The Conversation

Could new legislation lead to a Route 66 economic revival?

Written by Daniel Milowski, Ph.D. Student in History, Arizona State University

An aerial view of Seligman, Arizona, looking west, dated March 12, 1971. Route 66 bisects the town.James R. Powell Route 66 Collection/Newberry Library

In his 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck dubbed Route 66 “The Mother Road.”

The 2,448 mile-long highway that once wound from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa...

Why are Democratic voters more approving of compromise than Republicans?

Written by James Glaser, Professor, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, Tufts University

At a time when political division is heightened and the parties in Washington are deeply polarized, it is worth asking whether there is any payoff for politicians to work together.

Will they be rewarded by their constituents for getting things done, balancing different interests for the public good and working across the aisle with civility and...

Mick Mulvaney turned the CFPB from a forceful consumer watchdog into a do-nothing government cog

Written by Jeff Sovern, Professor of Law, St. John's University

Until last Thanksgiving, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was known for forcefully pursuing its core mission, returning nearly US$12 billion to about 30 million consumers who had been taken advantage of by financial institutions.

But since then, the bureau has been known for … well, not much. After Obama-appointee Richard Cordray...

Thriving after depression: Why are scientists ignoring good outcomes?

Written by Jonathan Rottenberg, Professor of Psychology, University of South Florida

Kristen Bell, who has battled depression, has shared her experience of surviving it and thriving. She is pictured here at the 2017 NBCUniversal Upfront in New York on May 15, 2017. JStone/Shutterstock.com

In the wake of suicides by Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, we as a nation are newly sobered by depression’s threat to the public health....

Trump's choice to replace Justice Kennedy will likely be a white man, like his other court nominees

Written by Rorie Solberg, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oregon State University

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Justice Anthony Kennedy announced on June 27 that he will retire from the U.S. Supreme Court, giving President Donald Trump the opportunity to appoint a second justice.

Trump has stated that he will choose from the same list of 25 individuals to replace Kennedy that he used after...

Why your brain never runs out of problems to find

Written by David Levari, Postdoctoral Researcher in Psychology, Harvard University

Why do people constantly 'move the goalposts' when making judgments? JoeNattapon/Shutterstock.com

Why do many problems in life seem to stubbornly stick around, no matter how hard people work to fix them? It turns out that a quirk in the way human brains process information means that when something becomes rare, we sometimes see it in more places...

Men suffer about 70 percent of fireworks injuries – and other 4th of July facts

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

John Adams believed the fourth of July should be filled with 'illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.'AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez

In the eyes of many Americans, the Fourth of July is a day for parades, barbecues and, of course, fireworks.

The tradition got its start at the beginning of our nation’s history after the...

Crece la pobreza en los suburbios de EEUU, más que en las ciudades

Written by Scott W. Allard, Professor of Social Policy, University of Washington

Un suburbio típico norteamericano.jan buchholtz/flickr, CC BY-NC

Read in English.

En Estados Unidos, la geografía de la pobreza está cambiando.

En mayo 2018, un informe del encuestador Pew Research Center reportó que, desde 2000, el incremento de la pobreza en EEUU ha sido mayor en zonas suburbanas que en zonas urbanas o...

Are we alone? The question is worthy of serious scientific study

Written by Kevin Knuth, Associate Professor of Physics, University at Albany, State University of New York

US F/A-18 footage of a UFO (circled in red). Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Parzival191919, CC BY-NC-SA

Are we alone? Unfortunately, neither of the answers feel satisfactory. To be alone in this vast universe is a lonely prospect. On the other hand, if we are not alone and there is someone or something more...

New telescope will scan the skies for asteroids on collision course with Earth

Written by Michael B. Lund, Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Vanderbilt University

Artist depiction of an asteroid on a collision course with EarthBy Mopic/shutterstock.com

Around sunrise on Feb. 15, 2013, an extremely bright and otherworldly object was seen streaking through the skies over Russia before it exploded about 97,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. The resulting blast damaged thousands of buildings and injured...