The Conversation

Patent system often stifles the innovation it was designed to encourage

Written by Michael J. Meurer, Professor of Law, Boston University

Attorneys for Apple heading to court during the so-called smartphone patent wars.AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Over his career Thomas Edison garnered more U.S. patents than anyone in his time. Edison profited from his patents, but he was also exposed to the dark side of the patent system. He had to contend with lawsuits by other patentees who sought –...

Sperm from older rats passes on fewer active genes to offspring because of epigenetic changes

Written by Alexander Suvorov, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst

If the same mechanism exists in humans, it may explain health differences in children conceived by older fathers.fotografixx/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

The sperm of older rats differs from that of younger rats in ways that may affect embryo development, according to recently...

When Americans recall their roots, they open up to immigration

Written by Claire L. Adida, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of California San Diego

Migrants pray at a March 2 demonstration at San Ysidro crossing port in Tijuana, Mexico, to demand clearer U.S. migration policies.Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

Which was the first generation in your family to arrive in America? Do you know why your family came to the United States?

Members of President Joe Biden’s administration...

How do mRNA vaccines work – and why do you need a second dose? 5 essential reads

Written by Daniel Merino, Assistant Editor: Science, Health, Environment; Co-Host: The Conversation Weekly Podcast

New mRNA vaccines use genes from the coronavirus to produce immunity. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Tens of millions of people across the U.S. have received a coronavirus vaccine. So far, the majority of doses have been either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, both of which use mRNA to generate an immune response. These gene-based...

The African roots of Swiss design

Written by Audrey G. Bennett, Program Director and Professor, Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan

The golden ratio, which has been a key tenet of modernist design, may have origins in Africa.tatadonets via Getty Images

Design remains a largely white profession, with Black people still vastly underrepresented – making up just 3% of the design industry, according to a 2019 survey.

This dilemma isn’t new. For decades, the field’s...

Ancient leaves preserved under a mile of Greenland's ice – and lost in a freezer for years – hold lessons about climate change

Written by Andrew Christ, Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in Geology, University of Vermont

Remnants of ancient Greenland tundra were preserved in soil beneath the ice sheet.Andrew Christ and Dorothy Peteet, CC BY-ND

In 1963, inside a covert U.S. military base in northern Greenland, a team of scientists began drilling down through the Greenland ice sheet. Piece by piece, they extracted an ice core 4 inches across and nearly a mile long....

US could save tens of thousands of lives and tens of billions of dollars with 3 weeks of strict COVID-19 measures

Written by Anna Scherbina, Associate Professor of Finance, Brandeis University

Texas recently eased all coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing. AP Photo/LM Otero

President Joe Biden commemorated the COVID-19 pandemic’s one-year anniversary by giving Americans an ambitious goal: Return to a semblance of normalcy by the Fourth of July.

“But to get there we can’t let our guard down,” he added.

Un...

After the insurrection, America's far-right groups get more extreme

Written by Matthew Valasik, Associate Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University

The U.S. Capitol remains on lockdown, defended by the National Guard.Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

As the U.S. grapples with domestic extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, warnings about more violence are coming from the FBI Director Chris Wray and others. The Conversation asked Matthew Valasik, a sociologist...

Is ballot collection, or 'ballot harvesting,' good for democracy? We asked 5 experts

Written by Nancy Martorano Miller, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Dayton

Rivko Knox, a volunteer with the League of Women Voters in Phoenix, and other voters sued Arizona over a law that bans the third-party collection of early mail-in ballots. The issue is now before the Supreme Court.AP Photo/Anita Snow

A 2016 Arizona state law makes the collection of ballots by third parties a felony.

The Democratic National...

Resistance to military regime in Myanmar mounts as nurses, bankers join protests – despite bloody crackdown

Written by Tharaphi Than, Associate Professor, Department of World Cultures and Languages, Northern Illinois University

Nurses in Myanmar have been striking since February to protest the military coup. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Young people were the first in Myanmar to peacefully protest the country’s new military regime. Then came labor unions. In the weeks since a Feb. 1 military coup, Mynamar’s resistance movement has expanded dramatically to include...