The Conversation

The Freddie Mercury story that goes untold in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Written by Laurie Marhoefer, Associate Professor of History, University of Washington

The film glosses over the bigotry Mercury faced as a queer man with HIV.AP Photo

Millions of people will tune in to the Oscars to see “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, compete for best picture.

There are already a lot of people cheering against it. “Bohemian Rhapsody” has been dogged by...

3 tips: How to teach children to watch commercials more closely

Written by Sarah Gretter, Senior Learning Experience (LX) Designer, Michigan State University

Teaching young people to analyze TV commercials will serve them well in other areas of life, researchers say.threerocksimages from www.shutterstock.com

With all the time that young people spend in front of screens these days – from TVs to laptops, cellphones and iPads – children are bound to see a lot of ads and commercials.

On average,...

The soaring cost of US child care, in 5 charts

Written by Heidi Steinour, Visting Instructor in Sociology, University of South Florida

Children can get quite expensive.silentalex88/Shutterstock.com

The cost of having children in the U.S. has climbed exponentially since the 1960s. So it’s no wonder the growing crop of Democratic presidential candidates have been proposing ways to address or bring down the costs tied to raising a family.

Most recently, Massachusetts Sen....

Utilities are starting to invest in big batteries instead of building new power plants

Written by Jeremiah Johnson, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University

This is what a 5-megawatt, lithium-ion energy storage system looks like.Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Due to their decreasing costs, lithium-ion batteries now dominate a range of applications including electric vehicles, computers and consumer electronics.

You might only think about energy storage when your laptop or cellphone are running...

The real women of 'The Favourite' included an 18th-century Warren Buffett

Written by Amy Froide, Professor of History, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Sarah Churchill was an adroit investor and savvy political operative.Government Art Collection

One of the challengers at this year’s Oscars is “The Favourite,” a film set in the early 18th-century court of British monarch Queen Anne.

Focusing on the political and sexual intrigues of a female-led state, the film has, at its center,...

Why asbestos litigation won't go away: Because asbestos won't go away

Written by Jeb Barnes, Professor of Political Science, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay US$.4.69 billion in July, 2018 because it failed to warn customers that its baby powder contains asbestos. Matt Rourke/AP Photo

It is tempting to dismiss asbestos as a problem of the past. The height of its consumption was in the 1970s, and asbestos litigation began over a half century ago. Many of its...

Oversight committee session with Michael Cohen looks like an illegitimate show hearing

Written by Stanley M. Brand, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government, Pennsylvania State University

Michael Cohen, left, walks out of federal court, Nov. 29, 2018, in New York. AP/Julie Jacobson

Convicted perjurer Michael Cohen’s testimony next week at a congressional hearing promises to be a political spectacle.

But Cohen’s appearance may not actually be legitimate under congressional rules.

In Cohen’s case, the Government...

Robots star in ads, but mislead viewers about technology

Written by Joelle Renstrom, Lecturer of Rhetoric, Boston University

Robots can't really eat hot dogs.SimpliSafe/YouTube.com

Nowhere is the advance of technology more evident than in the rise of robots and artificial intelligence. From smart devices to self-checkout lanes to Netflix recommendations, robots (the hardware) and AI (the software) are everywhere inside the technology of modern society. They’re...

Sexual selection in action: Birds that attract multiple mates change their songs more quickly

Written by Nicole Creanza, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University

Male collared flycatcher, singing for multiple females.Kennerth Kullman/Shutterstock.com

How do individuals choose their mates? Why are some more successful at attracting mates than others?

These age-old questions are broadly relevant to all animals, including human beings. Darwin’s theory of natural selection offers one way to answer them....

'Black Panther' and its science role models inspire more than just movie awards

Written by Clifford Johnson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

It has been said many times that the Marvel movie “Black Panther” is an important landmark. I’m not referring to its deserved critical and box office success worldwide, the many awards it has won, or the fact...