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Abraham Lincoln, Joe Biden and the politics of touch

  • Written by Mark M. Smith, Carolina Distinguished Professor of History, University of South Carolina
President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and Vice President Joseph Biden in 2019.Library of Congress, photo Alexander Gardner; AP/Nati Harnik

Amidst the furor over former Vice President Biden’s handsy habits – and with examples of inappropriate touching by current and former U.S. presidents still lingering – it might be a good time to...

Read more: Abraham Lincoln, Joe Biden and the politics of touch

Why Pete Buttigieg may be reviving progressive ideals of the Social Gospel Movement

  • Written by David Mislin, Assistant Professor of Intellectual Heritage, Temple University
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination.AP Photo/Darron Cummings

In recent weeks, Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has captured wide media attention.

One reason is that Buttigieg is the first openly gay presidential candidate. Another is that he has been unguarded in speaking...

Read more: Why Pete Buttigieg may be reviving progressive ideals of the Social Gospel Movement

Russia isn't the first country to protest Western control over global telecommunications

  • Written by Sarah Nelson, Ph.D. Candidate in History and Comparative Media Analysis and Practice, Vanderbilt University
Why might a country want to cut off its internet connection?KonstantinZhuravlev/Shutterstock.com

As the international community becomes increasingly concerned about misinformation and data breaches, the Russian government has announced plans to test its own, sweeping solution to the problem: disconnecting Russiafrom the global internet.

Russian...

Read more: Russia isn't the first country to protest Western control over global telecommunications

Sea creatures store carbon in the ocean – could protecting them help slow climate change?

  • Written by Heidi Pearson, Associate Professor of Marine Biology, University of Alaska Southeast
A sperm whale goes down for a dive off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Heidi Pearson, CC BY-ND

As the prospect of catastrophic effects from climate change becomes increasingly likely, a search is on for innovative ways to reduce the risks. One potentially powerful and low-cost strategy is to recognize and protect natural carbon sinks – places and...

Read more: Sea creatures store carbon in the ocean – could protecting them help slow climate change?

The new digital divide is between people who opt out of algorithms and people who don't

  • Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University
Do you know what happens when you share your data?mtkang/shutterstock.com

Every aspect of life can be guided by artificial intelligence algorithms – from choosing what route to take for your morning commute, to deciding whom to take on a date, to complex legal and judicial matters such as predictive policing.

Big tech companies like Google...

Read more: The new digital divide is between people who opt out of algorithms and people who don't

A political stalemate over Puerto Rican aid is leaving all US disaster funding in limbo

  • Written by Lauren Lluveras, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis, University of Texas at Austin
Three-year-old Ailianie Hernandez waits with her mother, Julianna Ageljo, to apply for Puerto Rico's nutritional assistance program.(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

Senate Democrats recently blocked US$13.5 billion in relief for Americans whose lives were disrupted by hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding and other natural disasters. The objections had...

Read more: A political stalemate over Puerto Rican aid is leaving all US disaster funding in limbo

In Notre Dame fire, echoes of the 1837 blaze that destroyed Russia's Winter Palace

  • Written by Paul W. Werth, Professor of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
On a cold December night, the symbol of Russia's imperial prowess went up in flames.Wikimedia Commons

In a city graced with remarkable architecture, the cathedral of Notre Dame may be Paris’ most striking edifice. So when it was engulfed by a fire that toppled its spire, it seemed as if more than a building had been scorched; the nation had...

Read more: In Notre Dame fire, echoes of the 1837 blaze that destroyed Russia's Winter Palace

The dirt on soil loss from the Midwest floods

  • Written by Jim Ippolito, Associate Professor of Environmental Soil Quality/Health, Colorado State University
A John Deere tractor makes its way through floodwaters in Fargo, North Dakota.AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

As devastating images of the 2019 Midwest floods fade from view, an insidious and longer-term problem is emerging across its vast plains: The loss of topsoil that much of the nation’s food supply relies on.

Today, Midwest farmers are facing...

Read more: The dirt on soil loss from the Midwest floods

Boeing crashes and Uber collision show passenger safety relies on corporate promises, not regulators' tests

  • Written by Adam Gabriele, Ph.D. Student in Sustainability, Arizona State University
Automation can often get ahead of safety regulators' efforts.Tarikdiz/Shutterstock.com

Advanced technologies deliver benefits every day. But, sometimes interactions with technology can go awry and lead to disaster.

