The Conversation

Historic power struggle between Trump and Congress to be reviewed by Supreme Court

Written by Stanley M. Brand, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government, Pennsylvania State University

Justices of the Supreme Court will hear a crucial case on the limits of presidential power. Getty/Saul Loeb/AFP

On May 12, the Supreme Court will hear argument in two cases concerning congressional demands, known as subpoenas, for materials that President Donald Trump claims are intrusions into his private affairs and are not legitimate uses of...

Coronavirus unemployment at nearly 15% is still shy of the record high reached during the Great Depression

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Business closures across the U.S. have caused job losses to spike. AP Photo/Paul SancyaCC BY-ND

The U.S. unemployment rate jumped from 4.4% in March to a roughly 90-year high of 14.7% in April.

But could the rate, as some predict, surpass the record 25% joblessness the U.S. experienced at the peak of the Great Depression?

As a macroeconomist who has...

What needs to go right to get a coronavirus vaccine in 12-18 months

Written by Marcos E. García-Ojeda, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Merced

A coronavirus vaccine is coming, but when? Francesco Carta fotografo/Moment via Getty Images

I, like many Americans, miss the pre-pandemic world of hugging family and friends, going to work and having dinner at a restaurant. A protective vaccine for SARS-Cov2 is likely to be the most effective public health tool to get back to that world.

Anthony...

Finding ways to move your body while social distancing

Written by Renee J. Rogers, Associate Professor of Health and Physical Activity - Programming Director, Pitt Healthy Lifestyle Institute, University of Pittsburgh

Short walks can boost the immune system and keep a person fit.AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

Significant Figures is a series from The Conversation where scholars explain an important number in the news.

Recent Fitbit activity tracker data show a significant drop in physical activity worldwide that corresponds with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. In...

Drive-thru iftars and coronavirus task forces: How Muslims are observing obligations to the poor this Ramadan

Written by Shariq Siddiqui, Assistant Professor & Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, IUPUI

Volunteers distributing drive-thru iftar meals outside an Islamic center in Falls Church, Virginia.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AF via Getty Images

Many of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims are experiencing the holy month of Ramadan differently this year – disrupted by social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ramadan, which began on...

5 things new graduates should do to plan their careers

Written by Rebecca Cook, Executive Director, Undergraduate Career Services, Indiana University

Research the career paths of those who have the job you want.mihailomilovanovic/Getty Images

Today’s graduates start their job search with a belief that they should enter their company or industry of choice immediately after graduation. At least that’s what we’ve observed in our experience advising thousands of college students...

Not all kids have computers – and they're being left behind with schools closed by the coronavirus

Written by Morgan Polikoff, Associate Professor of Education, University of Southern California

Students without computers are having a rougher time with the new normal.damircudic/Getty Images

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

The big idea

Since 2014, the Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research, located at the University of Southern California, has been tracking trends in health economic well-being,...

COVID-19 shutdowns are clearing the air, but pollution will return as economies reopen

Written by Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, Rice University

Clear skies over Los Angeles, April 17, 2020.Araya Diaz/Getty Images

With many economies locked down to slow the spread of coronavirus, people from Beijing to Los Angeles have noticed bluer skies and less smog. Photos from Punjab and Nairobi reveal mountains that had been shrouded in haze for years. Satellites show cleaner air extending across...

The flowers you buy your mom for Mother's Day may be tied to the US war on drugs

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Colombia is the world's second-biggest cut flower exporter. AP Photo/Fernando Vergara

What does Mother’s Day flowers have to do with cocaine?

Very little, most people would think. But as an economist, I often explain to my students that the world is economically connected, often in strange ways. The flower business is one of those strange...

Mothers behind bars nurture relationships with visitors in this unusual prison garden

Written by Julie Stevens, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Iowa State University

The design called for plants and play spaces – big improvements over brick and razor wire.Iowa State University student design team, CC BY-ND

Leaves are rustling. You can hear the sound of children kicking a ball, plinking the keys of a toy xylophone. People are laughing and talking.

Are you picturing a prison? My colleagues and I did –...