The Conversation

Nuclear war could be devastating for the US, even if no one shoots back

Written by Joshua M. Pearce, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

The U.S. has more than 5000 nuclear weapons.3d generator/Shutterstock.com

The White House’s 2021 budget calls for US$28.9 billion for the Pentagon for nuclear weapons and a 20% increase to $19.8 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Yet the U.S. already has over 3,000 nuclear weapons. And my research shows that the U.S....

How civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker revived hope after MLK's death

Written by Corey D. B. Walker, Visiting Professor, University of Richmond

Civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker addresses a crowd at St. Phillips AME Church in Atlanta. Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

Four years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the novelist James Baldwin would write on the pages of Esquire magazine, “Since Martin’s death, in Memphis, and that tremendous day in...

Better rat control in cities starts by changing human behavior

Written by Michael H. Parsons, Visiting Research Scholar, Fordham University

Garbage in New York's subway system offers easy meals for rats.AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

For centuries, rats have thrived in cities because of human behavior. In response, humans have blamed the rats and developed techniques for poisoning them.

We research urban rat populations and recognize that rats spread disease. But they are fascinating...

The surprising source of Ansel Adams’ signature style

Written by Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona

Photographer Ansel Adams poses on a bluff with his camera.Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images

Ansel Adams’ bold, black-and-white landscapes of the American wilderness are so iconic that most people know an Adams photograph when they see it.

You might be surprised to learn that Adams didn’t learn his craft by attending an elite...

Customers hate tipping before they're served – and asking makes them less likely to return

Written by Nathan B. Warren, Ph.D. Candidate, Marketing, University of Oregon

Imagine you’re in line at a coffee shop. You order your usual cappuccino and swipe your credit card to pay. Then the cashier swivels a little screen that prompts you for a tip – before the espresso shot is pulled or a drop of milk steamed.

Do you tip more, perhaps hoping that it will lead to a better drink? Or less or none at all,...

What Americans think about who deserves tuition-free college

Written by Elizabeth Bell, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Miami University

Americans support free community college more when students are seen as 'deserving,' new research suggests.Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

Tuition-free college has gotten a lot of momentum of late.

Front-runners in the Democratic presidential field – including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden – have all come out in support of...

100,000 Indians say 'Namaste Trump' and the president ignores some key human rights concerns

Written by Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University

President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad, India.AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

President Donald Trump kicked off his first official visit to India by addressing a rally of more than 100,000 people on Feb. 24 in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

Trump promised the thousands of cheering Indians who...

Girls are reaching new heights in basketball, but huge pay gaps await them as professionals

Written by Corinne M. Daprano, Associate Professor of Health & Sport Science; Interim Dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences, University of Dayton

Gigi Bryant, looking up to her dad on the court in 2016Elsa/Getty Images

Women have made great strides in the world of sports over the past 50 years.

Especially in some individual sports, female champion athletes today earn far more money and command a much bigger audience than their predecessors – thanks to breakthroughs by tennis champions...

Americans are drowning in a sea of polls

Written by Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan

42% of media coverage of the 2016 election focused on the horserace.Photobank Gallery/Shutterstock.com

Polls have become an essential part of the news, particularly in the run-up to an election.

Reports on polls feed into what’s often called “horserace coverage” – who is ahead or behind, whether the candidates’ relative...

The census goes digital – 3 things to know

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

A U.S. Census Bureau staff member uses digital maps to help identify where people live and need to be counted.U.S. Census Bureau via AP

The U.S. Census Bureau is hoping that most people who live in the U.S. will use the internet to answer census questions, rather than filling out a paper form or providing those answers to a census taker in person,...