The Conversation

Ensuring the minimum wage keeps up with economic growth would be the best way to help workers and preserve FDR's legacy

Written by Felix Koenig, Assistant Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University

It may seem like a lot, but it's not the most important change in the bill.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The US$1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill that the House just passed includes a gradual increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. While its chances in the Senate appear slim, the proposal has brought national attention to the...

Polar bears have captivated artists' imaginations for centuries, but what they've symbolized has changed over time

Written by Anne Collins Goodyear, Co-Director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Bowdoin College

The giant predators were a deadly danger to early European explorers of the Arctic.Chris Hellier/Corbis Historical via Getty Images

Polar bears have long held visual artists in their thrall. Over time, the mythologies around these extraordinary animals have evolved – and so have the ways artists have depicted them in their work.

Reflecting a...

A less Trumpy version of Trumpism might be the future of the Republican Party

Written by Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Is Sen. Marco Rubio, espousing a polished populism, the future of the GOP?Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, but his populist ideas may continue to animate the Republican Party.

As scholars of American beliefs and elections, we can envision a less Trumpy version of Trumpism holding sway over the party in coming years. We...

There was a time reparations were actually paid out – just not to formerly enslaved people

Written by Thomas Craemer, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Connecticut

No guessing who in this 1864 depiction may have been compensated after slavery ended.API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The cost of slavery and its legacy of systemic racism to generations of Black Americans has been clear over the past year – seen in both the racial disparities of the pandemic and widespread protests over police brutality.

Yet...

What are phthalates, and how do they put children's health at risk?

Written by Stephanie Eick, Postdoctoral Researcher in Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisco

Phthalates can be found in many common products and types of plastic packaging.Curtoicurto via Getty Images, CC BY-ND

You may not realize it, but you likely encounter phthalates every day. These chemicals are found in many plastics, including food packaging, and they can migrate into food products during processing. They’re in personal care...

Meatpacking plants have been deadly COVID-19 hot spots – but policies that encourage workers to show up sick are legal

Written by Ruqaiijah Yearby, Professor of Law, Saint Louis University

Nearly 1,000 workers at this Smithfield Foods pork-processing plant in South Dakota contracted COVID-19 between mid-March and mid-April 2020. Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images

Working in meatpacking plants has always been dangerous. A recent study shows that it became deadlier in the era of COVID-19, even as company profits soared.

This analysis,...

Can vaccinated people still spread the coronavirus?

Written by Deborah Fuller, Professor of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

Vaccinated people are wondering whether they can ease social distancing and mask-wearing.AP Photo/Darko Bandic

Editor’s note: So you’ve gotten your coronavirus vaccine, waited the two weeks for your immune system to respond to the shot and are now fully vaccinated. Does this mean you can make your way through the world like the old...

Misinformation-spewing cable companies come under scrutiny

Written by Joshua Braun, Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Massachusetts Amherst

If its services help deliver misinformation to your home, what responsibility does Comcast have for that?AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Looking at political violence in the U.S., a New Jersey state legislator sent a text message to an executive of cable television giant Comcast: “You feed this garbage, lies and all.” The cable channels Fox News...

How does the Johnson Johnson vaccine compare to other coronavirus vaccines? 4 questions answered

Written by Maureen Ferran, Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose. Phill Magoke/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine in adults. Maureen Ferran, a virologist at the Rochester Institute of Technology, explains how this third authorized vaccine works and explores the...

Alexei Navalny leads Russians in a historic battle against arbitrary rule, with words echoing Catherine the Great

Written by Hilde Hoogenboom, Associate Professor of Russian, Arizona State University

Women form a human chain on Feb. 14 in central Moscow to support jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his wife Yulia Navalnaya and other political prisoners. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of young Russians are protesting the leadership of Vladimir Putin nationwide in freezing temperatures. Thousands have been arrested.

Central...