The Conversation

What are bail funds? Two social policy experts explain

Written by Cynthia Golembeski, PhD Candidate in Urban and Social Policy, The New School

These funds help people stay out of jail while awaiting trial.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

When someone charged with a crime is eligible for release but cannot afford cash bail, they typically will remain in jail until they are sentenced or released – unless someone makes a payment on their behalf.

One option is to enlist the help...

The Supreme Court has curtailed EPA's power to regulate carbon pollution – and sent a warning to other regulators

Written by Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School

Smokestacks at the coal-fired Mountaineer power plant in New Haven, West Virginia.Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

In a highly anticipated but not unexpected 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2022, that the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority under the Clean...

Supreme Court's 'Remain in Mexico' ruling puts immigration policy in the hands of voters – as long as elected presidents follow the rules

Written by Kevin Johnson, Dean and Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies, University of California, Davis

A migrant from Haiti waits with others at a clinic for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

In the very last decision of its latest term, the Supreme Court released a major ruling that not only clears a barrier to ending a signature policy of the Trump administration but also signals that the future of immigration policy is in the...

Abortion benefits: Companies have a simple and legal way to help their workers living in anti-abortion states – expand paid time off

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oregon

As the last abortion clinic in Mississippi closes, workers in the state may get some support from their employers. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Employers looking for ways to support their workers seeking abortions in states where it’s now illegal or soon will be don’t have it easy.

From an employer’s standpoint, abortion is...

Viruses can change your scent to make you more attractive to mosquitoes, new research in mice finds

Written by Penghua Wang, Assistant Professor of Immunology, University of Connecticut

Mosquito-borne diseases are estimated to cause over 1 million deaths a year.mrs/Moment via Getty Images

Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animal. Over 1 million deaths per year are attributed to mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya fever.

How mosquitoes seek out and feed on their hosts...

Winning the Tour de France requires subtle physics, young muscles and an obscene amount of calories – 3 essential reads

Written by Daniel Merino, Assistant Science Editor and Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast

Last year's Tour de France winner was Tadej Pogacar, in the yellow jersey here – his second consecutive Tour title.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The 2022 Tour de France is here. Starting in Copenhagen on July 1, the tour covers almost 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometers) over 24 days of riding through Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and...

Kremlin tightens control over Russians' online lives – threatening domestic freedoms and the global internet

Written by Stanislav Budnitsky, Postdoctoral Fellow in Global and International Studies, Indiana University

Russia has pioneered the concept of digital sovereignty and used it to severely restrict Russians' access to the internet.NurPhoto via Getty Images

Since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine in late February 2022, Russian internet users have experienced what has been dubbed the descent of a “digital iron curtain.”

Russian...

When does the fetus acquire a moral status of a human being? The philosophy of 'gradualism' can provide answers

Written by Amanda Roth, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies, State University of New York, College at Geneseo

A patient seeking abortion services at the Women's Reproductive Clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.Robyn Beck /AFP via Getty Images

I lost my twins in the second trimester of my first pregnancy. One fetus died around 14 weeks, and a month later I went into preterm labor – likely caused by the death of the first and an infection. I delivered...

A water strategy for the parched West: Have cities pay farmers to install more efficient irrigation systems

Written by Robert Glennon, Regents Professor Emeritus and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy Emeritus, University of Arizona

Low-tech irrigation on a cattle ranch near Whitewater, Colo., June 30, 2021.Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

“Are you going to run out of water?” is the first question people ask when they find out I’m from Arizona. The answer is that some people already have, others soon may and it’s going to get much worse without...

People vary a lot in how well they recognize, match or categorize the things they see – researchers attribute this skill to an ability they call 'o'

Written by Isabel Gauthier, David K. Wilson Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University

Some people are inherently better at tasks like reading X-rays.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

Like snowflakes, no two people are exactly the same. You’re probably used to the idea that people differ substantially in personality and in cognitive abilities – skills like problem-solving or remembering information.

In contrast,...