The Conversation

Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe

Written by Sara Machado, Research Scientist in Health Economics, Brown University

Wealth can buy health – but only to a point. marekuliasz/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Americans at all wealth levels are more likely to die sooner than their European counterparts, with even the richest U.S. citizens living shorter lives than northern and western Europeans. That is the key finding of our new study, published in the New...

What would happen if Section 230 went away? A legal expert explains the consequences of repealing ‘the law that built the internet’

Written by Daryl Lim, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Penn State

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., are vocal critics of Section 230.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996 as part of the Telecommunications Act, has become a political lightning rod in recent years. The law shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content...

Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision

Written by Christine Wusylko, Postdoctoral Fellow in Educational Technology, University of Florida

A student creates their model using Google Teachable Machine.Christine Wusylko, CC BY-ND

Most kids have a natural curiosity about sharks − especially their sharp and abundant teeth. Our team had the idea to use the appeal of this charismatic apex predator to teach how scientists use artificial intelligence.

We are researchers in AI literacy and...

Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are happening more often

Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

A powerful storm system that stalled over states from Texas to Ohio for several days in early April 2025 wreaked havoc across the region, with deadly tornadoes, mudslides and flooding as rivers rose. More than a foot of rain fell in several areas.

As a climate scientist who studies the water cycle, I often get questions about how extreme storms...

Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening more often

Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

Floodwaters rise in downtown Hopkinsville, Ky., on April 4, 2025.AP Photo/George Walker IV

As a climate...

Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe

Written by Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton

To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic growth.

While this theory may seem logical on its face, it’s a bit of a...

The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok

Written by Gregory H. Shill, Professor of Law & Michael and Brenda Sandler Faculty Fellow in Corporate Law, University of Iowa

When Congress passed a law in 2024 to ban TikTok unless it came under U.S. ownership, lawmakers argued that the app’s Chinese parent company posed national security concerns. The Trump administration, which had granted the viral video app a reprieve shortly after taking office in January 2025, extended that pause again on April 4 after the...

Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep − a sleep researcher explains why screens alone aren’t the main culprit

Written by Brian N. Chin, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Trinity College

Social media use before bedtime can be stimulating in ways that screen time alone is not. Adam Hester/Tetra Images via Getty Images

“Avoid screens before bed” is one of the most common pieces of sleep advice. But what if the real problem isn’t screen time − it’s the way we use social media at night?

Sleep deprivation is...

How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians

Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

Altadena is inherently prone to fire. But Black residents are the most vulnerable. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The damage from the Eaton Fire wasn’t indiscriminate. The blaze that ravaged the city of Altadena, California, in January 2025, killing 17 people and consuming over 9,000 buildings, destroyed Black Altadenans’ homes in greatest...

Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

Written by John Lowrey, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Health Sciences, Northeastern University

Farmworkers at Del Bosque Farms pick and pack melons on a mobile platform in Firebaugh, Calif., in July 2021.AP Photo/Terry Chea

Agricultural employers who provide farmworkers with health insurance earn higher profits, even after accounting for the cost of that coverage. In addition, farmworkers who get health insurance through their employers are...