The Conversation

Celebrity voices are powerful, but does the First Amendment let them say anything they want?

Written by Shontavia Johnson, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Drake University

Taking a knee during the national anthem isn't risk-free in the NFL.AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, File

When NFL player Colin Kaepernick refuses to stand for the national anthem, or the cast of the Broadway musical “Hamilton” confronts the vice president-elect, or the Dixie Chicks speak out against war, talk quickly turns to freedom of...

Trump, carbon neutrality and the next phase of business sustainability

Written by Andrew J. Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor at the Ross School of Business and Education Director at the Graham Sustainability Institute, University of Michigan

Google last week announced that it is on target to power its operations 100 percent by renewable energy, an example of businesses trying to change the energy system.Pixabay

The Trump administration appears to be moving in one direction on the issue of climate change with the appointment of climate skeptic Scott Pruitt to head up the Environmental...

When nausea from pregnancy is life-threatening

Written by Marlena Schoenberg Fejzo, Associate Researcher in Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

Woman with IV image via www.shutterstock.com.

Most women experience some type of morning sickness during pregnancy, but some women develop a far more serious condition.

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which causes severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, affects as many as 3 percent of pregnancies, leading to over 167,000 emergency department visits...

The Victorian origins of the Mannequin Challenge

Written by Ellen J. Stockstill, Assistant Professor of English, Pennsylvania State University

Even without iPhones, people in the 19th century liked to see how long they could strike a pose and stay frozen.Wikimedia Commons

If you’ve been on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram over the past month, you’ve probably come across a Mannequin Challenge video, in which people strike a frozen pose as Rae Sremmurd’s “Black...

The MDMA being used to treat trauma is different from the street drug Ecstasy

Written by Joseph Palamar, Assistant Professor of Population Health, New York University Langone Medical Center

MDMA is being trialled as a treatment for PSTD.Woman image via www.shutterstock.com.

On Nov. 30 the FDA approved a Phase III clinical trial to confirm the effectiveness of treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with MDMA, also known as Ecstasy.

This news appeared in headlines throughout the world, as it represents an important – yet...

The potential costs of Tom Price as HHS secretary

Written by Miranda Yaver, Lecturer in Political Science, Yale University

Rep. Tom Price as he arrives at Trump Tower on Nov. 16, 2016., in New York. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to “repeal and replace Obamacare.” A logical question is: With what? The announcement of Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga) as Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services provides...

In Puerto Rico, environmental injustice and racism inflame protests over coal ash

Written by Hilda Lloréns, Faculty in Anthropology, University of Rhode Island

For scholars like me who study environmental justice, it has been encouraging to see residents in Flint, Michigan and the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota organize against threats to their homes and health. But elsewhere in our country, other struggles are happening out of the spotlight – and often dragging on for years.

In Puerto...

Will Trump victory make Angela Merkel leader of the free world?

Written by Johanna Schuster-Craig, Assistant Professor of German and Global Studies, Michigan State University

After the election of Donald Trump, commentators have argued that German Chancellor Angela Merkel may become the leader of the free world, a role typically played by the president of the United States.

After 11 years as chancellor and as the leader of the largest economy in Europe, Merkel is certainly one of the most experienced heads of state in...

How the Fed joined the fight against climate change

Written by Carolin Schellhorn, Assistant Professor of Finance, St. Joseph's University

The Fed's low-interest rate garden.Money shoots via www.shutterstock.com

The Federal Reserve’s policy committee is expected to lift its target interest rate a quarter-point – to a range of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent – at its final meeting of 2016.

The main reasons the Fed has kept rates near zero for eight years have been to...

Catching lightning in a fossil – and calculating how much energy a strike contains

Written by Matthew Pasek, Associate Professor of Geosciences, University of South Florida

Very powerful, try to avoid.Rick Wilson, CC BY-NC

For most of human history, people have been terrified by lightning. Frightening bolts from above, lightning was a tool of the gods to smite mortals for their hubris (or their unfortunate penchant for seeking shelter from storms under trees). The discovery and implementation of Benjamin...