The Conversation

Why prison building will continue booming in rural America

Written by John M. Eason, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University

The federal prison in Forrest City, Arkansas.AP Photo/Danny Johnston

The election of Donald Trump signals an end to the recent optimism about reducing the mass imprisonment of two million U.S. citizens each year.

Trump supports policies like the immigrant ban and increased stop-and-frisk that will undoubtedly lead to more arrests and strain an...

Curbing climate change has a dollar value — here's how and why we measure it

Written by Joseph Aldy, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University

Coal train in Missouri. Assigning a social cost to carbon emissions puts a price on activities that generate them, such as burning fossil fuels.Scott Granneman/Flickr, CC BY-SA

President Trump is expected to issue an executive order soon to reverse Obama-era rules to cut carbon pollution, including a moratorium on leasing public lands for coal...

Mixing glitter and protest to support LGBTQ rights

Written by Anya M. Galli Robertson, Doctoral Candidate in Sociology, University of Maryland

On Ash Wednesday 2017 glitter was used to show support for LGBTQ rights. Parity , CC BY

On Ash Wednesday, March 1, a number of churches and Christian groups in the U.S. blended purple glitter into the blessed ashes before applying them to the foreheads of Christians to mark the beginning of Lent.

The use of glitter was intended as a display of...

3.14 essential reads about pi; for Pi Day

Written by Jeff Inglis, Editor, Science + Technology, The Conversation

We need just a little more party hat...Yelp/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories.

On March 14, or 3/14, mathematicians and other obscure-holiday aficionados celebrate Pi Day, honoring π, the Greek symbol representing an irrational number that begins with 3.14. Pi, as schoolteachers everywhere...

The House health plan: Here's how the numbers don't add up for the poor

Written by Megan Foster Friedman, Health Policy Analyst, University of Michigan

Melva Watt, right, senior Medicaid interviewer, assists a patient with her application for Medicaid through the New York State Marketplace. Julie Jacobson/AP

House Republicans introduced the American Health Care Act (AHCA), their proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare).

At a press conference, Speaker...

How disaster relief efforts could be improved with game theory

Written by Anna Nagurney, John F. Smith Memorial Professor of Operations Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst

The number of disasters has doubled globally since the 1980s, with the damage and losses estimated at an average US$100 billion a year since the new millennium, and the number of people affected also growing.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the costliest natural disaster in the U.S., with estimates between $100 billion and $125 billion. The death...

My doctor says there’s a guideline for my treatment – but is it right for me?

Written by Melissa J. Armstrong, Assistant Professor, Neurology, University of Florida

Reviewing guidelines with your doctor is important, because guidelines are just one part of decision makingFrom www.shutterstock.com

Health care guidelines are produced in ever-increasing numbers. The National Guideline Clearinghouse, a U.S.-based public website compiling summaries of “clinical practice” (health care) guidelines, has...

Life on Earth is used to gravity – so what happens to our cells and tissues in space?

Written by Andy Tay, Ph.D. Student in Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles

Look ma, no gravity!NASA , CC BY

There’s one force whose effects are so deeply entrenched in our everyday lives that we probably don’t think much about it at all: gravity. Gravity is the force that causes attraction between masses. It’s why when you drop a pen, it falls to the ground. But because gravitational force is...

Neil Gorsuch and the First Amendment: Questions the Senate Judiciary Committee should ask

Written by Clay Calvert, Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication, University of Florida

Gorsuch meets with Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga. on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for United States Supreme Court justice nominee Neil Gorsuch are fast approaching.

It’s time to consider some key questions about First Amendment speech rights the senators should ask during the...

Why losing a dog can be harder than losing a relative or friend

Written by Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College

Dogs are a huge part of their owners' routines – which makes their loss even more jarring.'Silhouette' via www.shutterstock.com

Recently, my wife and I went through one of the more excruciating experiences of our lives – the euthanasia of our beloved dog, Murphy. I remember making eye contact with Murphy moments before she took her last...