The Conversation

Navalny returns to Russia and brings anti-Putin politics with him

Written by Regina Smyth, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University

Protesters oppose riot police during a rally in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny on January 31, 2021 in Moscow, Russia. Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his team have stunned the Russian government again, forcing President Vladimir Putin and his allies to confront significant protest led...

Stuck inside your home this Groundhog Day? Be like Phil the weatherman, and try some mindfulness

Written by Jeremy David Engels, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State

Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell in a scene from the film 'Groundhog Day.'Columbia Pictures/Getty Images

Many of us will recall the American comedy film “Groundhog Day.”

Originally released in 1993, it stars the incomparable Bill Murray as Phil Conners, an insufferable Pittsburgh weatherman. A minor local celebrity who believes himself...

Social accounting includes looking beyond the bare numbers of racial diversity

Written by Earl Lewis, Director and Founder, Center for Social Solutions, Professor of History, Afroamerican and African Studies, and public policy, University of Michigan

A BLM protester in front of the Ohio State House.Photo by Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Editor’s note: From time to time, The Conversation asks leaders in America’s colleges and universities to address some of the most pressing issues in our nation. Here we ask Earl Lewis, director and founder of the University...

Congress could use an arcane section of the 14th Amendment to hold Trump accountable for Capitol attack

Written by Gerard Magliocca, Professor of Law, IUPUI

If the Senate acquits former President Donald Trump in the upcoming impeachment trial, there's an obscure other way to punish him. iStock /Getty Images Plus

Until recently, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was an obscure part of the U.S. Constitution.

The amendment is better known for its first section, which guaranteed individual rights and equality...

What those mourning the fragility of American democracy get wrong

Written by Alasdair S. Roberts, Director, School of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Armed demonstrators attend a rally in front of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing to protest the governor's stay-at-home order on May 14, 2020. Scott Olson/Getty Images

For many people, the lesson from the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 – and more broadly from the experience of the last four years – is that American democracy...

Espionage attempts like the SolarWinds hack are inevitable, so it's safer to focus on defense – not retaliation

Written by William Akoto, Assistant Professor of International Politics, Fordham University

The U.S. Justice Department was among many federal agencies and private companies whose networks suffered intrusions from Russian hackers.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

In the wake of the major espionage operation in which people alleged to be Russian government agents infiltrated the digital networks of the U.S. Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security...

How age diversity in a presidential Cabinet could affect policies and programs

Written by Marcia G. Ory, Regents and Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M University

President Biden, 78, is America's oldest president. His nominee for secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, is half his age.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and top appointees will likely be the most diverse in U.S. history. He says they were purposely chosen to “look like America.”

As a scholar of...

To make less-harmful road salts, we're studying natural antifreezes produced by fish

Written by Monika Bleszynski, Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor, University of Denver

Deicing salts keep winter roads passable but do a lot of harm in the process.Gregory Rec/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Many people associate a fresh snowfall with pleasures like hot chocolate and winter sports. But for city dwellers, it can also mean caked-on salt that sticks to shoes, clothing hems and cars. That’s because...

As scientists turn their attention to COVID-19, other research is not getting done – and that can have lasting consequences

Written by Julie K. Pfeiffer, Professor of Microbiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center

A molecular biologist at the University Clinical Research Center in Mali works in a COVID-19 testing lab.Photo by Annie Risemberg/AFP via Getty Images

For many researchers, the choice to spend decades working in a lab or in the field comes from a desire to help – to expand understanding of how life works or to improve human health. So when...

10 parenting strategies to reduce your kids' pandemic stress

Written by Amanda Sheffield Morris, Professor of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University

Making time to connect one on one is crucial.S&B Vonlanthen/Unsplash, CC BY

Parents are dealing with huge demands on their time and energy. Children may not be attending school or involved in regular activities. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on families, routines have collapsed, patience is wearing thin and self-care is a distant...