The Conversation

New research helps explain why Indian girls appear to be less engaged in politics than Indian boys

Written by Sara Wilf, Ph.D. Candidate in Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles

A recent survey found that just over half of boys in India consider themselves politically engaged compared with less than a third of girls. Sayantan Chakraborty/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Girls in India report being less interested and engaged in...

A memorial in Yiddish, Italian and English tells the stories of Triangle Shirtwaist fire victims − testament not only to tragedy but to immigrant women's fight to remake labor laws

Written by Karla Goldman, Professor of Social Work and Judaic Studies, University of Michigan

Victims' names engraved in a metal overhang, part of the Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial, are reflected in mirroring panels along the sidewalk.AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

The 10-story Brown Building, site of one of the deadliest workplace disasters in United States history, stands one block east of Washington Square Park in New York City. Despite three...

Quantum dots − a new Nobel laureate describes the development of these nanoparticles from basic research to industry application

Written by Louis Brus, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Columbia University

Louis Brus, center, shares Nobel recognition with two other quantum dots pioneers.Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

The Nobel Prize in chemistry for 2023 goes to three scientists “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.” The Conversation Weekly podcast caught up with one of this trio, physical chemist Louis Brus, who did...

Does chicken soup really help when you're sick? A nutrition specialist explains what's behind the beloved comfort food

Written by Colby Teeman, Assistant Professor of Dietetics and Nutrition, University of Dayton

A bowl of chicken soup typically contains protein, vegetables and soothing broth. Westend61 via Getty Images

Preparing a bowl of chicken soup for a loved one when they’re sick has been a common practice throughout the world for centuries. Today, generations from virtually every culture swear to the benefits of chicken soup. In the U.S., the...

New class of recyclable polymer materials could one day help reduce single-use plastic waste

Written by Katherine Harry, PhD Student in Chemistry, Colorado State University

Single-use plastics. Anton Petrus/Moment

Hundreds of millions of tons of single-use plastic ends up in landfills every year, and even the small percentage of plastic that gets recycled can’t last forever. But our group of materials scientists has developed a new method for creating and deconstructing polymers that could lead to more easily...

Health care workers gain 21% wage increase in pending agreement with Kaiser Permanente after historic strike

Written by Michael McQuarrie, Director of the Center for Work and Democracy, Arizona State University

Striking Kaiser Permanente workers hold signs as they march on Oct. 6, 2023, in Vallejo, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions reached a tentative agreement with its employer on a new four-year contract on Oct. 13, 2023. They agreed following the largest documented strike of U.S. health care workers on record,...

House speaker paralysis is confusing – a political scientist explains what's happening

Written by Charles R. Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

Jim Jordan, center, has been working feverishly to line up support for his speakership.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Political observers, most Americans and even members of Congress can’t remember a battle for the post of speaker of the U.S. House as fraught as the one that began back in January 2023 and continues still, 10 months later.

On...

COVID-19 vaccine mandates have come and mostly gone in the US – an ethicist explains why their messy rollout matters for trust in public health

Written by Rachel Gur-Arie, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination was once required to access many venues during the pandemic.skaman306/Moment via Getty Images

Ending pandemics is a social decision, not scientific. Governments and organizations rely on social, cultural and political considerations to decide when to officially declare the end of a pandemic. Ideally, leaders try to...

Hamas was unpopular in Gaza before it attacked Israel – surveys showed Gazans cared more about fighting poverty than armed resistance

Written by Nathan French, Associate Professor of Religion, Miami University

Who speaks for the Palestinians of Gaza? Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

Amid the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war, observers in the region and internationally continue to make assumptions about Gazan public support for Hamas.

Mistaken assumptions such as those by U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, claiming that all Gazans are “anti...

What do a Black scientist, nonprofit executive and filmmaker have in common? They all face racism in the ‘gray areas’ of workplace culture

Written by Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

American workplaces talk a lot about diversity these days. In fact, you’d have a hard time finding a company that says it doesn’t value the principle. But despite this – and despite the multibillion-dollar diversity industry – Black workers continue to face significant hiring discrimination, stall out at middle management...