The Conversation

How birth control pill prescriptions by a pharmacist could broaden access and keep costs down

Written by Sarah Lynch, Director of Skills Education and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Support is growing for easier access for birth control pills.Image Point Fr/Shutterstock.com

Almost 50% of pregnancies in the U.S. are still unplanned or mistimed, even though the first birth control pill was sold almost 60 years ago.

Many people believe that allowing women to buy the pill over-the-counter without a prescription is one way to...

Trump’s America shines bright for Europe's radical New Right

Written by Sylvia Taschka, Senior Lecturer of History, Wayne State University

Donald Trump might not be as popular in Europe as Barack Obama was, but for many groups on the far-right of Europe’s political spectrum, he has become a heroic figure.

“With Trump, the pride of a whole population has awoken … Their hope is captured in one sentence ‘Make America Great Again,’” said Martin Sellner,...

What's so wrong about lying in a job interview

Written by G. James Lemoine, Assistant Professor Organization and Human Resources Department, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

A few things to know before you head out for a job interview. fizkes/Shutterstock

Getting a new job is tough.

I know this not just because of my own research as a professor studying the intersection of business and ethics, but also because of the countless candidates I interviewed for major firms in my previous career. It’s this experience I...

How the US could afford 'Medicare for all'

Written by Gerald Friedman, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Several Democrats running for president in 2020 support some version of Medicare for all. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Health care is Americans’ number-one priority, based on recent polls, so it’s no wonder it’s been a hot topic in the Democratic primary.

Every candidate is offering a plan, ranging from Joe Biden’s Affordable Care...

Mining powers modern life, but can leave scarred lands and polluted waters behind

Written by Matthew Ross, Assistant Professor of Water Quality, Colorado State University

The Bingham Canyon open-pit copper mine in Utah has operated since 1903.David Guthrie/Flickr, CC BY

Modern society relies on metals like copper, gold and nickel for uses ranging from medicine to electronics. Most of these elements are rare in Earth’s crust, so mining them requires displacing vast volumes of dirt and rock. Hard rock mining...

People are increasingly interrupted at work, but it's not all bad

Written by Elana Feldman, Assistant Professor of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Between email, Slack and social media, you may need three devices to handle all the interruptions.Artie Medvedev/Shutterstock.com

An email pops up on your screen. It’s a client sharing a project update. A Slack message appears. It’s your boss asking a question. A text alert beeps. A colleague wants to know if you will be attending a...

New England power line corridors harbor rare bees and other wild things

Written by David L. Wagner, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

A rich diversity of animals thrive in these rights-of-way.Author provided

To many people, power line corridors are eyesores that alter wild lands and landscapes, even if they are necessary sites for transmission lines that deliver electricity.

But ecologically, the swaths of open, scrubby landscapes under transmission lines support a rich and...

America now solves problems with troops, not diplomats

Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

Is America a bully?

As a scholar, under the auspices of the Military Intervention Project, I have been studying every episode of U.S. military intervention from 1776 to 2017.

Historically, the U.S. advanced from a position of isolationism to one of reluctant intervenor, to global policeman. Based on my research since 2001, I believe that the U.S....

3 questions about vodka, answered

Written by Jeffrey Miller, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, Colorado State University

Actor Roger Moore poses with a martini after learning he would play the British secret agent James Bond.AP Photo

Towards the end of Ian Fleming’s spy novel “Dr. No,” James Bond orders a vodka dry martini – “Shaken and not stirred please.”

The novel was published in 1958, at the height of the Cold War. But four...

Curious Kids: How do my eyes adjust to the dark and how long does it take?

Written by Mark D. Fairchild, Professor of Color Science, Rochester Institute of Technology

Give yourself time and you can see in the dark.Anton Watman/Shutterstock.com

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How long does it take for your eyes to adjust to the dark and how does it happen? – Ellen T., 8, Cambridge,...