The Conversation

Federal and state authorities are taking a 2-pronged approach to make it harder to get an abortion

Written by Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia

The quest to restrict Planned Parenthood's funding has made headway.Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Anti-abortion conservatives have long sought to force Planned Parenthood’s clinics to close their doors and to make it harder, if not impossible, to get abortion pills as part of a two-pronged approach to limit access to abortion.

F...

What is the American Dream, and has it become harder to achieve in recent years?

Written by Mark Robert Rank, Professor of Social Welfare, Washington University in St. Louis

Homeownership, often considered key to the American Dream, is difficult to achieve for many families due to rising housing costs.Kingfisher Productions via Getty Images

Few ideas are as central to the nation’s identity as that of the American Dream.

With the 250th birthday of the United States coming up in July 2026, it’s worth stepping...

Will a ‘Trump slump’ continue to hit US tourism in 2026 − and even keep World Cup fans away?

Written by Frédéric Dimanche, Professor and former Director (2015-2025), Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan University

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President Donald Trump on stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 official draw on Dec. 5, 2025.Tasos Katopodis/FIFA via Getty Images

With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer...

Has globalization lessened the importance of physical distance? For economic shocks, new research suggests ‘yes’

Written by Josh Ederington, Professor of Economics, Miami University

Distance may not be dead, but it's certainly lost its shine. AP Photo / Shizuo Kambayashi

National economies are increasingly moving in sync and responding to the same booms and busts as a result of near-instantaneous communications and interdependent global supply chains. This is a sharp change from much of the 21st century, when economies were...

Aldi is coming to Colorado, and the disruption could lead to lower food prices

Written by Jack Buffington, Associate Professor of Practice in Supply Chain Management, University of Denver

Aldi plans to open 50 stores in Colorado in the next few years.SOPA Images/Getty Images

Grocery prices have risen by 25% in Colorado over the past five years, more than wages have grown over that same period.

One of the top issues facing Americans is the cost of living relative to housing, health care and food, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey...

There’s a competition crisis in America’s state legislatures – and that’s bad for democracy

Written by Charlie Hunt, Associate Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

More than half the races for Massachusetts state House seats have gone uncontested by one of the two major parties in every election since at least 2010.Phil Roeder/Getty Images

Many Americans report frustration with the two-party system, in which the Democratic and Republican candidates are seen as the only viable options for elective office.

But...

From ski jumps and sliding bobsleds to engineering snow, here are 5 essential reads on the science of the Winter Olympics

Written by Mary Magnuson, Associate Science Editor, The Conversation

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Thousands of the world’s best athletes will flock to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy in February 2026 for the 25th Winter Olympics. While sports fans are focused on the athletic feats of the Olympians, science enthusiasts can also have...

Fears about TikTok’s policy changes point to a deeper problem in the tech industry

Written by Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder

Users' fears about TikTok might be a bit off the mark, but nonetheless justified.Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A little over a year after TikTok temporarily went dark in the United States and users were greeted with a message explaining that “a law banning TikTok has been enacted,” those same U.S. users opened the app to...

What Olympic athletes see that viewers don’t: Machine-made snow makes ski racing faster and riskier – and it’s everywhere

Written by Keith Musselman, Assistant Professor in Geography, Mountain Hydrology, and Climate Change, University of Colorado Boulder

U.S. skier Rosie Brennan leads a group during the women's team sprint classic cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics. AP Photo/Aaron Favila

When viewers tune in to the 2026 Winter Olympics, they will see pristine, white slopes, groomed tracks and athletes racing over snow-covered landscapes, thanks in part to a storm that...

Clarence ‘Taffy’ Abel: A pioneering US Olympic hockey star who hid his Indigenous identity to play in the NHL

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

Taffy Abel, of the U.S. ice hockey team that competed in Chamonix, France, in 1924, was the first U.S. flag bearer at a winter Olympics.The Jones Family Collection

On Dec. 26, 1926, 16,000 hockey fans packed Madison Square Garden to witness the birth of a rivalry between the New York Americans and the brand-new New York Rangers. The game would...