The Conversation

20 years after Dolly: Everything you always wanted to know about the cloned sheep and what came next

Written by George Seidel, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University

Well hello, Dolly.Photo courtesy of The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh., CC BY-NC

It’s been 20 years since scientists in Scotland told the world about Dolly the sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult body cell. What was special about Dolly is that her “parents” were actually a single cell...

Trump's moves on the Dakota Access Pipeline portend more clashes with states

Written by Jonathan Rosenbloom, Professor of Law, Drake University

Trump and California Governor Jerry Brown have already had their run-ins. cornstalker/flickr, CC BY-NC

During the Obama administration, the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) slowed the regulatory review process of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) to accommodate the cultural and environmental concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. In the first...

Who counts as black?

Written by Ronald Hall, Professor of Social Work, Michigan State University

'Crayons' via www.shutterstock.com

For generations, intimacy between black men and white women was taboo. A mere accusation of impropriety could lead to a lynching, and interracial marriage was illegal in a number of states.

Everything changed with the 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which ruled that blacks and whites have a legal...

White House in turmoil shows why Trump's no CEO

Written by Bert Spector, Associate Professor of International Business and Strategy at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump made much of his business experience, claiming he’s been “creating jobs and rebuilding neighborhoods my entire adult life.”

The fact that he was from the business world rather than a career politician was something that appealed to many of his supporters.

It’s easy to u...

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...