The Conversation

It takes years to fully recover from big storms like Sandy

Written by Jack L. Harris, Assistant Professor of Communication, State University of New York at New Paltz

A Monmouth County, N.J. home in 2015Jack L. Harris, CC BY-SA

The 2012 hurricane widely known as Superstorm Sandy left at least an estimated 325,000 New Jersey homes damaged or destroyed. Nearly seven years later, many of the New Jersey residents who have not fully recovered have to fend for themselves.

The government funding has mostly dried up. Only...

Flying colors: Researcher reveals hidden world through the eyes of butterflies

Written by Adriana Briscoe, Professor of Biology, University of California, Irvine

Adriana Briscoe, in the greenhouse with a blue morpho, University of California, Irvine, June 2019Wes Koseki - UCI School of Biological Sciences, CC BY-SA

An award-winning scientist and professor of evolutionary biology, Adriana Briscoe studies the evolution of vision in butterflies and how they see color. Briscoe is currently working on her first...

Al-Qaida is stronger today than it was on 9/11

Written by Christian Taylor, Doctoral Student, George Mason University

Yemen's al-Qaida branch, called al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, is the most dangerous and sophisticated offshoot of the terror group Osama bin Laden founded in Afghanistan in 1988. AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

Al-Qaida has recruited an estimated 40,000 fighters since Sept. 11, 2001, when the Osama bin Laden-led extremist group attacked the United...

Russian Twitter propaganda predicted 2016 US election polls

Written by Damian Ruck, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Bristol

Trump's poll numbers went up after high levels of Russian troll activity, though Clinton's didn't go down. AP/Mary Altaffer, Chuck Burton

When Robert Mueller completed his long-awaited investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, he left many questions unanswered.

But one conclusion was unequivocal: Russia unleashed an...

The US economy likely just entered its longest ever expansion – here's who's benefiting in 3 charts

Written by Steven Pressman, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University

Not everyone gets an equal share. TimeShops/Shutterstock.com

The U.S. economy likely surpassed an important milestone last month: Americans are now experiencing the longest economic expansion in the nation’s history, assuming the data still being collected bears this out.

This is certainly good news and something to celebrate. But, as an econo...

Sugar substitutes: Is one better or worse for diabetes? For weight loss? An expert explains

Written by Jamie Pitlick, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice , Drake University

Sugar and artificial sweeteners comes in many shapes and colors.New Africa/Shutterstock.com

Wandering through the grocery store, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the numerous brands and health claims on the dozens of sugar substitutes. It can be particularly confusing for those with diabetes or pre-diabetes who must keep their blood sugar in check...

Florida makes the restoration of voting rights contingent on criminal debt payments

Written by Victoria Shineman, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, signed the measure state lawmakers approved.AP Photo/Steve Cannon

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure approved by state lawmakers that makes the restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies contingent on having paid off all criminal debt associated with their conviction.

A coalition of...

Half a million American minors now live in Mexico

Written by Claudia Masferrer, Assistant Professor at Centre for Demographic, Urban and Environmental Studies, The College of Mexico, A.C.

Children in this group are growing up with roots in both the U.S. and Mexico.Aleks_Shutter/Shutterstock.com

While much of the current news has been focused on Central American migrants making their way through Mexico to the U.S., little attention has been paid to a different migration story: the number of American-born minors – all U.S....

Controlling weeds on playing fields, parks and lawns without herbicides

Written by Jason Henderson, Associate Professor of Turfgrass and Soil Sciences, University of Connecticut

Grass surfaces require a lot of maintenance, especially in high-traffic areas.Jason Henderson, CC BY-ND

Turfgrass covers more than 40 million acres of land in the continental United States, including lawns, parks, commercial landscapes, sports fields and golf courses. It is the single largest irrigated crop in the nation.

Turfgrasses are grass...

Liberals and conservatives have wildly different TV-viewing habits – but these 5 shows bring everyone together

Written by Johanna Blakley, Managing Director, The Norman Lear Center, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Political fissures extend to the TV screen.vilax/Shutterstock.com

There’s been a lot of concern about how conservatives and liberals consume their news from sources that merely confirm their preexisting beliefs. The result, supposedly, has been a disintegration of a shared reality and a fracturing of the nation’s political life.

But...