The Conversation

Political forecast models aren't necessarily more accurate than polls – or the weather

Written by John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

As the old joke goes, it's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.Tetra Images via Getty Images

As the presidential election approaches, everyone wants to know who will win.

But nobody wants to wait until the election is actually over and the votes are all counted up and double-checked.

In an effort to predict the winner weeks,...

Tweets show what hinders reports of sexual assault and harassment on campus – and why the new federal Title IX rules may be a step back

Written by Jason Whiting, Professor of Family Therapy, Brigham Young University

Definition of harassment is now more narrow.KLH49/GettyImages

“The nurse at the clinic said, ‘he did not mean it.’ He drugged my drink. How could he not ‘mean it?’ My grades plummeted. I quit college. I lost my dignity. I lost me.”

That statement is just one among the thousands of tweets with the hashtag #WhyIDidnt...

The COVID-19 virus can spread through the air – here's what it'll take to detect the airborne particles

Written by Suresh Dhaniyala, Bayard D. Clarkson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University

Researchers are working on handheld devices that can signal the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air.fotograzia/Moment via Getty Images

A growing body of research shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread from person to person through the air. Indoor spaces with poor ventilation in areas where the virus is prevalent are...

Honey bees can't practice social distancing, so they stay healthy in close quarters by working together

Written by Rachael Bonoan, Assistant Professor, Providence College

The complex interactions that maintain group health inside a bee hive offer lessons for humanity during pandemics. Rachael Bonoan, CC BY-ND

As many states and cities across the U.S. struggle to control COVID-19 transmission, one challenge is curbing the spread among people living in close quarters. Social distancing can be difficult in places such...

Israel suspends formal annexation of the West Bank, but its controversial settlements continue

Written by Dov Waxman, Director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Israel Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Israeli security forces clash with a Palestinian protesting the construction of Jewish settlements and a 'separation wall,' village of Ramallah, West Bank, Aug. 7, 2020. Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Editor’s note: In a historic agreement announced by President Trump on Aug. 13, Israel has suspended its plan to formally annex...

The US economy is reliant on consumer spending – can it survive a pandemic?

Written by Halina Szejnwald Brown, Professor Emerita, Clark University

The U.S. spends the most money on advertising in the world. Marketing and advertising spending in 2020 is projected to reach nearly $390 billion. Dan Mewing/Moment via Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically affected the American economy, reducing spending by American households on materials goods, air travel, leisure activities as well as...

Almost half of US teens who date experience stalking and harassment

Written by Emily Rothman, Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston University

Social media makes dating-related harassment and stalking that much easier.smartboy10/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

CC BY-ND

Falling in love for the first time can be a thrill, and teen dating is important to adolescent development. But according to the results of a study that my research team recently conducted, these early forays into...

La venta callejera hace más vivas, seguras y justas las ciudades, por eso pertenece a la escena urbana post-COVID-19

Written by John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Los vendedores de Eastern Market, Washington, DC, Estados Unidos.Geoff Alexander/Flickr

Alrededor del mundo, las ciudades empiezan a salir del encierro impuesto por la pandemia y gradualmente permiten el reinicio de actividades. Los líderes nacionales tienen interés en promover la recuperación económica, con precauciones...

After the civil rights era, white Americans failed to support systemic change to end racism. Will they now?

Written by Candis Watts Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science & African American Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Will white people's participation in Black Lives Matter protests yield real change?Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The first wave of the Black Lives Matter movement, which crested after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, had the support of less than half of white Americans.

Given that Americans tend to have a...

What should replace Confederate statues?

Written by Christian K. Anderson, Associate Professor of Higher Education, University of South Carolina

Unveiling of a statue of Richard T. Greener, the first Black professor at the University of South Carolina, in 2018.Jason Ayer

Ever since the University of South Carolina put up a statue of Richard T. Greener – who in 1873 became the school’s first Black professor – one of my favorite things to do has been to eat lunch on a bench...