The Conversation

Fewer bees and other pollinating insects lead to shrinking crops

Written by Rachel Mallinger, Professor of Entomology, University of Florida

Insects are the primary pollinators of most flowers and crops. Niklas_Weidner/500px via Getty Images

Many plants, from crops to carnations, cannot bear fruit or reproduce without bees, beetles, butterflies and other insects to pollinate them. But the population of insect pollinators is dropping in the U.S., due in part to pesticides, climate...

Cutting marketing spending often backfires on businesses – new research could help investors distinguish shortsighted cuts from smart ones

Written by Andre Martin, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Notre Dame

Businesses are often tempted to cut their marketing budgets for the short-term savings it provides – but those cuts can cause problems in the long term. A new study my colleague Tarun Kushwaha and I published in The Journal of Marketing proposes a method for predicting whether these counterproductive cuts will take place up to a year in...

Sports in extreme heat: Warning signs of heat illness and how high school athletes can safely prepare for the start of team practices

Written by Samantha Scarneo-Miller, Assistance Professor of Athletic Training, West Virginia University

The first two weeks of practice are hardest as the body acclimatizes.Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

High school sports teams start practices soon in what has been an extremely hot summer in much of the country. Now, before they hit the field, is the time for athletes to start slowly and safely building up strength and...

Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place – the picture is unsettling

Written by Ziyad Al-Aly, Chief of Research and Development, VA St. Louis Health Care System. Clinical Epidemiologist, Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers are gaining key insights into the ways that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead to long COVID symptoms.Catherine McQueen/Moment via Getty Images

Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing economies billions of...

Voting rights at risk after Supreme Court makes it harder to challenge racial gerrymandering

Written by Sam D. Hayes, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Law, Trinity College

Taiwan Scott, who sued South Carolina over a new congressional map he said curbed Black voting power, speaking outside the Supreme Court in 2023. Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Rooted Logistics

Two recent Supreme Court rulings on congressional redistricting will have starkly different consequences for Black voters in the 2024 election.

One ruling...

After more than 40 years, the federal right to free education for immigrant students finds itself in the crosshairs of conservatives

Written by Tara Sonenshine, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in Public Diplomacy, Tufts University

Texas eyes public school tuition for children whose parents entered the U.S. illegally. SDI Productions via Getty Images

Texas once had a law that allowed public schools to charge tuition for undocumented immigrant families to send their children to school. The rationale was that taxpayer dollars should not be spent educating children whose...

Heritage Foundation’s ‘Project 2025’ is just the latest action plan from a group with an over 50-year history of steering GOP lawmaking

Written by Zachary Albert, Assistant Professor of Politics, Brandeis University

People walk past a Heritage Foundation advertisement at the Milwaukee International Airport on July 12, 2024.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

As the 2024 presidential election heats up, some people are hearing about the Heritage Foundation for the first time. The conservative think tank has a new, ambitious and controversial policy plan, Project...

Late bedtimes and not enough sleep can harm developing brains – and poorer kids are more at risk

Written by Emily C. Merz, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University

Poor sleep can have adverse effects on brain development.Alex Potemkin/E+ via Getty Images

Shorter sleep and later bedtimes are linked to potentially harmful functional changes to parts of the brain important for coping with stress and controlling negative emotions, our recently published research found. And children in families with low economic...

Republicans wary of Republicans – how politics became a clue about infection risk during the pandemic

Written by Ahra Ko, Research Project Manager for the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, University of Pennsylvania

The behavioral immune system learned a new proxy for disease risk during the COVID pandemic.gilaxi/E+ via Getty Images

Americans who felt most vulnerable during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic perceived Republicans as infection risks, leading to greater disgust and avoidance of them – regardless of their own political party. Even...

Pennsylvania continues tradition as ‘keystone state’ in presidential elections

Written by Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, Erie Campus, Penn State

Pennsylvania’s role as a swing state in presidential elections is a modern continuation of a characteristic noted as early as 1802. At a rally celebrating the election victory of President Thomas Jefferson, Pennsylvania was reportedly referred to as “the keystone of the federal union” – a keystone being the central stone in...