The Conversation

Russia, Trump and the 2016 election: What's the best way for Congress to investigate?

Written by Jordan Tama, Assistant Professor of International Relations, American University School of International Service

Exactly how will the U.S. conduct a fair and accurate investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and links with President Donald Trump’s campaign? U.S. congressional leaders are discussing options.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said that the Senate intelligence committee is best suited to investigate any...

Could your Fitbit data be used to deny you health insurance?

Written by Andrew Boyd, Assistant Professor, Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

A log of your preexisting conditions?Timo Newton-Sims/timo_w2s/flickr, CC BY-SA

Wearing a fitness tracking device could earn you cash from your health insurance company. At first, this sounds lucrative for the people who participate, and good for the companies, who want healthier insurance customers. But it’s not quite so simple.

Under the...

Five lessons Trump could learn from Lincoln

Written by Donald Nieman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Lincoln in 1858; Trump in his official White House portrait, 2017.Abraham Byers/unknown

How will Donald Trump observe Presidents Day?

Will he have the inclination or take the time to read about or reflect on the qualities of our greatest leaders?

Given how busy Trump is issuing executive orders, fighting with the judiciary, managing the scandal...

What makes a mountain, hill or prairie a 'sacred' place for Native Americans?

Written by Rosalyn R. LaPier, Visiting Assistant Professor of Women's Studies, Environmental Studies and Native American Religion, Harvard University

A woman holds Pope Francis' head during his meeting with representatives of indigenous peoples at the Vatican on Feb. 15, 2017.L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP

For several months Native American protesters and others have been opposing the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The plans for construction pass through sacred land for the...

Did Abraham Lincoln's bromance alter the course of American history?

Written by Charles B. Strozier, Professor of History, City University of New York

Joshua Speed found his BFF in Abraham Lincoln.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

In the spring of 1837, a “long, gawky, ugly, shapeless man” walked into Joshua Speed’s dry goods store in Springfield, Illinois, requesting supplies for a bed. Speed said the cost would be US$17, which ended up being too pricey for the visitor, who asked...

Why you should know about the New Thought movement

Written by Christopher H. Evans, Professor of the History of Christianity, Boston University

The New Thought movement left behind an important legacy.Wesley Nitsckie, CC BY-SA

President Donald Trump embraces several political stances important to his conservative evangelical base. This includes support for “religious liberty” legislation and exempting evangelicals from laws upholding lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual...

Combatting stereotypes: How to talk to your children

Written by Marjorie Rhodes, Associate Professor of Psychology, New York University

Children around the world are susceptible to stereotypes.World Bank Photo Collection, CC BY-NC-ND

How can modern parents raise the next generation to be free from corrosive gender and racial stereotypes? By the time children start elementary school, gender and race shape their lives in many ways that parents might want to prevent. As early as first...

Are fossil fuel companies telling investors enough about the risks of climate change?

Written by Paul Griffin, Professor of Management, University of California, Davis

Prior to President Donald Trump taking office, there was a push to require oil and gas companies to inform their investors about the risks of climate change. As governments step up efforts to regulate carbon emissions, the thinking goes, fossil fuel companies’ assets could depreciate in value over time.

The Securities and Exchange...

Galapagos giant tortoises make a comeback, thanks to innovative conservation strategies

Written by James P. Gibbs, Professor of Vertebrate Conservation Biology and Director of the Roosevelt Wild Life Station, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Giant tortoise on Pinzon Island, GalapagosRory Stansbury, Island Conservation/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

The Galapagos Islands are world-famous as a laboratory of biological evolution. Some 30 percent of the plants, 80 percent of the land birds and 97 percent of the reptiles on this remote archipelago are found nowhere else on Earth. Perhaps the most...

Personalized medicine may do more to treat rather than prevent chronic diseases

Written by Sharon Horesh Bergquist, Physician, teacher, researcher in preventive medicine and healthy aging, Emory University

What could genomic medicine do in the future?DNA gel image via www.shutterstock.com.

Personalized medicine, which involves tailoring health care to each person’s unique genetic makeup, has the potential to transform how we diagnose, prevent and treat disease. After all, no two people are alike. Mapping a person’s unique susceptibility...