The Conversation

Ecuador's populist electoral victory for Moreno shows erosion of democracy

Written by Carlos De la Torre, Professor of Sociology, University of Kentucky

After 10 years in power, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa will step down.

However, political power isn’t falling far from the tree. Correa’s hand-picked successor and former vice president, Lenin Moreno, has declared victory against liberal banker Guillermo Lasso. The election has calmed fears that Correa might attempt to cling...

How Ayn Rand's 'elitism' lives on in the Trump administration

Written by Firmin DeBrabander, Professor of Philosophy, Maryland Institute College of Art

Elvert Barnes, CC BY

Trump’s secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has said Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged” is his favorite book. Mike Pompeo, head of the CIA, cited Rand as a major inspiration. Before he withdrew his nomination, Trump’s pick to head the Labor Department, Andrew Puzder, revealed that he devotes much...

1917: Woodrow Wilson's call to war pulled America onto a global stage

Written by Gordon Stables, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Director of Debate & Forensics, & Clinical Professor of Communication, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

President Woodrow Wilson addressing a joint session of Congress on April 2, 1917, urging a declaration that a state of war exists.AP Photo

On April 2, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany.

It was a somewhat surprising turn of events. Earlier in his presidency, Wilson...

Healthy soil is the real key to feeding the world

Written by David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington

Planting a diverse blend of crops and cover crops, and not tilling, helps promote soil health. Catherine Ulitsky, USDA/Flickr, CC BY

One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the...

Can better advice keep you safer online?

Written by Elissa Redmiles, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science, University of Maryland

Who's giving you advice?Advice via shutterstock.com

Many Americans are worried about their online privacy and security. And rightly so: Nearly half of Americans have encountered at least one serious problem with online safety.

There are a wide range of potential problems: Some people fall victim to criminally malicious attackers who steal personal...

From shell-shock to PTSD, a century of invisible war trauma

Written by MaryCatherine McDonald, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Old Dominion University

Some soldiers' wounds in WWI were more mental than physical.George Metcalf Archival Collection, CC BY-NC-ND

In the wake of World War I, some veterans returned wounded, but not with obvious physical injuries. Instead, their symptoms were similar to those that had previously been associated with hysterical women – most commonly amnesia, or some...

How World War I ushered in the century of oil

Written by Brian C. Black, Distinguished Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Pennsylvania State University

The Navy converted to oil from coal a few years before the U.S. entered World War I, helping to solidify petroleum's strategic status.Naval History and Heritage Command

On July 7, 1919, a group of U.S. military members dedicated Zero Milestone – the point from which all road distances in the country would be measured – just south of the...

'Default' choices have big impact, but how to make sure they’re used ethically?

Written by Mary Steffel, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Northeastern University

Lawmakers in Texas just introduced a bill that would make a small change but potentially a big difference to the thousands of people awaiting organ transplants in the state. It also illustrates the subtle power of choice “defaults.”

The bill would tweak the text in driver’s license applications from “Would you like to join...

Can the study of epigenomics lead to personalized cancer treatment?

Written by Fabian V. Filipp, Assistant Professor of Systems Biology and Cancer Metabolism, University of California, Merced

Molecular insight into our own DNA is now possible, a field called personal genomics. Such approaches can let us know when we might have cancer-causing alterations in our genes. Well-known examples are the melanoma oncogene BRAF kinase, the breast cancer gene BRCA1 and the prostate specific antigen PSA.

But there is more to cancer and other...

The federal government will stop collecting data on LGBT seniors. That's bad news for their health

Written by Brandon Brown, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of California, Riverside

AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in Washington, D.C., 2012. HIV is a particular health concern for LGBT seniors. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

You’ve likely read the front-page news about accessible gender-neutral bathrooms. This has gained attention, not only as a human rights issue, but also a political one.

What we don’t usually read is...