The Conversation

Why scientists and public health officials need to address vaccine mistrust instead of dismissing it

Written by Sterling M. McPherson, Associate Professor, Director and Assistant Dean for Research, Washington State University

A lab technician sorts blood samples inside a lab for a COVID-19 vaccine study at the Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Fla., on Aug. 13, 2020.Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Recent polls indicate that more than a third of the country has concerns about a vaccine that in all likelihood will be the only reliable way to end to the...

The Black Church has been getting 'souls to the polls' for more than 60 years

Written by David D. Daniels III, Professor of Church History, McCormick Theological Seminary

Volunteers outside the Christian Cultural Center in New York register new voters as part of the 'Souls to the Polls' initiative.AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

At Black churches up and down the U.S., religious slogans have been supplanted with another message in the run up to Nov. 3: Vote!

The landscape of the 2020 general election has been dotted with...

Is tax avoidance ethical? Asking for a friend

Written by Erin Bass, Associate Professor of Management, University of Nebraska Omaha

Smart or unethical? What does philosophy say about avoiding taxes?SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Personal taxes featured heavily in the final presidential debate before the Nov. 3 election.

While Joe Biden boasted of releasing “22 years of tax returns,” President Donald Trump addressed reports that he paid as little as $750 in annual...

Ransomware can interfere with elections and fuel disinformation – basic cybersecurity precautions are key to minimizing the damage

Written by Richard Forno, Senior Lecturer, Cybersecurity & internet researcher, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Ransomware attacks often strike local government computer systems, which poses a challenge for protecting elections.PRImageFactory/iStock via Getty Images

Government computer systems in Hall County, Georgia, including a voter signature database, were hit by a ransomware attack earlier this fall in the first known ransomware attack on election...

The US economy's record swings: 4 essential reads

Written by Bryan Keogh, Senior Editor, Economy + Business

Back in the swing of things.AP Photo/Michael Probst

The U.S. economy rebounded from its unprecedented coronavirus plunge in the spring with a record surge over the summer, giving the president some good news just days before Election Day.

Gross domestic product climbed 33% in the third quarter, from July through September, according to the Commerce...

Want to teach kids about nature? Insects can help

Written by Akito Y. Kawahara, Associate Professor and Curator of Insects, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

Insects are an inexpensive and effective way to teach children about science. Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision via Getty Images Plus

Insects are everywhere – in backyards, balconies and the park down the street.

In fact, numerically speaking, insects dominate the Earth with more than 5.5 million species. An estimated 10 quintillion – or...

Rumors of Chris Pratt's being a 'MAGA Bro' show how Twitter's trending function can go haywire

Written by Aaron Duncan, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Without uttering a word, actor Chris Pratt found himself at the center of a Twitter firestorm.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images

When actor Chris Pratt found himself trending on Twitter on Oct. 17, it wasn’t because of his new film or the birth of his first child.

Instead, Twitter users were clamoring for Pratt to be canceled beca...

Why Americans are so enamored with election polls

Written by W. Joseph Campbell, Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication

Supporters on election night 2016 at a Hillary Clinton party, when it became clear poll-based forecasts had been off target.Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Republican pollster Frank Luntz warned on Twitter and elsewhere the other day that if preelection polls in this year’s presidential race are embarrassingly wrong...

To save threatened plants and animals, restore habitat on farms, ranches and other working lands

Written by Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi, Professor and Director, Institute for Research in Natural Resources, Agroecology and Rural Development, Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro

Planting strips of native prairie grasses on a farm in Iowa provides habitat for pollinators and protects soil and water.Omar de Kok-Mercado/Iowa State University, CC BY-ND

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

The big idea

Restoring native habitats to at least 20% of the world’s land currently being used by...

How 'strategic' bias keeps Americans from voting for women and candidates of color

Written by Regina Bateson, Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Public & International Affairs and the Faculty of Law, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Women like congressional candidate Cori Bush from Missouri face greater obstacles than white men when trying to reach political office.Getty Images for Supermajority

When Americans vote this fall, the candidates on their ballots will not reflect the diversity of the United States.

Despite recent gains, women and people of color still do not run...