The Conversation

Black Americans mostly left behind by progress since Dr. King's death

Written by Sharon Austin, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of African American Studies, University of Florida

How much has really improved for black people in the U.S. since 1968?Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA

On Apr. 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while assisting striking sanitation workers.

That was almost 50 years ago. Back then, the wholesale racial integration required by the 1964 Civil Rights Act was just beginning...

If football is so deadly, why did 103 million people watch the Super Bowl?

Written by John Affleck, Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society, Pennsylvania State University

A hit from Malcom Jenkins sidelined the Patriots' Brandin Cooks for the night.AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

During the second quarter of Super Bowl LII, the party stopped, if just for a second.

Tom Brady found Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks downfield with a 23-yard completion. Cooks spun around then got laid out by the Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins,...

Why the global stock market crash doesn't really matter

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

Another jittery day on Wall Street. Reuters/Brendan McDermid

Stocks, which only recently were hitting a new record practically every other day, suddenly seem to be in free fall. Or at least on a very wild ride.

Global stock markets plunged on Feb. 5, continuing the already precipitous decline from the week before. The Dow Jones industrial average,...

Your mobile phone can give away your location, even if you tell it not to

Written by Guevara Noubir, Professor of Computer and Information Science, Northeastern University

Fitness trackers report their location and map the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.Screenshot of Strava Heat Map

U.S. military officials were recently caught off guard by revelations that servicemembers’ digital fitness trackers were storing the locations of their workouts – including at or near military bases and clandestine...

How one state bridged the cultural divide on climate change to prepare for a stormier future

Written by Cameron Wake, Josephine A Lamprey Professor in Climate and Sustainability, University of New Hampshire

Coastal municipalities need to prepare for higher chances of storms and rising sea levels.AP Photo/Jim Cole

The year 2017 painted a grim picture of coastal storms in the eastern United States. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria were deadly and destructive harbingers of how climate change contributes to bigger storms with stronger winds, greater...

Teens aren't just risk machines – there's a method to their madness

Written by Jessica Flannery, Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology, University of Oregon

Just because everyone else is doing it...Shane Pope, CC BY

You know the conventional wisdom: Adolescents are impulsive by nature, like bombs ready to go off at the most minor trigger. Parents feel they must cross their fingers and hope no one lights the fuse that will lead to an explosion. Adults often try restricting and monitoring teens’...

White men may be biggest winners when a city snags Amazon’s HQ2

Written by Amy Bhatt, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The tech sector has long had a diversity problem. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Amazon may be hosting the biggest – and most economically important – reality show ever as city mayors compete to snag the retailer’s second headquarters. And just like TV, it has a diversity problem.

More than 230 cities made the initial bid, and just...

5 things to know about North and South Korea

Written by Ji-Young Lee, Assistant Professor, American University School of International Service

Editor’s note: Professor Ji-Young Lee of American University answers five questions to help put issues related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities into context.

Why is there a North and a South Korea?

Before there was a North and South Korea, the peninsula was ruled as a dynasty known as Chosŏn, which existed for more than...

Why treating addiction with medication should be carefully considered

Written by Scott Teitelbaum, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Florida

Vivitrol, a non-opioid medication, is used to treat some cases of opioid dependence. Addiction specialists stress that not all patients need medication, but that many do.AP Photo/Carla K. Carlson

When a patient has diabetes, doctors typically prescribe insulin, along with diet and exercise. When a patient has high blood pressure, we prescribe...

Trump's push for new offshore drilling is likely to run aground in California

Written by Charles Lester, Researcher, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Kelp and sardines in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.NOAA, CC BY

The Trump administration’s effort to dramatically expand federal offshore oil production has reignited a battle with California that dates back nearly 50 years.

On January 28, 1969, a blowout from Union Oil’s Platform A spilled more than 3.2 million gallons of...