The Conversation

Harvard can use race as an admissions factor, at least for now

Written by Vinay Harpalani, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico

A federal judge ruled that Harvad can continue to use race as one of many factors in its admission decisions.f11photo/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: A federal judge has upheld Harvard University’s use of race in college admissions, rejecting claims that the school discriminated against Asian Americans to admit more black and Hispanic...

The Beatles' revolutionary use of recording technology in 'Abbey Road'

Written by William D. Moylan, Professor of Sound Recording Technology and Music, University of Massachusetts Lowell

A fan carries a copy of 'Abbey Road' as he traverses the infamous crosswalk that appears on the album's cover.AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

With its cheery singles, theatrical medley and iconic cover, The Beatles’ 11th – and last – studio album, “Abbey Road,” holds a special place in the hearts of the band’s fans....

Misinformation, evasion and the informational problem of live TV interviews

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

Chris Wallace interviewed White House adviser Stephen Miller about the impeachment investigation.Screenshot, Fox News

First, it happened on Fox News. Chris Wallace asked White House adviser Stephen Miller about the president’s decision to use private lawyers “to get information from the Ukrainian government rather than go through...

A brief history of television interviews -- and why live TV helps those who lie and want to hide

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

Chris Wallace interviewed White House adviser Stephen Miller about the impeachment investigation.Screenshot, Fox News

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy may come to regret his discussion with President Trump

Written by Lena Surzhko-Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. AP/Evan Vucci

The scandal that erupted in response to the July phone conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has had obvious consequences for Trump.

But there also are consequences for the...

More frequent and intense tropical storms mean less recovery time for the world's coastlines

Written by Hans Paerl, Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

More frequent coastal storms are stressing ecosystems like these North Carolina marshes.PumpkinSky/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Tropical cyclones – storms that bring strong, rotating winds and rain, and which can intensify into hurricanes or typhoons – affect coastal regions around the world. Our research team, centered at the University of...

Low blood pressure could be a culprit in dementia, studies suggest

Written by Kenneth McLeod, Professor of Systems Science, and Director - Clinical Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Low blood pressure may cause problems for many older people.Satyrenko/Shutterstock.com

Decline in brain function often occurs as people age. People often worry that declining brain function is an inevitable part of growing old and will lead to dementia, but it is not. Many people do not experience age-related cognitive decline.

Clinical studies that...

A father-physician tests if a little peanut a day keeps allergy away

Written by Edwin Kim, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the UNC Food Allergy Initiative, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Creamy and smooth peanut butter and peanuts can trigger deadly reactions in those with allergies.inewsfoto/Shutterstock.com, CC BY-SA

No one I knew had food allergy, let alone peanut allergy, when I was a child. I grew up at a time when peanuts were given freely on airplanes, and there was no such thing as a peanut-free table at school. Fast...

Could President Trump be impeached and convicted – but also reelected?

Written by Austin Sarat, Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

If he's kicked out, could he come back?AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The launching of an “official impeachment inquiry” into President Donald Trump’s conduct has sailed America into largely uncharted waters.

While there have been demands for the impeachment of many presidents, just three previous ones – Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and...

The Electoral College will never make everyone happy

Written by Mark Rush, Professor of Politics and Law and Director of Center for International Education, Washington and Lee University

With the presidential election looming, worried observers of politics have already asked whether the Electoral College will again deliver a victory to the candidate with less than a majority of the popular vote.

This has happened in two of the last five presidential elections.

Critics like Vox’s Ezra Klein contend that this phenomenon is not...