The Conversation

In the face of severe challenges, democracy is under stress – but still supported – across Latin America and the Caribbean

Written by Noam Lupu, Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of LAPOP Lab, Vanderbilt University

Protesters in El Salvador declare 'Yes to democracy. No to authoritarianism' during a demonstration on Jan. 14, 2024.PHOTOGRAFIA/Getty Images

Threats to economic and physical security have become persistent and pervasive across Latin America and the Caribbean – and that is affecting the way people view the state of democracy in the region.

Thos...

Philadelphia hopes year-round schooling can catch kids up to grade level – will it make a difference?

Written by Daniel H. Robinson, Professor, College of Education, University of Texas at Arlington

Year-round schooling can assist low-income parents in need of child care.kali9/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Upon becoming mayor of Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker announced that she will establish a working group on full-day and year-round schooling – an idea she had supported while campaigning. The group will develop a strategy to keep...

Flowers grown floating on polluted waterways can help clean up nutrient runoff and turn a profit

Written by Jazmin Locke-Rodriguez, Post Doctoral Associate in the Institute of Environment, Florida International University

The cut flowers could pay for themselves and even turn a profit.Margi Rentis, CC BY-ND

Flowers grown on inexpensive floating platforms can help clean polluted waterways, over 12 weeks extracting 52% more phosphorus and 36% more nitrogen than the natural nitrogen cycle removes from untreated water, according to our new research. In addition to...

Our robot harvests cotton by reaching out and plucking it, like a lizard’s tongue snatching flies

Written by Hussein Gharakhani, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University

Cotton in bloom in Oklahoma.John Elk/the image Bank via Getty Images

Cotton is one of the most valuable crops grown in the U.S., with a harvest value of some US$7 billion yearly. It is cultivated across a crescent of 17 states stretching from Virginia to California and is used in virtually every type of clothing, as well as in medical supplies and...

Early polls can offer some insight into candidates’ weak points – but are extremely imprecise

Written by W. Joseph Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Communication, American University School of Communication

Voters cast their ballots in the race for governor in Kentucky on Nov. 7, 2023. Michael Swensen/Getty Images

Preelection polls have been inescapable early in the 2024 election year, setting storylines, as they invariably do, for journalists and pundits about the race for the presidency.

At the same time, the polls have delivered reminders that they...

Are you really in love? How expanding your love lexicon can change your relationships and how you see yourself

Written by Georgi Gardiner, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Fellow of the University of Tennessee Humanities Center (UTHC), University of Tennessee

Language can steer your heart in unexpected ways.VLADGRIN/Stock via Getty Images Plus

What is love? Could those feelings you label as love be something else?

What about infatuation? Obsession? A passing fancy? Being smitten? Enthrallment? Beguilement? Lust? A crush? A squish? Platonic admiration? Why do people categorize some attachments as...

AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships

Written by Anna Mae Duane, Director, University of Connecticut Humanities Institute; Professor of English, University of Connecticut

Would flattery from an AI set your heart aflutter?quantic69/iStock via Getty Images

The United States is in the grips of a loneliness epidemic: Since 2018, about half the population has reported that it has experienced loneliness. Loneliness can be as dangerous to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a 2023 surgeon...

Family caregivers face financial burdens, isolation and limited resources − a social worker explains how to improve quality of life for this growing population

Written by Kathy L. Lee, Assistant Professor of Gerontological Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington

Family caregivers may be less likely to turn to others when they need their own support. Terry Vine/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Millions of Americans have become informal family caregivers: people who provide family members or friends with unpaid assistance in accomplishing daily tasks such as bathing, eating, transportation and managing...

A brief history of Dearborn, Michigan – the first Arab-American majority city in the US

Written by Sally Howell, Professor of History, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan, is a center of Arab American cultural, economic, and political life. It’s home to several of the country’s oldest and most influential mosques, the Arab American National Museum, dozens of now-iconic Arab bakeries and restaurants, and a vibrant and essential mix of Arab American service and cultural organizations.

Th...

Can anyone make a citizen’s arrest? The history and legalities of catching criminals yourself

Written by Seth W. Stoughton, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

Can you detain someone you just saw break the law?Alan Thornton/The Image Bank 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.

Can anyone make a citizen’s arrest, even me? – Henry, age 12, Winter Hill,...