The Conversation

Our smartphone addiction is killing us – can apps that limit screen time offer a lifeline?

Written by Ashley Whillans, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

The solution to too much screen time may just be more apps.THE YOOTH/Shutterstock.com

We’re squandering increasing amounts of time distracted by our phones. And that’s taking a serious toll on our mental and physical well-being.

Perhaps ironically, software developers themselves have been on the forefront of efforts to solve this...

The US white majority will soon disappear forever

Written by Dudley Poston, Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University

The non-Hispanic white population is not growing as quickly as other groups in the U.S.Lightfield Studios/shutterstock.com

Since the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 and the start of the Colonial period, the U.S. has been predominantly white.

But the white share of the U.S. population has been dropping, from a little under 90% in 1950 to 60% in...

Just 16 minutes of sleep loss can harm work concentration the next day

Written by Soomi Lee, Assistant Professor of Aging Studies, University of South Florida

Even a small amount of sleep loss affected workers' concentration in a recent study.Kittisak Jirasittichai/Shutterstock.com

Have you had a less-than-stellar performance review lately? Do you daydream, or are you making bad decisions?

It might not be about your job but about your sleep. And it’s not all your fault.

We each study different...

Can James Holzhauer be stopped? A former 'Jeopardy!' champion weighs in

Written by Michael Rooney, Professor of Philosophy, Pasadena City College

The sports gambler from Las Vegas has dominated the game like no one else in its 35-year history.Jeopardy Productions

In 1997, fresh out of graduate school, underemployed and watching a lot of television, I realized I was pretty good at “Jeopardy!”

I decided to try out. After a couple tests, interviews, and months of waiting, I was...

Here's how to increase diversity in STEM at the college level and beyond

Written by Mariano R. Sto. Domingo, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Assistant professor of chemistry Sidney Wilkerson-Hill, left, in a chemistry lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with Bolatito Babatunde, a student in the Chancellor's Science Scholars program at UNC.Lars Sahl / UNC Chemistry, CC BY

Jerome Adams is the 20th surgeon general of the United States and former Indiana state health...

How a music genre known as black metal came to be related to church burnings

Written by Jason C. Bivins, Professor, North Carolina State University

The burnt ruins of the St. Mary Baptist Church, one of three that recently burned down in Louisiana.AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

When three historically African American churches were burned down recently in southern Louisiana, it evoked memories of the violence of the civil rights era.

A 21-year-old white male, Holden Matthews, was later arrested on...

Collaborative problem solvers are made not born – here's what you need to know

Written by Stephen M. Fiore, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, University of Central Florida

Group project experience doesn't automatically translate to competence at collaboration.Brooke Cagle/Unsplash, CC BY

Challenges are a fact of life. Whether it’s a high-tech company figuring out how to shrink its carbon footprint, or a local community trying to identify new revenue sources, people are continually dealing with problems that...

Financial woes are at the heart of the NRA's tumult

Written by Brian Mittendorf, Fisher Designated Professor of Accounting and Chair, Department of Accounting & Management Information Systems (MIS), The Ohio State University

Former NRA President Col. Oliver NorthAP Photo/Michael Conroy

The National Rifle Association’s 2019 annual convention in Indianapolis drew around 80,000 gun enthusiasts, an arsenal of firearm-accessory vendors and appearances by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. It also produced an unusual display of disunity at the top.

The...

Data insecurity leads to economic injustice – and hits the pocketbooks of the poor most

Written by Michele Gilman, Venable Professor of Law, University of Baltimore

Facebook allows advertisers to target low-income Americans. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Congress may finally be on the verge of passing a comprehensive federal privacy law after almost a half-century of trying. Even the tech lobby is on board following years of resistance.

The growing bipartisan support for privacy legislation seems to be...

How the world's largest democracy casts its ballots

Written by Poorvi Vora, Professor of Computer Science, George Washington University

About 600 million Indian citizens are expected to cast their votes over a period of 39 days ending May 19, in the ongoing election for their country’s parliament. There are roughly 900 million eligible voters, and the country has typically seen about two-thirds of them turn out to polling places.

I have been working on the security of...