The Conversation

Why employment remains red hot even as the Federal Reserve tries to put job market on ice

Written by Edouard Wemy, Assistant Professor of Economics, Clark University

Is strong hiring fanning the flames of inflation?AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The hot U.S. labor market is showing few signs of cooling down, with the latest jobs report showing continued strong gains, particularly in service industries such as retail and hospitality. The robust employment landscape may put pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise rates...

5 tips for women to negotiate a higher salary

Written by Alexandra Mislin, Associate Professor of Management, American University

U.S. women earn 82% of what U.S. men earn — and the gap is significantly higher for Black and Hispanic women.Portra/E+ Collection/Getty Images

Equal Pay Day falls in 2023 on March 14 — a date determined by how long into the new year American women must work to catch up to American men’s earnings the previous year. In 2022, women...

Biggest racial gap in prison is among violent offenders – focusing on intervention instead of incarceration could change the numbers

Written by Thaddeus L. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University

Black men disproportionately make up the US prison population.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Racial disparities in state imprisonment rates dropped significantly during the first two decades of the 21st century.

That’s one of the main findings from a report published by one of us in late 2022, along with Georgia State University colleague William...

Distant star TOI-700 has two potentially habitable planets orbiting it – making it an excellent candidate in the search for life

Written by Joey Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University

The TOI-700 star system is home to four planets, including two in its habitable zone that could host liquid water.NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA recently announced the discovery of a new, Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a nearby star called TOI-700. We are two of the astronomers who led the discovery of this planet, called...

Syria's earthquake survivors struggle in a disaster made far worse by civil war, bombed-out hospitals and currency collapse

Written by Ora Szekely, Associate Professor of Political Science, Clark University

Temporary shelters have been set up near neighborhoods in the Idlib province demolished by the Syria-Turkey earthquake.Omar Haj Kadour/ AFP via Getty Images

After a pair of devastating earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, the number of confirmed deaths continues to rise, surpassing 50,000 as of Feb. 24.

The United Nations...

Robots are performing Hindu rituals -- some devotees fear they'll replace worshippers

Written by Holly Walters, Visiting Lecturer in Anthropology, Wellesley College

A robotic arm (below on right) is used to worship by maneuvering a candle in front of the Hindu god Ganesha.Monarch Innovation

It isn’t just artists and teachers who are losing sleep over advances in automation and artificial intelligence. Robots are being brought into Hinduism’s holiest rituals – and not all worshippers are happy...

Once the Callery pear tree was landscapers' favorite – now states are banning this invasive species and urging homeowners to cut it down

Written by Ryan W. McEwan, Professor of Biology, University of Dayton

Bradford pear trees in bloom along a driveway in Sussex County, Del.Lee Cannon/Flickr, CC BY-SA

When people think of spring, they often picture flowers and trees blooming. And if you live in the U.S. Northeast, Midwest or South, you have probably seen a medium-sized tree with long branches, covered with small white blooms – the Callery pear (P...

Should you pay for Meta's and Twitter’s verified identity subscriptions? A social media researcher explains how the choice you face affects everyone else

Written by Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

If you want to use two-factor authentication via text message on Twitter, you'll have to pay for it.NurPhoto via Getty Images

Social media services have generally been free of charge for users, but now, with ad revenues slowing down, social media companies are looking for new revenue streams beyond targeted ads. Now, Twitter is charging for its...

Leading American medical journal continues to omit Black research, reinforcing a legacy of racism in medical knowledge

Written by Cherice Escobar Jones, PhD Candidate, Northeastern University

Medical research is one of the keys in providing health care. SJ Objio for Unsplash, CC BY-SA

The leading U.S. medical journal, read regularly by doctors of all specialties, systematically ignores an equally reputable and rigorous body of medical research that focuses on Black Americans’ health.

The American Medical Association created a...

How the 'Holman rule' allows the House to fast-track proposals to gut government programs without debate or much thought at all

Written by Charles Tiefer, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore

Reinstituted rules in the U.S. House of Representatives allow members to fire federal staffers and cut programs.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives has just voted to give itself a streamlined way to fire civil servants and shut down federal programs it doesn’t like...