The Conversation

City mouse or country mouse? I collect mice from Philly homes to study how they got so good at urban living

Written by Megan Phifer-Rixey, Assistant Professor of Biology, Drexel University

European colonizers brought mice to the Americas, where they squeaked out a comfortable life.Dejan Kolar/iStock Collection via Getty Images Plus

Dusty barns, gleaming stables and damp basements. These are all places where you might find a house mouse – or a member of my research team.

I’m an evolutionary biologist, and my lab at Drexel...

Employees have a right to express support for Black Lives Matter while they’re on the job, according to a historic labor board decision

Written by Michael Z. Green, Professor of Law and Director, Workplace Law Program, Texas A&M University

The aftershocks of George Floyd's death are still reverberating for Home Depot.Godofredo A. Vásquez-Pool/Getty Images

A Home Depot store violated labor law when it disciplined Antonio Morales, the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Feb. 21, 2024.

Morales, a Home Depot employee in the Minneapolis area, had drawn the letters BLM on a work...

Wendy’s ‘surge pricing’ mess looks like a case study in stakeholder conflict

Written by Vivek Astvansh, Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics, McGill University

Just two words created a publicity nightmare for fast-food giant Wendy’s: dynamic pricing.

In late February 2024, news broke that the chain was considering charging different prices at different times of day — a tactic usually associated with airlines and ride-hailing companies. As headlines like “Wendy’s to roll out...

COVID-19 vaccines: CDC says people ages 65 and up should get a shot this spring – a geriatrician explains why it’s vitally important

Written by Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia

Even if you got a COVID-19 shot last fall, the spring shot is still essential for the 65 and up age group.whyframestudio/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In my mind, the spring season will always be associated with COVID-19.

In spring 2020, the federal government declared a nationwide emergency, and life drastically changed. Schools and businesses...

Judge nixes some of Georgia’s charges against Trump and his allies − but that won’t necessarily derail the case

Written by Anthony Michael Kreis, Assistant Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Donald Trump continues to face criminal charges in Georgia, even though some have been dismissed by a judge.AP Photo/Steve Helber

A Fulton County judge has tossed out six of the 41 state charges against Donald Trump and his allies in Georgia’s expansive election interference case against the former president and others.

Fulton County Superior...

Buyouts can bring relief from medical debt, but they’re far from a cure

Written by Erin Duffy, Research Scientist, University of Southern California

Medical debt can have devastating consequences.PhotoAlto/Odilon Dimier via Getty Images

One in 10 Americans carry medical debt, while 2 in 5 are underinsured and at risk of not being able to pay their medical bills.

This burden crushes millions of families under mounting bills and contributes to the widening gap between rich and poor.

Some relief has...

Putin has no successor, no living rivals and no retirement plan – why his eventual death will set off a vicious power struggle

Written by Robert Person, Associate Professor of International Relations, United States Military Academy West Point

Vladimir Putin isn't waving goodbye just yet.Pavel Bednyakov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Two things are certain concerning Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

First, he will be reelected as president in the rigged election scheduled to run from March 15 to 17, 2024, by a resounding – if fraudulent – margin.

Second, he is not immortal. He...

Congress’ failure so far to deliver on promise of tens of billions in new research spending threatens America’s long-term economic competitiveness

Written by Jason Owen-Smith, Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan

Science is again on the chopping block on Capitol Hill. AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz

Federal spending on fundamental scientific research is pivotal to America’s long-term economic competitiveness and growth. But less than two years after agreeing the U.S. needed to invest tens of billions of dollars more in basic research than it had been, Cong...

What is the Darien Gap? And why are more migrants risking this Latin American route to get to the US?

Written by Sara McKinnon, Professor of Rhetoric, Politics & Culture, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Migrants wade through the Tuquesa River as they traverse the Darien Gap.AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco

Much of the discussion over illegal immigration to the U.S. has in recent weeks moved its focus south to the Darien Gap.

This treacherous route that spans parts of Central and South America has seen an increasing number of people attempting to pass on...

Climate-friendly beef? Argentina’s new ‘carbon-neutral’ certification could help reduce livestock emissions – if it’s done right

Written by Paul Winters, Professor of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame

Cattle are major producers of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano

In Argentina, where beef is a symbol of national pride, a government-led partnership has started certifying certain livestock as carbon neutral. It’s a big step that shouldn’t be underestimated, but getting the certification process right is...