The Conversation

Americans care more about future generations than many think – and that gap could matter for policy

Written by Kyle Fiore Law, Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Sustainability, Arizona State University

Decisions made now can affect people far into the future.Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Caring about future generations means believing that people who will live decades or centuries from now deserve ethical consideration. In practice, that means taking their interests into account when making all kinds of decisions across a range of...

The US has long used economic coercion to achieve foreign policy goals — the war in Iran shows how that power has declined

Written by Charmaine N. Willis, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Old Dominion University

The Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz has largely brought oil traffic to a halt, hitting petroleum-exporting countries hard. Asghar Besharati / Getty Images

Two months after the United States, along with Israel, launched a war against Iran, that conflict appears far from a lasting resolution.

Much commentary on the protracted nature of the...

How much should politics influence science, and vice versa? National Science Board’s ousting resurrects an existential debate

Written by Caroline Wagner, Professor of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University

The governing structure of the National Science Foundation partially insulated science from political control.Evgeny Gromov/iStock via Getty Images Plus

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” read 22 emails sent from the White House Presidential Personnel Office on Friday afternoon, April 24, 2026, “I am writing to inform you...

Supreme Court considers how much states can protect consumers when federal agencies won’t

Written by Sarah J. Morath, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for International Affairs, Wake Forest University

As of April 2026, the U.S. government has not required a warning label on Roundup weed killer.AP Photo/Haven Daley

Chemical giant Monsanto has argued for years that if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves a pesticide label without requiring a cancer warning, states cannot hold its manufacturer liable in court for failing to warn...

Supreme Court geofencing case weighs constitutionality of digital dragnets – and how far your rights go in the data Big Tech collects on you

Written by Anne Toomey McKenna, Affiliated Faculty Member, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Penn State

Police got cellphone data for many people who happened to be in this area near the time of a bank robbery.AP Photo/Steve Helber

Google tracks the vast majority of cellphones in the United States, collecting your location, usage and device data through installed software and apps. The tracking occurs by various autonomous processes you cannot see or...

Supreme Court considers whether police can use Big Tech data to capture info from all cellphone users in a place and time

Written by Anne Toomey McKenna, Affiliated Faculty Member, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Penn State

Police got cellphone data for many people who happened to be in this area near the time of a bank robbery.AP Photo/Steve Helber

Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling makes it harder to protect minority voting power and alters the landscape of future elections

Written by Sam D. Hayes, Assistant professor of politics and policy, Simmons University

President Lyndon Johnson hands a pen to civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the signing of the Voting Rights Act in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 6, 1965. Hulton Archive, Washington Bureau/Getty Images

In a major ruling that would permit weakening the voting power of minorities in the United States, the Supreme Court on April 29,...

Students are taught to hide in closets and under tables if there is a school shooting – but does practicing for this possibility keep kids safe?

Written by James Densley, Professor of Criminal Justice, Metropolitan State University

Most schools do lockdown drills, but there is not any federal guidance on the best approach to this practice. TW Farlow/iStock/Getty Images Plus

There have been 63 school shootings – meaning any time there is gunfire on a school campus – so far in 2026.

They happen so often that preparing for one has become normal. Students as young as...

Can the nearly $1 trillion-a-year US military really be depleting key weapons in Iran?

Written by Michael A. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

The guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. fires a Tomahawk missile during Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, 2026. U.S. Navy via AP

The fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced on April 7, 2026, after 40 days of war came at an opportune time for the United States. Several reports indicate it is running out of weapons amid the conflict.

As a...

What courage is, how to build it and why you should take a risk

Written by Gregory Crawford, President, Miami University

Courage demands that we evaluate an action's goals and risks.Elisa Schu/picture alliance via Getty Images

From ancient epics to contemporary headlines, humans have spent centuries canonizing courage as a rare and admirable virtue. Aristotle writes, “You will never do anything in this world without courage.” But what does it really mean...