The Conversation

Carl Sagan’s scientific legacy extends far beyond ‘Cosmos’

Written by Jean-Luc Margot, Professor of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

Carl Sagan at his Cornell University laboratory in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1974.Santi Visalli, Inc./Archive Photos via Getty Images

On Nov. 9, 2024, the world will mark Carl Sagan’s 90th birthday – but sadly without Sagan, who died in 1996 at the age of 62.

Most people remember him as the co-creator and host of the 1980 “Cosmos”...

Cells have more mini ‘organs’ than researchers thought − unbound by membranes, these rogue organelles challenge biology’s fundamentals

Written by Allan Albig, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Boise State University

Specialized compartments within cells carry out specific functions.Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Think back to that basic biology class you took in high school. You probably learned about organelles, those little “organs” inside cells that form compartments with individual functions. For example,...

Only 5.3% of welders in the US are women. After years as a writing professor, I became one − here’s what I learned

Written by Jo Mackiewicz, Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Communication, Iowa State University

The author welds a headboard.Jo Mackiewicz

Although I have a good gig as a full professor at Iowa State University, I’ve daydreamed about learning a trade – something that required both my mind and my hands.

So in 2018, I started night courses in welding at Des Moines Area Community College. For three years, I studied different types of...

Beefing up Border Patrol is a bipartisan goal, but the agency has a troubled history of violence and impunity

Written by Ragini Shah, Clinical Professor of Law, Suffolk University

With U.S. voters across the political spectrum strongly concerned about border security, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have been trying to one-up each other on who can reduce migration at the nation’s southern border fastest and most effectively.

Trump’s rhetoric is more extreme: He’s called the U.S. a...

Is the election making you feel adrift and wobbly? That’s ‘zozobra’ – and Mexican philosophers have some advice

Written by Carlos Alberto Sánchez, Professor of Philosophy, San José State University

Is it a lovely autumn day, or is America burning to the ground?Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Ever had the feeling that you can’t make sense of what’s happening? One moment everything seems normal, then suddenly the frame shifts to reveal a world on fire, struggling with war, climate change and political violence and u...

How Native Americans guarded their societies against tyranny

Written by Kathleen DuVal, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A purple and white flag representing the world's oldest democracy, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, flies above a Mohawk flag at a Native American gathering.Giordanno Brumas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

When the founders of the United States designed the Constitution, they were learning from history that democracy was likely to fail...

Quincy Jones mastered the art of arrangement, transforming simple tunes into epic soundscapes

Written by Jose Valentino Ruiz, Associate Professsor of Music Business and Entrepreneurship, University of Florida

Quincy Jones left his indelible touch on some of the 20th century's most iconic albums.Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Netflix

On the sleeve notes of some of the most memorable and best-selling albums of all time, you’ll find the words “Produced and arranged by Quincy Jones.”

It was a hallmark of quality.

Jones, who died on Nov. 3,...

The 27 Club isn’t true, but it is real − a sociologist explains why myths endure and how they shape reality

Written by Zackary Okun Dunivin, Postdoctoral Fellow in Communication, University of California, Davis

Many members of the 27 Club are outsize in their cultural influence.Psychology Forever/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

There’s a certain allure to the notion that some of the world’s brightest stars burn out at the age of 27. The so-called 27 Club has captivated the public imagination for half a century. Its members include legendary...

What poll watchers can − and can’t − do on Election Day

Written by Mollie J. Cohen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Purdue University

Poll watchers keep an eye on voting in Georgia in November 2022.AP Photo/Ben Gray

When most people think of their experience of voting in person, they may remember other voters at the polls, or the hardworking election officials checking people in and helping people submit their ballots. But in many elections, a third group is often present: poll...

Political bickering and policy uncertainty take a toll on business investment, research shows

Written by Charles Sims, Professor of Economics, University of Tennessee

Factionalism isn't great for the bottom line. Sefa Ozel/E+ via Getty Images

Partisan squabbling isn’t just annoying – it’s also bad for business.

That’s what my colleagues and I found in a recent study on how uncertainty in environmental policy affects business investment.

First, we analyzed more than 300 million newspaper...