The Conversation

W.E.B. Du Bois’ study ‘The Philadelphia Negro’ at 125 still explains roots of the urban Black experience – sociologist Elijah Anderson tells why it should be on more reading lists

Written by Elijah Anderson, Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, Yale University

A mural dedicated to Du Bois and the Old Seventh Ward is painted on the corner of 6th and South streets in Philadelphia.Paul Marotta/Getty Images

W.E.B. Du Bois is widely known for his civil rights activism, but many sociologists argue that he has yet to receive due recognition as the founding father of American sociology. His groundbreaking study,...

More than 100K Michigan voters pick ‘uncommitted’ over Biden − does that matter for November?

Written by Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan

Joe Biden won the 2024 Michigan Democratic primary, but “uncommitted” ran a spirited campaign.

More than 100,000 Michiganders voted “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, 13% of the Democratic electorate.

Listen to Michigan organized the uncommitted campaign in Michigan, promoting it as a way to express...

Nigeria’s security problems deepen as Anglophone insurgency in Cameroon spills across border

Written by Augustine Aboh, Ph.D. candidate in Global Governance and Human Security, University of Massachusetts

Grieving for the 140 victims of a January 2024 attack in north-central Nigeria.AP Photo/Sunday Alamba

Over the past two decades, Nigeria has grappled with multiple and complex national security threats, each posing a significant challenge to its stability.

The nation finds itself fighting a violent militancy in the Niger Delta, conflicts between...

How educator Gloria Jean Merriex used dance, drills and devotion to turn around a failing elementary school in a year

Written by Boaz Dvir, Associate Professor of Journalism, Penn State

Movement was an essential part of Gloria Merriex's lessons at Duval Elementary School in Gainesville, Fla.Courtesy of Boaz Dvir

When Duval Elementary – a school that served mostly Black and poor students in East Gainesville, Florida – failed the state’s high-stakes standardized test in 2002, district leaders pressured the...

What’s next for $25B supermarket supermerger after FTC sues to block it, saying it could raise prices

Written by Christine P. Bartholomew, Professor of Law, University at Buffalo

Shoppers select items at a large Kroger supermarket in Atlanta in 2022.Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission announced on on Feb. 26, 2024, that it’s suing to prevent Kroger’s attempt to acquire Albertsons. The US$25 billion deal, first announced in 2022, would combine Cincinnati-based Kroger, already the lar...

Low-level blasts from heavy weapons can cause traumatic brain injury − 2 engineers explain the physics of invisible cell death

Written by Alice Lux Fawzi, PANTHER Engineering Project Manager and Associate Director of the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Low-level blasts can cause physical changes in the brain.Libkos/AP Photo

When the force of a blast shoots a round out of a large-caliber rifle, howitzer or M1 Abrams tank gun, the teams of people operating these weapons are exposed to low-level blasts that can cause traumatic brain injuries.

Low-level blasts do not cause visible trauma, such as...

Anyone can play Tetris, but architects, engineers and animators alike use the math concepts underlying the game

Written by Leah McCoy, Professor of Education, Wake Forest University

Tetris has hooked people for decades. AP Photo/Richard Drew

With its bright colors, easy-to-learn rules and familiar music, the video game Tetris has endured as a pop culture icon over the last 40 years. Many people, like me, have been playing the game for decades, and it has evolved to adapt to new technologies like game systems, phones and...

Mental fatigue has psychological triggers − new research suggests challenging goals can head it off

Written by Matthew Robison, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington

Feeling wiped out by mental work has different causes than what drives physical fatigue.nensuria/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Do you ever feel spacey, distracted and worn down toward the end of a long work-related task – especially if that task is entirely a mental one? For over a century, psychologists have been trying to determine whether...

The true cost of food is far higher than what you spend at the checkout counter

Written by Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University

Stickers don't tell the whole story.Scott Olson/Getty Images

After several years of pandemic-driven price spikes at the grocery store, retail food price inflation is slowing down. That’s good news for consumers, especially those in low-income households, who spend a proportionally larger share of their income on food.

But there’s more to...

GOP primary elections use flawed math to pick nominees

Written by Ismar Volić, Professor of Mathematics, Director of Institute for Mathematics and Democracy, Wellesley College

How people vote isn't always reflected in how elections are decided.bamlou/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Republicans around the country are picking a nominee to run for president. However, their process – designed and run by the party, not government officials – is a mess of flawed mathematics that can end up delivering a...