenko/Shutterstock.com

Decline in brain function often occurs as people age. People often worry that declining brain function is an inevitable part of growing old and will lead to dementia, but it is not. Many people do not experience age-related cognitive decline.

Clinical studies that...

A father-physician tests if a little peanut a day keeps allergy away

Written by Edwin Kim, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the UNC Food Allergy Initiative, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Creamy and smooth peanut butter and peanuts can trigger deadly reactions in those with allergies.inewsfoto/Shutterstock.com, CC BY-SA

No one I knew had food allergy, let alone peanut allergy, when I was a child. I grew up at a time when peanuts were given freely on airplanes, and there was no such thing as a peanut-free table at school. Fast...