The Conversation

Inoculation theory: Using misinformation to fight misinformation

Written by John Cook, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University

A shot of fake news now and your defenses are raised in the future?funnyangel/Shutterstock.com.

As a psychologist researching misinformation, I focus on reducing its influence. Essentially, my goal is to put myself out of a job.

Recent developments indicate that I haven’t been doing a very good job of it. Misinformation, fake news and...

Should the US stay in the Paris Agreement? A majority of Democrats and Republicans think so

Written by Ed Maibach, Director of Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University

Protestors gathered in D.C. on April 29 for People's Climate March.9602574@N02/flickr, CC BY

In December 2015, officials from nearly every country in the world met in Paris to negotiate a global agreement to limit global warming. Last April, the U.S. and 174 other countries signed the agreement, with most of the others following suit since then.

For...

How El Niño forecasts can help prevent cholera deaths in Africa

Written by Justin Lessler, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University

Pit latrine in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Access to clean water and sanitation are key to preventing cholera epidemics.D. Schafer, SuSanA/Flickr, CC BY

Since it first emerged from the Ganges River delta 200 years ago, cholera has killed tens of millions of people around the world. It causes acute diarrhea that can kill quickly without proper...

Mining the moon for rocket fuel to get us to Mars

Written by Gary Li, Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles

Between the Earth and the moon: An artist's rendering of a refueling depot for deep-space exploration.Sung Wha Kang (RISD), CC BY-ND

Forty-five years have passed since humans last set foot on an extraterrestrial body. Now, the moon is back at the center of efforts not only to explore space, but to create a permanent, independent space-faring...

Before Trump, Mexicans really liked the US

Written by Jesus Velasco, Joe and Teresa Endowed Chair in Social Sciences, Tarleton State University, Tarleton State University

Donald Trump’s antagonistic rhetoric toward Mexico has caused an increase in anti-American sentiment among Mexicans.

Today, many in Mexico reject Trump’s policies and fear his administration, citing it as fascist, authoritarian, populist, dictatorial, xenophobic, misogynist or simply an aberration.

It wasn’t always this way. Since...

What France and the UK can teach Trump about reviving America's middle class

Written by Steven Pressman, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University

Providing more support for families with children is a key way to grow the middle class. Kristen Wyatt/AP Photo

America’s middle class is in deep trouble.

Signs of its decline are everywhere, from stagnant incomes and falling wealth to soaring household debt and the rise of populist politicians promising a return to the “glory...

Why America needs a 'do-over' on Medicaid reform

Written by Darius Lakdawalla, Professor of Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California

President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan after the House passed a bill to repeal Obamacare and cut back Medicaid funding. Evan Vucci

One of the most important pieces of the newly passed House health bill is a possible US$800 billion cut over 10 years to Medicaid, the federal program designed to provide insurance coverage to the poor.

That bill,...

Are solar and wind really killing coal, nuclear and grid reliability?

Written by Joshua D. Rhodes, Postdoctoral Researcher of Energy, University of Texas at Austin

Lessons from the Lone Star State: A surge in wind power on the Texas grid didn't cause reliability problems (and brought down electricity prices) because regulators improved the efficiency of wholesale electricity markets.Sarah Fields Photography/Shutterstock.com

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry in April requested a study to assess the effect of...

The forgotten origins of the modern gay rights movement in WWI

Written by Laurie Marhoefer, Assistant Professor of History, University of Washington

German infantrymen aim machine guns from a trench near the Vistula River in 1916. AP-Photo

One of the World War I’s most enduring legacies is largely forgotten: It sparked the modern gay rights movement.

Gay soldiers who survived the bloodletting returned home convinced their governments owed them something – full citizenship. Especially...

What the 1970 Kent State shootings tell us about universities then and now

Written by John Grabowski, Krieger-Mueller Joint Professor in History, Case Western Reserve University

Banners on the campus of Kent State University commemorating the anniversary of the May 4 shootings.AP Photo/Jeff Glidden

In 1997, a student I taught while I was a Fulbright scholar in Turkey came to visit our home in Cleveland. Asked what sites he might want to visit, he immediately suggested nearby Kent State. On May 4, 1970, students protesting...