The Conversation

In Las Vegas, excess and fantasy bleed into tragedy

Written by Mark Gottdiener, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Tourists play slot machines at the Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

In Sin City, people often do bad things to themselves.

Rather than deal with their lapses – moral, financial, marital – there’s a ready-made marketing slogan to fall back on: “What happens in Vegas stays in...

How closing the door on the estate tax could reduce American giving

Written by Patrick Rooney, Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Professor of Economics and Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Taxing inherited wealth builds in an incentive for the rich to give more and splurge less. 1000 Words/Shutterstock.com

Soon after the U.S. gained independence, Uncle Sam began to tax inherited wealth. These levies applied only intermittently, however, until 1916, when Congress and the Wilson administration established the modern estate tax in time...

Can you be hacked by the world around you?

Written by Jeremy Straub, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, North Dakota State University

Could scanning a QR code be an invitation to malware?Zapp2Photo/Shutterstock.com

You’ve probably been told it’s dangerous to open unexpected attachment files in your email – just like you shouldn’t open suspicious packages in your mailbox. But have you been warned against scanning unknown QR codes or just taking a picture...

How a growing Christian movement is seeking to change America

Written by Brad Christerson, Professor of Sociology, Biola University

Adam Rozanas, CC BY-NC-ND

Last week, from Oct. 6 to 9, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. was filled with tents, worship music and prayer for the “Awaken the Dawn” rally. The purpose of the event, according to organizer Lou Engle, was to “gather around Jesus,” to pray for the nation and its government. It ended with a day...

How to ensure the fourth industrial revolution is 'Made in the USA'

Written by Kemper E. Lewis, Professor and Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Without investment, fewer products will bear this 'Made in the USA' logo in the future. AP Photo/M. Spencer Green

President Donald Trump has long talked about reinvigorating American manufacturing, which has suffered heavy job losses as a result of automation, trade deals and other factors.

In July, the Trump administration even celebrated “ma...

Do people like government 'nudges'? Study says: Yes

Written by Cass Sunstein, University Professor, Harvard University

A product's calorie label is a common form of nudging behavior. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

On Oct. 9, Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago won the Nobel Prize for his extraordinary, world-transforming work in behavioral economics. In its press release, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences emphasized that Thaler demonstrated how nudging...

How Obamacare has helped poor cancer patients

Written by Fumiko Chino, Resident in Radiation Oncology, Duke University

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) flanked by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), left, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as they addressed the unpopularity of their replacement bill. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Two weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pulled the vote for the latest measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Ca...

Marie Curie and her X-ray vehicles' contribution to World War I battlefield medicine

Written by Timothy J. Jorgensen, Director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program and Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University

Marie Curie in one of her mobile X-ray units in October 1917.Eve Curie

Ask people to name the most famous historical woman of science and their answer will likely be: Madame Marie Curie. Push further and ask what she did, and they might say it was something related to radioactivity. (She actually discovered the radioisotopes radium and polonium.)...

Coastal protection on the edge: The challenge of preserving California's legacy

Written by Gary Griggs, Director, Institute of Marine Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Big Sur coastline.Ashley Spratt, USFWS, CC BY

The California coast is an edge. It’s the place where 1,100 miles of shoreline meets the largest ocean on the planet. Many different forces collide there, and a lot of exciting things happen. The coast is a geological edge, zippered to North America by 800 miles of the San Andreas Fault and...

Gentrification? Bring it

Written by Jonathan Wynn, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Cash-strapped Hartford is one of a number American cities that have missed out on the nation's urban renaissance.Jessica Hill/AP Photo

In July, a group of long-time, mostly Latino residents of Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood staged protests outside a trendy new coffee shop called Weird Wave Coffee, holding signs that read...