The Conversation

American society teaches everyone to be racist – but you can rewrite subconscious stereotypes

Written by Benjamin Waddell, Associate Professor of Sociology, Fort Lewis College

People learn racism from the culture that surrounds them and media they consume, but that doesn't need to be the end of the story. Gavriil Grigorov\TASS via Getty Images

Progress toward a more just and equitable society may be on the horizon. Since the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in May, around the United States, millions of...

From Washington to Trump, all presidents have told lies (but only some have told them for the right reasons)

Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington

President Nixon at a White House news conference in March 1973.AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, File

Michael Cohen, in his recent book, has called President Trump a “fraud,” a “bigot,” a “bully” – and, most emphatically, a “liar”. The Trump administration’s response to this book simply reverses...

How to keep teen boys happily singing – instead of giving up when their voices start to change

Written by Patrick K. Freer, Professor of Music Education, Georgia State University

Helping boys through their voice change can keep the joy of singing alive.Tomas Ovalle/AP Images for Macy's

Boys like to sing. Adolescent boys around the world report the same thing: They enjoy singing and want to get better at it.

Yet many boys stop singing during the transition from childhood to adolescence. There is a misconception that boys...

Future teachers often think memorization is the best way to teach math and science – until they learn a different way

Written by Peter C. Cormas, Associate Professor of Science Education, California University of Pennsylvania

Problem-solving is key to math and science instruction.Pekic/Getty Images

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

The big idea

I found that college students who are taking courses to become teachers can change their beliefs of how science and mathematics should be taught to and learned by K-12 students.

Most of these future...

Faked videos shore up false beliefs about Biden's mental health

Written by Dustin Carnahan, Assistant Professor of Communication, Michigan State University

Joe Biden faces a disinformation campaign promulgating the false notion that he is in cognitive decline.Gage Skidmore/Flickr, CC BY-SA

From Ronald Reagan in 1984 to Bob Dole in 1996 and even Hillary Clinton in 2016, candidate health has become a common theme across recent U.S. presidential campaigns.

The issue is poised to take on added significance...

Teens want COVID-19 advice that gives them safe ways to socialize – not just rules for what they can’t do

Written by Tammy Chang, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, University of Michigan

Social interaction can be risky during a pandemic, but it's also important for young people's development and mental health.Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

America’s teens and young adults have a crucial role in containing the spread of COVID-19, but a series of youth surveys suggests that many misunderstand social distancing guidelines and...

Climate change and forest management have both fueled today's epic Western wildfires

Written by Steven C. Beda, Assistant Professor of History, University of Oregon

The Riverside Fire, viewed from La Dee Flats in the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon on Sept. 9.USFS

What is driving the wildfires that are ravaging California, Oregon and Washington? President Trump and state officials have offered sharply different views.

Trump asserts that Western states haven’t done enough logging and brush clearance,...

How a new way of parsing COVID-19 data began to show the breadth of health gaps between Blacks and whites

Written by David R. Buys, State Health Specialist and Associate Professor, Mississippi State University

Breaking down COVID-19 data into demographic groups helps scientists learn more about the virus.izusek via Getty Images

Physicians and public health experts know that older adults are more susceptible to the flu than those in other age groups. We also know the health of Black Americans is worse than that of almost all other groups for not only flu,...

Lessons from how the polio vaccine went from the lab to the public that Americans can learn from today

Written by Carl Kurlander, Senior Lecturer, University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Jonas Salk, left, developed the first effective polio vaccine.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

In 1955, after a field trial involving 1.8 million Americans, the world’s first successful polio vaccine was declared “safe, effective, and potent.”

It was arguably the most significant biomedical advance of the past century. Despite...

Banning apps like TikTok and WeChat is a good way to ensure a country will trail in tech leadership and profits

Written by Huatong Sun, Associate Professor of Digital Media & Global Design, University of Washington

Social. media apps need to stay ahead of the global competition to keep the attention of kids.Wavebreakmedia/iStock via Getty Images

The Trump administration’s decision to force the sale of TikTok to a U.S. buyer is, to many, the latest sign the global internet is splintering into national and regional blocs.

This has been a concern for...