The Conversation

Trump's fight to count US citizens and non-citizens: 5 questions answered

Written by Jeffrey W Ladewig, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

A worker follows up during the 2020 census test run in Providence, R.I.U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. is still months away from the start of the 2020 census – but the decennial count of the country’s population is already controversial.

After the Supreme Court’s decision at the end of June, President Donald Trump conceded that the...

Gender equality at home takes a hit when children arrive

Written by Laurie DeRose, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University

In the early 20th century, American women won the right to vote. Soon, women’s participation in the workforce, education and political life all increased dramatically.

This gender revolution took place not just in the U.S., but in many countries throughout the world.

But beginning in 1980, the changes in opportunities, status and attitudes...

Climate change will mean more multiyear snow droughts in the West

Written by Adrienne Marshall, Postdoctoral Fellow in Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, University of Idaho

A valuable resource: Snowpack on Oregon's Mt. Hood.USDA NRCS/Spencer Miller, CC BY

As an environmental scientist, I’ve done plenty of hiking in the western U.S. – always with a map, water bottle and list of water sources. In dry areas it’s always smart to ration water until you get to a new source. Sometimes a stream has dried up...

5 reasons why Trump's Venezuela embargo won't end the Maduro regime

Written by Marco Aponte-Moreno, Associate Professor of Global Business and Board Member of the Institute for Latino and Latin American Studies, St Mary's College of California

The U.S. has announced an economic embargo on Venezuela, intended to put an end to President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime.

In an Aug. 5 executive order, President Donald Trump said that the tough new sanctions – which target any company or individual outside of Venezuela doing business directly or indirectly with...

A tick detective wants to understand what drives tick abundance

Written by David Allen, Assistant Professor in Biology, Middlebury

Middlebury Assistant Professor David Allen prepares to inspect a piece of canvas dragged through the forest to collect ticks. Todd Balfour/Middlebury College

The Abstract features interesting research and the people behind it.

David Allen is an assistant professor in biology at Middlebury College who studies the ecology of ticks and tick-borne...

What 1860 and 1968 can teach America about the 2020 presidential election

Written by Austin Sarat, Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

People watch the second of two Democratic presidential primary debates at Shaw's Tavern in Washington, D.C., July 31, 2019. AP/Andrew Harnik

Fresh evidence of the nastiness and divisiveness of the 2020 presidential election emerges every day.

President Trump has let loose a storm of invective over Twitter about various African American public...

French cannabis legalization debate ignores race, religion and the mass incarceration of Muslims

Written by David A Guba, Jr., History Faculty, Bard College

Evidence suggests that Muslim men in France have been disproportionately arrested and jailed for cannabis-related crimes since the drug became illegal in 1970.Francisco Osorio/flickr, CC BY-SA

Last summer in France, dozens of “CBD cafés” suddenly opened across the country.

Exploiting a legal loophole originally created for hemp...

Mass shootings aren't growing more common – and evidence contradicts common stereotypes about the killers

Written by Christopher J. Ferguson, Professor of Psychology, Stetson University

Just like the memorials after a shooting, some myths are bound to appear.AP Photo/John Locher

When 22 people were killed in El Paso, Texas, and nine more were killed in Dayton, Ohio, roughly 12 hours later, responses to the tragedy included many of the same myths and stereotypes Americans have grown used to hearing in the wake of a mass shooting.

As...

Blood tests for Alzheimer’s: Two experts on why new studies are encouraging

Written by Todd Golde, Director, Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute Director, 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine University of Florida, University of Florida

Many older people and their families worry about a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.Nadya Chetah/Shutterstock.com

Many people who have problems with their memory, especially if they are elderly, worry that they have Alzheimer’s disease, which afflicts at least 5.5 million people in the U.S. and brings tremendous burdens to families as well....

The US-China trade war: 5 essential reads

Written by Nicole Zelniker, Editorial Researcher, The Conversation

The U.S. has placed tariffs on more than US$250 billion worth of Chinese goods and has threatened tariffs on another $300 billion.

China has retaliated, placing tariffs of their own on billions of dollars worth of U.S. goods, including alcohol, fruit and pork.

Experts call it a trade war.

These five stories from The Conversation archives will help...