The Conversation

What's a 'gig' job? How it's legally defined affects workers' rights and protections

Written by David Weil, Visiting Senior Faculty Fellow, Ash Center for Democracy Harvard Kennedy School / Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University

A rally for Uber and Lyft drivers in 2019 reflects desire for workers to have same benefits as employees.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

The “gig” economy has captured the attention of technology futurists, journalists, academics and policymakers.

“Future of work” discussions tend toward two extremes: breathless excitement at the...

Israel's new hard-line government has made headlines – the bigger demographic changes that caused it, not so much

Written by Michael Brenner, Professor of Jewish History and Culture at Ludwig Maximilian University and Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies, American University

People wait at a bus stop at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem.Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Israel’s new goverment is the most right-wing and religious leadership the country has had in the 75 years of its existence, as many observers have pointed out. And this style of leadership may last because it represents the next generation of...

Democracy under attack in Brazil: 5 questions about the storming of Congress and the role of the military

Written by Rafael R. Ioris, Professor of Modern Latin America History, University of Denver

Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro clash with security forces.Joedson Alves/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Thousands of far-right supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Jan. 8, 2023.

In images similar to those from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on...

First grader who shot teacher in Virginia is among the youngest school shooters in US history

Written by David Riedman, Ph.D. student in Criminal Justice and Creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, University of Central Florida

A school sign wishing students a Happy New Year stands outside Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 7, 2023, in Newport News, Virginia, where a 6-year-old boy reportedly shot his teacher after an altercation.Jay Paul / Getty Images

Barely a week into the new year, a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News,...

First grader who shot teacher in Virginia is among the youngest school shooters in nation's history

Written by David Riedman, Ph.D. student in Criminal Justice and Creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, University of Central Florida

Barely a week into the new year, a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News,...

Kevin McCarthy voted Speaker of the House on 15th vote — we had some questions about the chaotic week in Congress and got a few answers

Written by Rachel Paine Caufield, Professor of Political Science, Drake University

More jaw-jaw needed to end the GOP speaker war, Mr. McCarthy?Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Editor’s note: This article was published prior to a 15th vote in the House of Representatives that saw Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California elected as House Speaker in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2023. It still has lots of super interesting information...

How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts — instead of watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific

Written by Andrew Fisher, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Heavy rain from a series of atmospheric rivers flooded large parts of California from late December 2022 into early January 2023.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

California has seen so much rain over the past few weeks that farm fields are inundated and normally dry creeks and drainage ditches have become torrents of water racing...

Richard Avedon, Truman Capote and the brutality of photography

Written by Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona

Though Richard Avedon started his career as a fashion photographer, he later became known for his unflinching eye. Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

What obligation does a portrait photographer have to their subject? Is it their duty to cast that person in the best light, or the most revealing light?

As chief curator at the University of Arizona’s...

Alcohol use is widely accepted in the US, but even moderate consumption is associated with many harmful effects

Written by Christina Mair, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh

Research increasingly shows that the dangers of alcohol have been downplayed and its benefits exaggerated.Nes/E+ via Getty Images

This month, millions of Americans are taking part in “Dry January” in an effort to forgo alcohol for a month and cleanse themselves of the excesses of the holiday season.

Alcohol is the most widely used drug in...

Visualizing the inside of cells at previously impossible resolutions provides vivid insights into how they work

Written by Jeremy Berg, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology, Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Science Strategy and Planning, University of Pittsburgh

Cryo-electron tomography shows what molecules look like in high-resolution – in this case, the virus that causes COVID-19.Nanographics, CC BY-SA

All life is made up of cells several magnitudes smaller than a grain of salt. Their seemingly simple-looking structures mask the intricate and complex molecular activity that enables them to...