The Conversation

Evangelical leaders like Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell Sr. have long talked of conspiracies against God's chosen – those ideas are finding resonance today

Written by Samuel Perry, Associate professor, Baylor University

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House..AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President Donald Trump sees many conspiracies around him.

He has described investigations into both Russia’s interference in the U.S. election and alleged violations of campaign finance laws, as well as the entirety of his impeachment, as “witch hunts&rdqu...

As COVID-19 cases rise again, how will the US respond? Here's what states have learned so far

Written by Tiffany A. Radcliff, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University

States have tried shutting down bars and limiting restaurants to outdoor seating to slow the coronavirus's spread.Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

When the coronavirus began spreading in the U.S. in early spring, governors in hard-hit states took drastic steps to reduce the threat and avoid overloading their health care systems. By shutting down...

Teachers play a critical role in shaping girls' future as coders

Written by Roxanne Hughes, Research Faculty, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

With the right encouragement, girls could become the future stars of coding.Fat Camera / Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

It doesn’t take long to help girls see a future for themselves in computer science, but it depends largely on how good their teachers are at recognizing the skills...

Economists are more like storytellers than scientists – don't let the Nobel for 'economic sciences' fool you

Written by Carolin Benack, PhD candidate, Duke University

America's top economists like to tell stories. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

When you listen to an economist, chances are you’ll hear a lot of statistics.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at the National Association for Business Economics on Oct. 6 is a case in point. In the first two minutes alone he referred to a...

Remembering Mario Molina, Nobel Prize-winning chemist who pushed Mexico on clean energy -- and, recently, face masks

Written by Elena Delavega, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Memphis

Molina speaking about climate change at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico, Nov. 2018. Leonardo Alvarez/Getty Images

Dr. Mario Molina, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who died on Oct. 7 at age 77, did not become a scientist to change the world; he just loved chemistry. Born in Mexico City in 1943, Molina as a young boy conducted...

Nobel Peace Prize spotlights the links between hunger and conflict

Written by Jessica Eise, Postdoctoral Researcher, Purdue University

Villagers collect World Food Programme aid dropped from a plane Feb. 6 in South Sudan.Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the United Nations World Food Program for its efforts to combat hunger, foster conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war. This...

Lessons from embedding with the Michigan militia – 5 questions answered about the group allegedly plotting to kidnap a governor

Written by Amy Cooter, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Vanderbilt University

A search warrant and a list of seized property from an FBI raid related to the alleged kidnapping plot.Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

Details are still emerging about the men arrested on federal and state charges related to an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Federal prosecutions can take months and even years, so it will...

Workers can expect sympathy from Amy Coney Barrett – as long as they don’t bring a class action to defend their rights

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Amy Coney Barrett has issued mixed rulings when it comes to workers.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

When it comes to Supreme Court rulings, constitutional law cases – like Roe v. Wade and Citizens United – tend to hog the limelight. But that’s not the only type of case that matters.

The Supreme Court issues a lot of important...

Repatriating the archives: Lumbee scholars find their people and bring them home

Written by Ashley Minner, Professor of the Practice, Department of American Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Jeanette W. Jones holds the September 1957 issue of Ebony magazine, which features the article 'Mystery People of Baltimore: Neither red, nor black, nor white. Strange ‘Indian’ tribe lives in world of its own.' She is pictured at center, with her hand on her hip.Photo Sean Scheidt; author provided, Author provided

Following World War...

Pandemic threatens food security for many college students

Written by Matthew J. Landry, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University

More college students are uncertain about whether they will have enough to eat.Lakshmiprasad S/EyeEm via Getty Images

When university presidents were surveyed in spring of 2020 about what they felt were the most pressing concerns of COVID-19, college students going hungry didn’t rank very high.

Just 14% of the presidents listed food or housing...