The Conversation

Facial recognition is increasingly common, but how does it work?

Written by Jessica Gabel Cino, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Mapping a face is the starting point.Anton Watman/shutterstock.com

The Trump administration’s efforts to impose new immigration rules drew attention – and legal fire – for its restrictions on the ability of people born in certain majority Muslim countries to enter the U.S. In the frenzy of concern, an obscure piece of the...

Farmers can profit economically and politically by addressing climate change

Written by Matthew Russell, Resilient Agriculture Coordinator, Drake University

President Trump, congressional Republicans and most American farmers share common positions on climate change: They question the science showing human activity is altering the global climate and are skeptical of using public policy to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.

But farmers are in a unique position to tackle climate change. We have the...

How Christianity shaped the experience and memories of World War I

Written by Jonathan Ebel, Associate Professor of Religion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The crosses at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.Jonathan Ebel, CC BY

Thursday, April 6, 2017, marks 100 years since the United States entered World War I. World War I does not occupy the same space in America’s cultural memory as the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War II or the Vietnam War.

The men and women who fought...

The unique strategy Netflix deployed to reach 90 million worldwide subscribers

Written by Amanda Lotz, Fellow at the Peabody Media Center and Professor of Communication Studies and Screen Arts & Cultures, University of Michigan

The areas in red indicate where Netflix has cultivated subscribers.NordNordWest/Wikimedia Commons

In just a decade, Netflix has grown from a video service with seven million U.S. subscribers to one that reaches 93 million people worldwide.

Its growth and ability to break into well-established industries – first video rental, now television...

Ecuador's populist electoral victory for Moreno shows erosion of democracy

Written by Carlos De la Torre, Professor of Sociology, University of Kentucky

After 10 years in power, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa will step down.

However, political power isn’t falling far from the tree. Correa’s hand-picked successor and former vice president, Lenin Moreno, has declared victory against liberal banker Guillermo Lasso. The election has calmed fears that Correa might attempt to cling...

How Ayn Rand's 'elitism' lives on in the Trump administration

Written by Firmin DeBrabander, Professor of Philosophy, Maryland Institute College of Art

Elvert Barnes, CC BY

Trump’s secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has said Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged” is his favorite book. Mike Pompeo, head of the CIA, cited Rand as a major inspiration. Before he withdrew his nomination, Trump’s pick to head the Labor Department, Andrew Puzder, revealed that he devotes much...

1917: Woodrow Wilson's call to war pulled America onto a global stage

Written by Gordon Stables, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Director of Debate & Forensics, & Clinical Professor of Communication, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

President Woodrow Wilson addressing a joint session of Congress on April 2, 1917, urging a declaration that a state of war exists.AP Photo

On April 2, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany.

It was a somewhat surprising turn of events. Earlier in his presidency, Wilson...

Healthy soil is the real key to feeding the world

Written by David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington

Planting a diverse blend of crops and cover crops, and not tilling, helps promote soil health. Catherine Ulitsky, USDA/Flickr, CC BY

One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the...

Can better advice keep you safer online?

Written by Elissa Redmiles, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science, University of Maryland

Who's giving you advice?Advice via shutterstock.com

Many Americans are worried about their online privacy and security. And rightly so: Nearly half of Americans have encountered at least one serious problem with online safety.

There are a wide range of potential problems: Some people fall victim to criminally malicious attackers who steal personal...

From shell-shock to PTSD, a century of invisible war trauma

Written by MaryCatherine McDonald, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Old Dominion University

Some soldiers' wounds in WWI were more mental than physical.George Metcalf Archival Collection, CC BY-NC-ND

In the wake of World War I, some veterans returned wounded, but not with obvious physical injuries. Instead, their symptoms were similar to those that had previously been associated with hysterical women – most commonly amnesia, or some...