The Conversation

Why do we fall for fake news?

Written by S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communication & Co-Director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University

Traditional media gatekeepers are toast.'Toaster' via www.shutterstock.com

In recent weeks, the amount of online fake news that circulated during the final months of the presidential race is coming to light, a disturbing revelation that threatens to undermine the country’s democratic process. We’re already seeing some real-world...

How the TPP's demise threatens US national security and Pax Americana

Written by Marina v. N. Whitman, Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy, University of Michigan

One of the casualties of this year’s election will be the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an important part of President Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia” that he had hoped would be a signature part of his legacy.

While both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton eventually came out against the agreement, the former made...

Is it safe for pregnant women to go to the dentist? Yes

Written by David Leader, Associate Professor of Dental Medicine, Tufts University

It's safe. Dentist office image via www.shutterstock.com.

According to research from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in 2011 about two-thirds of pregnant women had their teeth cleaned in the year prior to delivery, but only about one-half had their teeth cleaned during pregnancy. While plenty of factors may keep pregnant women from...

Depression in pregnancy: Why doing nothing about it may be a bad idea

Written by Ardesheer Talati, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurobiology, Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center

Pregnant woman.Flickr, CC BY

Pregnant women face a number of choices. Most are pretty noncontroversial: Don’t smoke or use drugs; avoid raw fish and eggs; get lots of rest. But one dilemma some pregnant women face is less intuitive: whether and how to treat their minds and bodies if they are depressed.

Much attention has focused on postpartum...

Protect your privacy during turbulent times: A hacker’s guide to being cyber-safe

Written by Timothy Summers, Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Engagement, University of Maryland

If only it were this easy.'Keyboard' via shutterstock.com

Protecting individual privacy from government intrusion is older than American democracy. In 1604, the attorney general of England, Sir Edward Coke, ruled that a man’s house is his castle. This was the official declaration that a homeowner could protect himself and his privacy from the...

An activist's playbook: How to influence Trump's cabinet and policies

Written by Sarah Snyder, Associate Professor, American University School of International Service

As Donald Trump works to fill his cabinet, his choices have inspired considerable anxiety among his critics. Advocacy organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch have reacted with concern and outright objections, in particular to the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general and Rep. Michael Pompeo to...

For China, climate change is no hoax – it's a business and political opportunity

Written by Matthew Kahn, Professor of Economics, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shake hands during a joint ratification of the Paris climate change agreement in eastern China's Zhejiang province, Sept. 3, 2016How Hwee Young/Pool Photo via AP

In mid-November, while Americans were preoccupied with election returns, China sent...

Why President-elect Trump doesn't think he has a conflict of interest problem

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Assistant Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

President-elect Trump will face an array of conflicts of interest when he takes office. These conflicts are not minor or isolated. They are legion. And, to use his own favored language, they will be “huge.”

His real estate holdings abroad make him vulnerable to offers of favorable treatment (or financial threats) by governments...

How Standing Rock became a site of pilgrimage

Written by Rosalyn R. LaPier, Visiting Assistant Professor of Women's Studies, Environmental Studies and Native American Religion, Harvard University

The Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency responsible for investigating, developing and maintaining water and related environmental resources, recently announced that they would not allow the Dakota Access pipeline to be constructed under the Missouri River and through Lakota territory.

This decision essentially ended the Standing Rock Sioux...

Forensic evidence largely not supported by sound science – now what?

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

Is this worth the tape it's wrapped with?Bill Selak, CC BY-ND

Forensic science has become a mainstay of many a TV drama, and it’s just as important in real-life criminal trials. Drawing on biology, chemistry, genetics, medicine and psychology, forensic evidence helps answer questions in the legal system. Often, forensics provides the...