Rep. Paul Ryan, Republican speaker of the House, announced this week he will retire from Congress.

What does the speaker do?

Second in the line of presidential succession after the vice president, the speaker occupies a central role in our national government.

Most people think the...

Editor’s note: With the second March for Science scheduled for April 14, The Conversation is publishing articles in which scientists share their perspectives, including this one, on the role of scientists in society.

Donald Trump’s presidency has not been good...

Mariah Carey recently opened up about her struggle with bipolar disorder.

As an assistant professor of psychiatry, I see her courage as an opportunity to explain bipolar disorder, a mood disorder that includes episodes of elevated mood, as well as episodes of depression.

The...

Latin America’s economy has grown enormously over the past two decades. However, unemployment in the region still hovers at 8 percent, double that of the United States.

Youth joblessness is even higher – almost 15 percent among Latin Americans under the age of 18. Sixty percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 work...

President Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel, is reported to have overseen a U.S. site in Thailand where torture of a suspected terrorist took place. Later she allegedly helped destroy evidence of torture.

Her nomination, pending congressional approval, is...

Socioeconomics play a significant role in attitudes about food – especially concerns about safety and purchasing behavior. And higher income doesn’t always correlate with informed choices. On the contrary, our research shows that affluent Americans tend to...

Twenty-five years ago, on February 28, 1993, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents attempted to execute a “dynamic entry” into the home of a religious community at Mount Carmel, a property 10 miles east of Waco, Texas.

David Koresh...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in front of Congress, following disclosures of personal data being misused by third parties, has raised the question over how and whether the social media company should be regulated. But short of regulation, the company can take a number of steps to...

On April 18, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Washington v. United States, which pits the state of Washington against the United States and 21 Indian tribes. The main question...

Do you wake up bright eyed and bushy-tailed, greeting the sunrise with cheer and vigor? Or are you up late into the night and dread the sound of your alarm clock? We call this inherent tendency to prefer certain times of day...