The Conversation

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma may settle legal claims with a new 'public trust' that would still be dedicated to profit

Written by David Herzberg, Associate Professor of History, University at Buffalo

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen announced a settlement between the Justice Department and opioid maker Purdue on Oct. 21.Yuri Gripas/Pool via AP

Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin and other potentially addictive prescription opioids, has agreed to plead guilty to three felony counts and reached a settlement potentially worth...

Why the FDA is warning pregnant women not to use over-the-counter pain relievers

Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

A pregnant woman stands in front of her work station.Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administation issued a warning on Oct. 15, 2020 to both health care professionals and women about the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

This comes after the FDA added its post-marketing surveillance...

Turbulent environment set the stage for leaps in human evolution and technology 320,000 years ago

Written by Richard Potts, Director of the Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution

Drilling 139 meters down to volcanic rock provided scientists with a million-year environmental record. Human Origins Program, Smithsonian

People thrive all across the globe, at every temperature, altitude and landscape. How did human beings become so successful at adapting to whatever environment we wind up in? Human origins researchers like me are...

How sexist abuse of women in Congress amounts to political violence – and undermines American democracy

Written by Mona Lena Krook, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Women & Politics Ph.D. Program, Rutgers University

In a widely publicized speech on the House floor, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez carefully analyzed the harmful effects of sexism in Congress.Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images

From plans to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s being called a “f—ing b—” by her colleague Rep. Ted...

Immigrants are still sending lots of money home despite the coronavirus job losses – for now

Written by Laura Caron, PhD student in Economics, Columbia University

A woman counts money outside a U.S. remittance collection agency in San Isidro, El Salvador.Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images

Banks and aid agencies have been warning of a pandemic-related plunge in the amount of money sent by migrants to family back home who rely on the income. In a typical year, more than 270 million migrants living and working...

From Macedonia to America: Civics lessons from the former Yugoslavia

Written by Keith Brown, Professor of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University

Police officers push back demonstrators next to St. John's Episcopal Church outside of the White House, June 1, 2020 in Washington D.C.Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Americans protesting police violence may find inspiration in the activism of Macedonian citizens in the last years of Communist rule in Yugoslavia.

In August 1987, Communist...

19th-century political parties kidnapped reluctant voters and printed their own ballots -- and that's why we've got laws regulating behavior at polling places

Written by Kristin Kanthak, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

A sign keeping campaigners at a distance in the New Hampshire presidential primary election at the Town Hall in Chichester, New Hampshire, Feb. 9, 2016. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Author Edgar Allan Poe, the 19th-century master of American macabre, may have died of dirty politics. According to legend, a gang of party...

How might the campaign’s endgame be disrupted? Here are five scenarios, drawn from the history of election polling

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

Will Trump voters -- like these at a rally, waving goodbye to him as he leaves -- defy the polls and send him back to the White House?Olivier Touron/AFP/Getty Images

The storyline of the presidential campaign seems to be solidifying, as polls show Joe Biden maintaining a sizable lead over President Donald J. Trump.

But the lead may not be...

Why Democrats and health policy experts believe the Barrett confirmation rush is about getting rid of the Affordable Care Act: 3 essential reads

Written by Lynne Anderson, Senior Health + Medicine Editor, The Conversation, US

Former House Speaker John Boehner holds a press conference June 25, 2012, after the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Affordable Care Act has seen dozens of legal challenges, but it could now be at its most vulnerable, many health policy scholars and advocates believe. And...

People want data privacy but don't always know what they're getting

Written by Gabriel Kaptchuk, Researcher Assistant Professor in Computer Science, Boston University

Differential privacy lets organizations collect people's data while protecting their privacy, but it's not foolproof.imaginima/E+ via Getty Images

The Trump administration’s move to ban the popular video app TikTok has stoked fears about the Chinese government collecting personal information of people who use the app. These fears underscore...