The Conversation

Why does the price of turkeys fall just before Thanksgiving?

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

Hundreds of frozen turkeys are lined up waiting to be defrosted, cooked and eaten.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Thanksgiving is a great U.S. holiday during which people consume huge quantities of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pie.

One of the stranger things about this holiday, however, is that a few days before everyone starts cooking, whole...

What the first Thanksgiving dinner actually looked like

Written by Julie Lesnik, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Wayne State University

Waterfowl – not turkey – would have been the main course.Winslow Homer, 'Right and Left' (1909), National Gallery of Art

Most Americans probably don’t realize that we have a very limited understanding of the first Thanksgiving, which took place in 1621 in Massachusetts.

Indeed, few of our present-day traditions resemble what...

How Silicon Valley industry polluted the sylvan California dream

Written by Jason A. Heppler, Digital Engagement Librarian and Assistant Professor of History, University of Nebraska Omaha

Aerial view of San Jose, California, 2016.Gordon-Shukwit, CC BY-NC-ND

On Labor Day 1956, a caravan of moving trucks wound their way into Santa Clara County, just south of San Francisco, carrying the possessions of 600 families and equipment for the missile and space labs of the Lockheed Corporation. One month later, Lockheed’s Sunnyvale...

The two obstacles that are holding back Alzheimer's research

Written by Todd Golde, Director, Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute Director, 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine University of Florida, University of Florida

Family members often become primary caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. tonkid/Shutterstock.com

Thirty years ago, scientists began to unlock the mysteries regarding the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. This knowledge ushered in an era of great enthusiasm that scientists could develop new therapies to either prevent...

After Iran-Iraq earthquake, seismologists work to fill in fault map of the region

Written by Amir Salaree, Ph.D. Candidate in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University

Earthquake survivors are living in tents in western Iran.AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

With a magnitude of 7.3, the Nov. 12, 2017 earthquake that shook the border region between Iran and Iraq is among the largest ever recorded in this area. Seismologists know it resulted from the pressure built up between the colliding Arabian and Eurasian plates of the...

Trump's 'America first' trade policy ignores key lesson from Great Depression

Written by Charles Hankla, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

Trump will soon learn the costs of going it alone on trade.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Donald Trump declared his nearly two-week trip through Asia “tremendously successful,” but economic history should make us more skeptical.

During the trip, the president continued to promote his so-called “America first” trade policy....

Why meeting the Paris climate goals is an existential threat to fossil fuel industries

Written by Henry Kelly, Senior Scientist, Michigan Institute for Data Science, University of Michigan

Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases by sector. Converting the U.S. fleet to cleaner electric vehicles would likely take decades. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Attacks on climate policies are not really about the science. They’re about the future of fossil fuels.

Any program with a reasonable chance of meeting the goals...

In an era of billionaire media moguls, do press unions stand a chance?

Written by Marick Masters, Professor of Business and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

Businessman and philanthropist Joe Ricketts shut down DNAinfo and Gothamist after his workers voted to unionize. Dave Weaver/AP Photo

On Nov. 2, billionaire media owner Joe Ricketts abruptly shuttered the digital news sites DNAinfo and the Gothamist, terminating 116 employees.

Days earlier, these employees had voted 25 to 2 to join the Writers...

Many small island nations can adapt to climate change with global support

Written by Martina Grecequet, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota

COP 22 President Salaheddine Mezouar from Morocco, right, hands over a gavel to Fiji's prime minister and president of COP 23 Frank Bainimarama, left, during the opening of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Island nations are on the front lines of global climate change. Heavy...

After coup, will Zimbabwe see democracy or dictatorship?

Written by Steven Feldstein, Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs & Associate Professor, School of Public Service, Boise State University

For decades, Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe in a ruthless, even reckless manner. Over nearly 40 years, he turned the “jewel of Africa” into an economic basket case that’s seen inflation of up to 800 percent.

Then, late in the night of Nov. 14, the country’s security services detained and put Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old...