The Conversation

January warm spells, March freezes: How plants manage the shift from winter to spring

Written by Richard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University

A late snowfall could set back the growth of this budding lilac.oddharmonic/Flickr, CC BY-SA

Weather patterns across the U.S. have felt like a roller coaster ride for the past several months. December and January were significantly warmer than average in many locations, followed by February’s intense cold wave and a dramatic warmup.

If...

Revisiting reparations: Is it time for the US to pay its debt for the legacy of slavery?

Written by Anne C. Bailey, Professor of History, Binghamton University, State University of New York

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is spearheading fresh efforts in Congress to address reparations.Al Drago/Getty Images

Some 156 years after the end of the Civil War and the official abolition of slavery through the 13th Amendment, the idea of reparations is gaining currency in Washington.

On March 1, Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to President Joe...

What the policing response to the KKK in the 1960s can teach about dismantling white supremacist groups today

Written by David Cunningham, Professor and Chair of Sociology, Washington University in St Louis

Archival image from 1967 shows protesters demonstrating while Ku Klux Klan members walk in a parade to support the Vietnam War.Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

During his confirmation hearing in February, Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland pledged that his first order of business would be to “supervise the prosecution of white supremacists...

Queer in the country: Why some LGBTQ Americans prefer rural life to urban 'gayborhoods'

Written by Christopher T. Conner, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia

Not all gay people enjoy big cities, but pop culture has little to say about rural LGBTQ life.Ruaridh Connellan / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Pop portrayals of LGBTQ Americans tend to feature urban gay life, from Ru Paul’s “Drag Race” and “Queer Eye” and “Pose.”

But not all gay people live in cities....

Motivation is a key factor in whether students cheat

Written by Carlton J. Fong, Assistant Professor of Education, Texas State University

Putting less emphasis on grades is essential. Sam Edwards/OJO Images via Getty Images

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic caused many U.S. colleges to shift to remote learning in the spring of 2020, student cheating has been a concern for instructors and students alike.

To detect student cheating, considerable resources have been devoted to using...

Public transit drivers struggle to enforce mask mandates

Written by Stacie Kershner, Associate Director, Center for Law, Health & Society, Georgia State University

Public transit drivers are now responsible for preventing unmasked passengers from boarding and removing unruly customers.Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

Many U.S. metropolitan areas report that at least 90% of public transit passengers wear masks while on buses to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

However, some passengers still wear their masks...

Even before COVID-19, US nursing homes were filling empty beds with psychiatric patients

Written by Don Martin, Director, Urban School Counseling Graduate Program, Youngstown State University

Many elderly residents of nursing homes are seeing younger patients move in, often with mental illnesses. Steve Smith via Getty Images

One year ago, a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, became an early battleground for the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. The disease has since decimated nursing home populations – more than one-third of the...

Your favorite fishing stream may be at high risk from climate change – here’s how to tell

Written by Danielle Hare, Hydrogeologist, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Connecticut

Stream temperature affects the survival of fish like salmon and trout.Peter Adams/Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Many of the streams that people count on for fishing, water and recreation are getting warmer as global temperatures rise. But they aren’t all heating up in the same way.

If communities can figure out where these...

Why repressive Saudi Arabia remains a US ally

Written by Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A demonstrator dressed as Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with blood on his hands protests outside the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, 2018.Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “approved an operation … to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” according...

Pope's upcoming visit brings attention to the dwindling population of Christians in Iraq

Written by Ramazan Kılınç, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska Omaha

A mural depicting Pope Francis on a concrete wall around the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad, in preparation for the pontiff's visit, AP/Photo/Khalid Mohammed

Pope Francis will arrive in Iraq on Friday in a first-ever papal visit to the country that is expected to raise awareness about the challenges facing Iraqi Christians – a...