The Conversation

In praise of doing nothing

Written by Simon Gottschalk, Professor of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Modern life seems to encourage acceleration for the sake of acceleration – to what end?JoeyCheung/Shutterstock.com

In the 1950s, scholars worried that, thanks to technological innovations, Americans wouldn’t know what to do with all of their leisure time.

Yet today, as sociologist Juliet Schor notes, Americans are overworked, putting in...

How can criminals manipulate cryptocurrency markets?

Written by Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro

Now you see it, now you don't.Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are based on systems that are supposed to be inherently protected from fraud. Yet the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into manipulation of bitcoin prices. How is that sort of activity even possible?

From researching blockchain...

Will Silicon Valley's new company towns end up as failed utopias?

Written by Grant Bollmer, Assistant Professor of Communication, North Carolina State University

A retail street in Facebook's proposed Willow Campus. Facebook

Willow Village is a community planned for a 59-acre site in California’s Silicon Valley, between Menlo Park and East Palo Alto.

It will have housing, offices, a grocery store, a pharmacy, and its developers say, maybe even its own cultural center.

There’s one notable thing...

Missouri's dark money scandal, explained

Written by Ciara C Torres-Spelliscy, Leroy Highbaugh Sr. Research Chair and Associate Professor of Law, Stetson University

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, before he resigned amid scandalsAP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is finally ready to resign. His sex scandal didn’t force him to step down, but rather allegations that “dark money” improperly financed his winning gubernatorial bid.

During the years I’ve spent writing about the...

How the US benefits when it educates future world leaders

Written by Nathan Urban, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Strategic Initiatives, University of Pittsburgh

The decline in international students studying in the U.S. has worldwide implications.Vladimir Mucibabic/www.shutterstock.com

When the number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities declines, commentators often focus on the economic impact the decline will have on individual universities and communities.

As experts who specialize...

The sage grouse isn't just a bird – it's a proxy for control of Western lands

Written by John Freemuth, Professor of Public Policy and Executive Director, Andrus Center for Public Policy, Boise State University

Male sage grouse at the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Wyoming.Tom Koerner/USFWS, CC BY

The Trump administration is clashing with conservation groups and others over protection for the greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a bird widely known for its dramatic mating displays. The grouse is found across sagebrush country from the...

Why ABC reacted so swiftly to Roseanne's racist tweet

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

ABC Entertainment, which produced the revamped version of “Roseanne,” is the latest company to learn the challenge of doing business in an age when citizen activism is amplified by social media.

The network canceled the hit show after its star, Roseanne Barr, sent a racist tweet – since deleted – that prompted outrage and a...

Triclosan, a common antimicrobial in toothpaste and other products, linked to inflammation and cancer in the gut

Written by Haixia Yang, Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst

An ingredient in toothpaste and other personal care products may be harming the microbes in our gut and leaving us vulnerable to disease.Ilya Andriyanov/shutterstock.com

The antimicrobial chemical triclosan is in thousands of products that we use daily: hand soaps, toothpastes, body wash, kitchenware and even some toys. Work in our lab suggests...

Organs-on-chips: Tiny technology helping bring safe new drugs to patients faster

Written by Catherine Yeung, Research Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, University of Washington

It doesn't look like a kidney, but this 'kidney-on-a-chip' is a breakthrough for new drug testing.Alex Levine, CC BY-ND

Getting a new pharmaceutical from an idea in the chemistry lab to market takes many years and billions of dollars. Each year just several dozen new drugs are approved for use in the United States.

Human...

Most CEOs aren't abandoning neutrality on Trump – yet

Written by Erran Carmel, Professor of Business, American University Kogod School of Business

What would it take for the titans of corporate America to rise up against President Donald Trump?

That’s a question that’s been on our minds lately, as we ponder a growing list of reasons for U.S. CEOs to oppose the president or his policies. His willingness to risk a costly trade war with China is only the latest. Some Trump ideas,...