The Conversation

The 'gateway drug to corruption and overspending' is returning to Congress – but are earmarks really that bad?

Written by Diana Evans, Professor of Political Science, Trinity College

A controversial way that Congress spends money is returning, after being banned almost a decade ago.Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images

Congressional earmarks – otherwise known as “pork barrel spending” – may be coming back.

For decades, earmarks paid for pet projects back in lawmakers’ districts, with the tacit aim to...

Rooting out racism in children's books

Written by Lindsay Pérez Huber, Associate Professor, College of Education , California State University, Long Beach

Children's books need better representation of people of color.Ariel Skelley/Getty Images

Ten years ago, I sat down with my then 8-year-old daughter to read a book before bedtime. The book was sort of a modern-day “boy who cried wolf” story, only it was about a little girl named Lucy who had a bad habit of telling lies.

In the story,...

How does your brain wake up from sleep?

Written by Hilary A. Marusak, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University

Rise and shine!JGI/Jamie Grill via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

What happens in your brain when you wake up from your sleep? – Ainsley V., age 11, South Carolina

When you’re asleep, you can seem...

When working out makes you sick to your stomach: What to know about exercise-induced nausea

Written by Anne R. Crecelius, Associate Professor of Health and Sport Science, University of Dayton

It's no fun to exercise if you wind up doubled over with gastrointestinal problems.Goads Agency/iStock via Getty Images Plus

You’re doing it! You’re working out, reaping all those benefits of exercise that have been drilled into your head.

So you’re pedaling your heart out or running like you’re escaping a zombie horde....

Group exercise may be even better for you than solo workouts – here's why

Written by L. Alison Phillips, Associate Professor of Psychology, Iowa State University

During the pandemic, exercise classes and groups need to take social distancing guidelines into account.Noam Galai/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Group exercise is very popular: Nearly 40% of regular exercisers participate in group fitness classes. In advance of the coronavirus pandemic, the American College of Sports Medicine...

Seat belts and smoking rates show people eventually adopt healthy behaviors – but it can take time we don't have during a pandemic

Written by Randy P. Juhl, Dean Emeritus and Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh

Once upon a time, buckling up was new behavior.Harold M. Lambert/Archive Photos via Getty Images

Why do we do things that are bad for us – or not do things that are good for us – even in light of overwhelming evidence?

As someone with a long career in pharmacy, I have witnessed some pretty dramatic shifts in public health behavior. But...

America's newest voters look back at the 2020 election – and forward to politics in 2021

Written by Mary Kate Cary, Adjunct Professor, Department of Politics and Senior Fellow, UVA's Miller Center, University of Virginia

Young Americans got involved in the 2020 election.Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision via Getty Images

As Americans end one year and begin another, one of the most controversial topics of conversation will be the presidential election.

We experienced the election season from a unique perspective. We each taught college courses on the 2020 campaigns while...

The Sunburst hack was massive and devastating – 5 observations from a cybersecurity expert

Written by Paulo Shakarian, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Arizona State University

Federal government agencies, from the Treasury Department to the National Nuclear Security Administration, have been compromised by the attack.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

So much remains unknown about what is now being called the Sunburst hack, the cyberattack against U.S. government agencies and corporations. U.S. officials widely believe that...

In 2020, TV and film still couldn't get abortion right

Written by Stephanie Herold, Data Analyst, University of California, San Francisco

According to decades of research, abortion is an incredibly common and safe medical procedure.

But if you learned about abortion only from movies and TV, that’s not the story you’d see. For the last eight years, we’ve been studying onscreen depictions of abortion. We’ve found that Hollywood tends to dramatically exaggerate...

Whether slow or fast, here's how your metabolism influences how many calories you burn each day

Written by Terezie Tolar-Peterson, Associate Professor of Food Science, Nutrition & Health Promotion, Mississippi State University

Why does it seem like some people can eat anything and not gain a pound while others are the opposite?Heide Benser/The Image Bank via Getty Images

It’s a common dieter’s lament: “Ugh, my metabolism is so slow, I’m never going to lose any weight.”

When people talk about a fast or slow metabolism, what they’re...