The Conversation

Strict Amazon protections made Brazilian farmers more productive, new research shows

Written by Rachael Garrett, Assistant Professor of the Human Dimensions of Global Change, Boston University

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s new president, will make many decisions during his four-year term, from combating violence to stimulating a stagnant economy.

Those decisions will have large impacts on Brazilians, who remain deeply divided over the controversial election of this far-right populist.

But some of Bolsonaro’s decisions will affect...

Unlike in 2016, there was no spike in misinformation this election cycle

Written by Paul Resnick, Professor of Information, University of Michigan

Social media misinformation rose significantly before the 2016 presidential election.Georgejmclittle/shutterstock.com

A newsy photo of a public figure shows up on your social media feed, with a clickbait-y headline and a provocative comment, all linking to a site with juicy political content. Did you share it?

Somebody did.

It wasn’t a paid ad,...

Pittsburgh trauma surgeon: 'Stop the Bleed' training saved lives after shooting, but stopping the need must be next

Written by Matthew D. Neal, MD FACS, Roberta G. Simmons Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh

A SWAT team arriving at Tree of Life synagogue, Oct. 27, 2018. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

I am a trauma surgeon who cared for many of the critically wounded victims of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. As we raced to find the source of blood loss in one of the most severely injured patients, one of my trauma surgeon partners, a U.S. Army veteran of...

Even a few bots can shift public opinion in big ways

Written by Tauhid Zaman, Associate Professor of Operations Management, MIT Sloan School of Management

Adding bots into an online discussion can definitely affect the views of real people.Tatiana Shepeleva/Shutterstock.com

Nearly two-thirds of the social media bots with political activity on Twitter before the 2016 U.S. presidential election supported Donald Trump. But all those Trump bots were far less effective at shifting people’s opinions...

Three things we can learn from contemporary Muslim women's fashion

Written by Liz Bucar, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Northeastern University

A headscarf and a wrap displayed in the exhibit 'Contemporary Muslim Fashions' at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.AP Photo/Eric Risberg

Major art museums have realized there is much to learn from clothing that is both religiously coded and fashion forward.

Earlier this year the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted a fashion exhibition inspired by...

Why Google's employees walked out and what it could mean for the future of labor

Written by Thomas Kochan, George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management Professor, Work and Organization Studies Co-Director, MIT Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research, MIT Sloan School of Management

Google employees protest outside the company's Mountain View, California, headquarters. AP Photo/Noah Berger

The recent walkout by thousands of Google employees at offices around the world was the first protest of its kind by well-paid and benefit-rich high-tech workers.

The collective action was triggered by a report that their employer had awarded...

Freddie Mercury's family faith: The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism

Written by Vasudha Narayanan, Professor of Religion, University of Florida

Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, came from a family of Zoroastrians.atelier nerodimARTE/flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

In the Freddie Mercury biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” there’s a scene in which a family member scolds Mercury.

“So now the family name is not good enough for you?”

“I changed it legally,” Mercury re...

Republican ads feature MS-13, hoping fear will motivate voters

Written by Anthony W. Fontes, Assistant Professor of Human Security, American University School of International Service

Screenshot from Republican John Rose's campaign ad 'Build the Wall,' which equates all immigration with the Salvadoran gang MS-13. John Rose For Tennessee via YouTube

Campaign advertisements appearing for this year’s midterm elections include a stream of Republican campaign ads linking immigration to crime.

One-quarter of Republican ads...

Prenatal blood screening may predict Zika virus-associated fetal defects

Written by Suan-Sin Foo, Postdoctoral scholar, University of Southern California

These photos show mothers or family members holding infants born with microcephaly, one of many serious medical problems caused by congenital Zika syndrome.AP Photo/Felipe Dana

The sudden and rampant outbreak of Zika virus in 2016 terrified pregnant women, particularly those residing in Zika-endemic regions, such as Brazil, as well as those in the...

Does giving donors stuff actually raise more money?

Written by Jonathan Meer, Professor of Economics, Texas A&M University

There's no such thing as a free luggage tag.Chatcharin Sombutpinyo/Shutterstock.com

You’ve almost certainly opened an envelope containing a solicitation from a nonprofit and discovered a set of mailing labels with your name and address on them. Or a few bookmarks with the group’s branding. Or, just as likely, the offer of a mug, a tote...