The Conversation

Harvard case could represent the end of race in college admissions

Written by Lara Perez-Felkner, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Sociology, Florida State University

The Harvard admissions trial may have implications for the use of race in college admissions.f11photo/www.shutterstock.com

Four decades ago, the U.S. Supreme Court cited the admissions program at Harvard College as an “illuminating example” of how race could be used as one of several factors in college admissions.

“This kind of...

A day to celebrate chemistry’s favorite unit — the mole. But what’s a mole?

Written by Tara S. Carpenter, Senior Lecturer and General Chemistry Coordinator, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Mole Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists on Oct. 23, between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m. The time and date are derived from Avogadro's number.Ekaterina_Minaeva/Shutterstock.com

On Oct. 23, between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m., chemists celebrate Mole Day. Mole Day is not a day to celebrate those furry little creatures that live in the...

Saudi Arabia is a repressive regime – and so are a lot of US allies

Written by Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Trump, like Obama before him, has enjoyed a close relationship with Saudi Arabia's royal family.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul has put the United States’ relationship with the wealthy Gulf power under intense scrutiny.

After weeks of denying any knowledge about...

¿Eres ciudadano? El gobierno de Trump quiere saber

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

Los críticos temen que incluir preguntas sobre la ciudadanía impida que las personas respondan a los censistas en el 2020U.S. Census Bureau, CC BY-NC-ND

Por primera vez en varias décadas, el censo 2020 de Estados Unidos preguntará si las personas son ciudadanas o no.

Cuando Wilbur Ross, Secretario de Comercio,...

Two Native American geneticists interpret Elizabeth Warren's DNA test

Written by Krystal Tsosie, Ph.D. Student in Genomics and Health Disparities, Vanderbilt University

Dr. Carlos Bustamante, a prominent population geneticist, recently concluded that Senator Elizabeth Warren had “a Native American ancestor.” While geneticists agree on the validity of the test, which is based on established statistical models of DNA inheritance, we as two Native American geneticists find the interpretation to be problem...

Does climate change affect real estate prices? Only if you believe in it

Written by Constantine Yannelis, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Chicago

Flooding due to climate change may make coastal homes less valuable.AP Photo/Julio Cortez

In the wake of two powerful hurricanes in the U.S. this fall, the scientific evidence that climate change will raise the risk of severe weather events continues to grow.

In some coastal areas such as Hawaii and Florida, roughly one-tenth of all homes are...

It's the economics: Red states embracing wind energy don't do it for the climate

Written by Sarah Mills, Senior Project Manager, Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP); Project Manager, National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE), University of Michigan

Energy Secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry checks out a wind turbine.AP Photo/LM Otero

The federal government has never played a leading role in restricting the carbon footprint of the nation’s power plants. But now that the Trump administration is trying to dismantle many energy regulations, that national role is even smaller.

Many...

Many Midwesterners will likely never believe in climate change. Here’s how to encourage them to act anyway

Written by Matthew Houser, Assistant Research Scientist, Indiana University

A farm in LaSalle County, Illinois.Eddie J. Rodriquez/shutterstock.com

The number of politically conservative Americans who are climate skeptics is growing, and the evidence suggests that they’re unlikely to change their opinions.

This is particularly evident in the Midwest. Although 61 percent of U.S. adults are concerned about global...

Is climate change causing a rise in the number of mosquito and tick-borne diseases?

Written by Oghenekaro Omodior, Assistant Professor of Recreation, Parks and Tourism, Indiana University

Warmer temperatures could lead to more zones of the country that make good breeding sites for mosquitoes.Apichart Meesri / Shutterstock.com

Life in a single-family home in suburban America, one with a quiet and spacious backyard, surrounded by natural habitats, lush green vegetation, where beautiful birds, squirrels and other small mammals come and...

How have textbooks portrayed climate change?

Written by Brett Levy, Assistant professor of educational theory and practice, University at Albany, State University of New York

Some science textbooks give a skewed view of the causes of climate change, new research finds.pong-photo9/www.shutterstock.com

Back in 2007, the world’s foremost body charged with assessing climate change stated with “very high confidence” that humans were a primary driver of climate change.

But you may not get the message that...