The Conversation

Scams and frauds: Here are the tactics criminals use on you in the age of AI and cryptocurrencies

Written by Rahul Telang, Professor of Information Systems, Carnegie Mellon University

Scammers often direct victims to convert cash to untraceable cryptocurrency and send it to them.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Scams are nothing new – fraud has existed as long as human greed. What changes are the tools.

Scammers thrive on exploiting vulnerable, uninformed users, and they adapt to whatever technologies or trends dominate the moment....

4 decades after the landmark book ‘Alone in a Crowd,’ women in the trades still battle bias – a professor-turned-welder reflects

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

A few years ago, while working as a professor and as a welder at a small repair and fabrication shop, I went looking for books about women in the skilled trades. In the few I found, one stood out in how it made way for tradeswomen’s voices: political scientist Jean Reith Schroedel’s 1985 classic “Alone in a Crowd: Women in the...

Pneumonia vaccines for adults are now recommended starting at age 50 – a geriatrician explains the change

Written by Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia

A new version of the pneumonia vaccine that specifically targets strains that affect adults helped spur the updated recommendations. zoranm/E+ via Getty Images

Autumn brings a chill in the air – and the start of another season of respiratory illnesses, which can be especially hard for older adults.

Although vaccine recommendations have been...

Trump administration is threatening liberal foundations and nonprofits after Kirk’s death – but proving wrongdoing by any of them would be very hard

Written by Beth Gazley, Professor of Nonprofit Management and Policy, Indiana University

Charlie Kirk speaks at the opening of the Turning Point Action conference on July 15, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Fla.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Following the Sept. 10, 2025, death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, the Trump administration signaled that it intends to expand investigations into “leftist groups” for possible links...

Why Florida’s plan to end vaccine mandates will likely spread to other conservative states

Written by Anindya Kundu, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Florida International University

Florida has been a leader for other conservative states on education reform. iStock/Getty Images Plus

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan in early September 2025 that he intends to make Florida the first state to end vaccine mandates across all schools and in other state-run institutions such as nursing homes.

His proposal would dismantle Flo...

A cold shock to ease the burn − how brief stress can help your brain reframe a tough workout

Written by Marcelo Bigliassi, Assistant Professor, Florida International University

When you lift weights, walk up a steep hill or ride a bike, your body is continuously sending sensory signals to your brain. These signals paint a picture of the physical sensation of what you’re doing. Your brain then takes these signals and filters them through your past experience, goals, expectations and current emotional state.

It turns...

Bolsonaro conviction breaks Brazil’s record of handing impunity to coup plotters and may protect its democracy from military interference

Written by Rafael R. Ioris, Professor of Modern Latin America History, University of Denver

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes delivered the verdict. Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images)

Brazil has a long and tragic history of military intervention in politics. Too often, the country’s armed forces have made themselves arbiters of what the country’s government could or could not do.

In many cases, the military has...

For birds, flocks promise safety – especially if you’re faster than your neighbor

Written by Joan Strassmann, Professor of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis

Sanderlings run in groups as they hunt for food in the sand on Long Beach Island, N.J.Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Moment via Getty Images

As I walked along Bolivar Flats, just across from Galveston Island in Texas, I watched flocks of sanderlings forage along the frothy wavefront as it surged and retreated. Nearby, Caspian terns, Am...

Fed rate cut is attempt to prevent recession without sending prices soaring

Written by Ryan Herzog, Associate Professor of Economics, Gonzaga University

The Fed's job can seem like a balancing act.Dimitri Otis/DigitalVision via Getty Images

The Federal Reserve on Sept. 17, 2025, cut its target interest rate as it shifts focus from fighting inflation to supporting the choppy labor market.

As financial markets expected, the Fed lowered rates a quarter point to a range of 4% to 4.25%, its first cut...

Vaccine death and side effects database relies on unverified reports – and Trump officials and right-wing media are applying it out of context

Written by Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University

Government approval of COVID-19 vaccines determines their availability to populations vulnerable to infection, such as children.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Trump officials intend to link 25 child deaths to COVID-19 vaccines, according to reporting from The Washington Post. These findings will reportedly be discussed during the Sept. 18-19, 2025,...