The Conversation

On the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, a look back at what was lost

Written by Rob Ruck, Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh

Josh Gibson slides into home during the 1944 Negro Leagues All-Star Game.Bettmann/Getty Images

During the half century that baseball was divided by a color line, black America created a sporting world of its own.

Black teams played on city sandlots and country fields, with the best barnstorming their way across the country and throughout the...

Galentine's Day has become a thing – why hasn't Malentine's Day?

Written by Deana Rohlinger, Professor of Sociology, Florida State University

Men seem more hesitant about both making friends and celebrating their friendships.miniwide/Shutterstock.com

On Feb. 13, women will celebrate Galentine’s Day, a holiday trumpeting the joys of female friendships.

The holiday can trace its origins to a 2010 episode of “Parks and Rec,” in which the main character, Leslie Knope,...

The secondhand smoke you're breathing may have come from another state

Written by Sebastian Eastham, Research Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Secondhand smoke may come from many miles away.David Tadevosian/Shutterstock.com

Scientists estimate that each year in the U.S., outdoor air pollution shortens the lives of about 100,000 people by one to two decades.

As it turns out, much of this pollution originates not in a person’s own neighborhood, but up to hundreds or even thousands of...

When presidential campaigns end, what happens to the leftover money?

Written by Richard Briffault, Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation, Columbia University

Andrew Yang ended his campaign after the New Hampshire primary. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet have ended their campaigns for president.

What happens to the money they have raised, but not yet spent?

The amounts could be substantial. Financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission indicate that as of Dec. 31, 2019,...

Why so many architects are angered by 'Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again'

Written by Kai Gutschow, Associate Professor of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University

The U.S. Supreme Court building, completed in 1935, is considered a neoclassical masterpiece. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Decades of federal architectural policy would be upended if the Trump administration follows through on an executive order that was leaked to the Architectural Record on Feb. 4.

Titled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful...

Schools should heed calls to do lockdown drills without traumatizing kids instead of abolishing them

Written by Jaclyn Schildkraut, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, State University of New York Oswego

Do kids need to practice how to do this?Phil Mislinski/Getty Images

Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an advocacy group, has joined with the American Federation of Teachers and the National Educators Association, the nation’s two biggest teachers unions, to produce a report on lockdown drills in schools. The report calls for drastic...

Hackers could shut down satellites – or turn them into weapons

Written by William Akoto, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Denver

Two CubeSats, part of a constellation built and operated by Planet Labs Inc. to take images of Earth, were launched from the International Space Station on May 17, 2016.NASA

Last month, SpaceX became the operator of the world’s largest active satellite constellation. As of the end of January, the company had 242 satellites orbiting the planet...

Candidates say they want to build momentum with voters – but what is that actually worth?

Written by Daniel Palazzolo, Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

Before the primary, Buttigieg said his campaign had the 'strongest momentum.'AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

“We are the campaign with the strongest momentum in the state of New Hampshire,” Pete Buttigieg told a crowd in Nashua last week.

“I’ve got the ‘Big Mo,’” said George H. Bush after winning the Iowa caucuses in...

A 4-step maintenance plan to help keep your relationship going strong

Written by Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., Professor of Psychology, Monmouth University

There's a little work involved in happily ever after.Désirée Fawn/Unsplash, CC BY

Early on, relationships are easy. Everything is new and exciting. You go on dates, take trips, spend time together and intentionally cultivate experiences that allow your relationship to grow.

Then, somewhere along the way, life happens.

One study on...

How the T-Mobile-Sprint merger will increase inequality

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

The lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and 13 colleagues was the last roadblock to the merger. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A federal judge gave his blessing to the US$26.5 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint on Feb. 11, several months after the deal got final antitrust approval from the U.S. government.

A group of...