On March 10, the pilots aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were unable to correct a failure in one of the Boeing 737 Max 8’s...

Read more: Boeing crashes and Uber collision show passenger safety relies on corporate promises, not...

What it means to ‘know your audience’ when communicating about science

  • Written by John C. Besley, Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations, Michigan State University
You have a lot of work to do before you step up to the mic.Chinnapong/Shutterstock.com

Communication experts love to tell people to know their audience, but it is not always clear what they’re meant to know.

Knowing someone’s age, education and gender is nice. So too is knowing context about economic, educational, cultural and...

Read more: What it means to ‘know your audience’ when communicating about science

More Articles ...

  1. Journalism's Assange problem
  2. Marijuana legalization – a rare issue where women are more conservative than men
  3. How Hispanics really feel about Trump
  4. Brunei wants to punish gay sex with death by stoning – can boycotts stop it?
  5. Why Good Friday was dangerous for Jews in the Middle Ages and how that changed
  6. Top EPA advisers challenge long-standing air pollution science, threatening Americans' health
  7. A frenemy fungus provides clues about a new deadly one
  8. April 15 is the day tobacco companies pay $9 billion for tobacco illnesses, but is it enough?
  9. Retailers like Walmart are embracing robots – here's how workers can tell if they'll be replaced
  10. Mapping the US counties where traffic air pollution hurts children the most
  11. Leonardo joined art with engineering
  12. How the alt-right corrupts the Constitution
  13. Is 75 the new 65? Wealthy countries need to rethink what it means to be old
  14. Why LeBron James' I Promise School should be more like LeBron and not shy away from issues of race
  15. This small Mexican border town prizes its human and environmental links with the US
  16. The Mormon Church still doesn't accept same-sex couples – even if it no longer bars their children
  17. Civic crowdfunding reduces the risk of 'bikelash'
  18. Leonardo da Vinci saw in animals the ‘image of the world’
  19. Venezuela's crisis is a tragedy - but comedy gold for satire, cartoons and memes
  20. Why the Great Plains has such epic weather
  21. America and the world still need the WTO to keep trade and the global economy humming
  22. People who win big prizes shouldn’t get taxed when they give their windfalls away
  23. Tax returns waste everyone's time – but there's an easy solution the tax preparation industry and some lawmakers don't like
  24. Does a year in space make you older or younger?
  25. How US tax laws discriminate against women, gays and people of color
  26. Why giant statues of Hindu gods and leaders are making Muslims in India nervous
  27. Are America's teachers really underpaid?
  28. Can changing the microbiome reverse lactose intolerance?
  29. Don't shoot! That drone overhead probably isn't invading your privacy
  30. A happy ending for 'Game of Thrones'? No thanks
  31. Muslims arrived in America 400 years ago as part of the slave trade and today are vastly diverse
  32. From ‘40 acres and a mule’ to LBJ to the 2020 election, a brief history of slavery reparation promises
  33. Measles outbreaks show legal challenges of balancing personal rights and public good
  34. Brexit is a rejection of the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland
  35. A thousand years ago, the Catholic Church paid little attention to homosexuality
  36. When people downsize to tiny houses, they adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles
  37. How a 'missing' movement made gun control a winning issue
  38. Michelle Obama is a surprise textbook example of how women thrive and grow through adulthood
  39. Data show how American mothers balance work and family
  40. 8 things you may not know about Leonardo da Vinci, on the 500th anniversary of his death
  41. 74 screens of legalese don't protect your data – here's a blueprint for new laws that could make a difference
  42. The generals who challenged Netanyahu ran a campaign largely devoid of substance
  43. Empathy is the secret ingredient that makes cooperation – and civilization – possible
  44. A country can never be too rich, too beautiful or too full of people
  45. How a 'hard' Brexit would harm US banks, carmakers and drug companies
  46. A defeat on offshore drilling extends the Trump administration's losing streak in court
  47. Fox News isn’t the problem, it’s the media’s obsession with Fox News
  48. Campus free speech laws being enacted in many states, but some may do more harm than good
  49. The pitfalls of the narcissistic NBA player
  50. Why Americans appear more likely to support Christian refugees