The Conversation

Sports broadcasters have a duty to report injuries responsibly – in the case of NFL's Damar Hamlin, they passed the test

Written by Nicole Kraft, Associate Professor of Clinical Communication, The Ohio State University

Medical personnel attend to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin after he collapsed on the field during an NFL game in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, 2023.AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

Injuries are an unfortunate part of any sport – none more so than in the NFL, where players can be felled in front of a TV audience in the tens of millions.

Typically, when a...

Diversity of US workplaces is growing in terms of race, ethnicity and age – forcing more employers to be flexible

Written by Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

The aging of the U.S. workforce is further along for librarians than most other professions.kali9/E+ via Getty Images

Increased immigration, longer life expectancy and a decline in birth rates are transforming the U.S. workforce in two important ways. The people powering this nation’s economy include far more people of color and workers over...

Nanomedicines for various diseases are in development – but research facilities produce vastly inconsistent results on how the body will react to them

Written by Morteza Mahmoudi, Assistant Professor of Radiology, Michigan State University

Nanoparticles (white disks) can be used to deliver treatment to cells (blue).Brenda Melendez and Rita Serda/National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, CC BY-NC

Nanomedicines took the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are using these very small and intricate materials to develop diagnostic tests and treatments....

Worker strikes and union elections surged in 2022 – could it mark a turning point for organized labor?

Written by Marick Masters, Professor of Business and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

Workers such as these Starbucks employees in St. Anthony, Minn., increasingly went on strike in 2022.Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Workers organized and took to the picket line in increased numbers in 2022 to demand better pay and working conditions, leading to optimism among labor leaders and advocates that...

'Whisper networks' thrive when women lose faith in formal systems of reporting sexual harassment

Written by Carrie Ann Johnson, Postdoctoral Scholar of Communication, Iowa State University

Quiet warnings can protect women from sexual harassment.lekcej/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Whisper networks – informal channels that women use to warn others about sexual harassment, abuse or assault – take root because formal reporting systems can...

Working in isolation can pose mental health challenges – here’s what anyone can learn from how gig workers have adapted

Written by Brittany Lambert, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, Indiana University

Coffee shops can be a "third space" – not home or the office – where remote or gig workers can go to feel less isolated.Granger Wootz/Tetra images via Getty Images

In the wake of the pandemic, it is clear that remote work is here to stay. It seems every week there are more news stories about workers preferring to work remotely, or...

Beyond Section 230: A pair of social media experts describes how to bring transparency and accountability to the industry

Written by Robert Kozinets, Professor of Journalism, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Social media regulation – and the future of Section 230 – are top of mind for many in Congress.Pavlo Conchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

One of Elon Musk’s stated reasons for purchasing Twitter was to use the social media platform to defend the right to free speech. The ability to defend that right, or to abuse it,...

These are not your mother's machines - the next generation of American manufacturing is high-tech, and skilled workers are needed to operate these advanced tools

Written by Tony Schmitz, Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee

More skilled workers are needed to operate high-tech tools in factories.Getty Images

The U.S. Navy is beginning to build 12 top-of-the-line nuclear submarines , with the first one scheduled to be completed by 2027. But it is missing a critical ingredient: many of an estimated 50,000 skilled workers to get the job done. It also lacks a reliable...

William Wordsworth and the Romantics anticipated today's idea of a nature-positive life

Written by Jonathan Bate, Foundation Professor of Environmental Humanities, Arizona State University

Wiliam Wordsworth lived and wrote in Grasmere, in England's Lake District, from 1799-1808.Mick Knapton/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Musical performances usually happen in concert halls or clubs, but famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma is exploring a new venue: U.S. national parks. In a project called Our Common Nature, Ma is performing in settings such as the Great...

On New Year's Day, Buddhist god Hotei brings gifts and good fortune in Japan

Written by Megan Bryson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

Hotei hands out gifts to children.Detail of print by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, 1798-1861, via Wikimedia Commons

The new year brings a fresh start, symbolized in some cultures by the cherubic baby New Year who replaces the old year that has come to a close. In Japan, the roly-poly god Hotei, who is often identified with Santa Claus, ushers in the new year...