The Conversation

The US government has huge debts, and House Democrats could lead the way on solutions – an economist explains how

Written by Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Professor of Economics, Boston University

Democrat Nancy Pelosi spoke in D.C. the night of the midterm elections.Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Now that Democrats control the House, the question on many minds is what they will do with it.

Incoming Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will focus on corruption, money in politics, drug prices, gun control and protecting young immigrants. These...

Coloradans reject restrictions on drilling distances from homes and schools

Written by Stephanie Malin, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Colorado State University

Fracking was on the ballot in Colorado's midterm elections.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Coloradans rejected a ballot initiative that would have required new oil and gas projects to be set back at least 2,500 feet from occupied buildings. The measure – known as Proposition 112 and supported by environmentalists – would have marked a major...

Latinos can be an electoral force in 2020

Written by Lisa Garcia Bedolla, Chancellor's Professor of Education and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

Democrat Beto O'Rourke won 63 percent of Latino voters in Texas, exit polls show, and Latinos seem to have voted in record numbers. But it wasn't enough to win.AP Photo/Eric Gay

Latino turnout surged in the midterms, early signs show.

There are 27.3 million eligible Latino voters in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center – 12...

La gripe sobrevive más de una hora en el aire y en las superficies

Written by Seema Lakdawala, Assisstant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Limpiar las encimeras y los teclados puede eliminar el virus de la gripe, ya que puede sobrevivir en esos lugares con facilidad.AVAVA/Shutterstock.com

La influenza, o virus de la gripe, causa alrededor de 200.000 hospitalizaciones al año en Estados Unidos. La vacunación estacional es la mejor línea de defensa, pero en los...

Which country is best to live in? Our calculations say it's not Norway

Written by Warren Sanderson, Professor of Economics, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

It's not the U.S., either.Pixabay, CC BY

Every year, the United Nations releases the Human Development Index.

The HDI is like a country’s report card. In a single number, it tells policymakers and citizens how well a country is doing. This year, Norway was at the top of the class, while Niger finished last.

The index first appeared in 1990....

Experiments with optical tweezers race to test the laws of quantum mechanics

Written by Mishkat Bhattacharya, Associate Professor in the School of Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology

A silica sphere with a radius of 50 nanometers is trapped levitating in a beam of light. J. Adam Fenster, University of Rochester, CC BY-SA

One might think that the optical tweezer – a focused laser beam that can trap small particles – is old hat by now. After all, the tweezer was invented by Arthur Ashkin in 1970. And he received the N...

Concussion prevention: Sorting through the science to see what's sound

Written by James Smoliga, Professor of Physiology, Department of Physical Therapy, High Point University

Linebacker Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthers in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia Oct. 21, 2018.Matt Rourke/AP Photo

As his helmet collided violently with his opponent’s shoulder, Luke Kuechly looked like a life-size bobblehead doll. In an instant, the Carolina Panthers star linebacker suffered yet another concussion....

What's behind the dramatic rise in 3-generation households?

Written by Natasha Pilkauskas, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan

In 2016, nearly 10 percent of American kids were living in three-generation households, like this one in Detroit, Michigan.AP Photo/Paul Sancya

In a recent study, I discovered that the number of kids living with their parents and grandparents – in what demographers call a three-generation household – has nearly doubled over the past two...

Florida restores voting rights to 1.5 million citizens, which might also decrease crime

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

People in Miami learn about Amendment 4.AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Voters in Florida approved a ballot measure on Tuesday that restores voting rights to citizens with felony convictions once they have completed their full sentence.

The newly elected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opposed the measure called Amendment 4. But more than 64 percent of Florida...

Marijuana expands into 3 more states, but nationwide legalization still unlikely

Written by Daniel J. Mallinson, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration, School of Public Affairs, Pennsylvania State University

Has marijuana legalization reached a tipping point?AP Photo/David Dermer, File

The midterm elections have further loosened marijuana restrictions in the United States. Voters in three of four states with ballot proposals on marijuana approved those initiatives.

In Utah and Missouri, voters on Tuesday decided that patients should have access to...