The Conversation

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts uses conflicting views of race to resolve America's history of racial discrimination

Written by: Henry L. Chambers Jr., Professor of Law, University of Richmond

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attends the State of the Union address on Feb. 7, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images

In two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 summer recess, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote majority opinions that involved the use of race.

In the court’s 5-4 Allen v. Milligan decision, Roberts...

Where the government draws the line for Medicaid coverage leaves out many older Americans who may need help paying for medical and long-term care bills – new research

Written by: Marc Cohen, Clinical Professor of Gerontology and Co-Director LeadingAge LTSS Center, UMass Boston

Many older people with health insurance coverage through Medicare still can't afford the care they need.RichLegg/E+ via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Medicaid, which provides low-income Americans with health insurance coverage, currently excludes large numbers of adults over 65 with...

Do smartphones belong in classrooms? Four scholars weigh in

Written by: Louis-Philippe Beland, Associate Professor of Economics, Carleton University

Academic performance improves when schools ban smartphones, research shows.Westend61 via Getty Images

Should smartphones be allowed in classrooms? A new report from UNESCO, the education arm of the United Nations, raises questions about the practice. Though smartphones can be used for educational purposes, the report says the devices also disrupt...

In search of the world's largest freshwater fish – the wonderfully weird giants lurking in Earth's rivers

Written by: Stefan Lovgren, Research Scientist in River Ecosystems, University of Nevada, Reno

Alligator gar can grow to gargantuan sizes.Zeb Hogan

Rivers have been the lifeblood of human civilization throughout history, and yet we know surprisingly little about what lives in many of them – including the giant creatures that prowl their depths.

While we know the biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale and the largest marine fish...

How well-managed dams and smart forecasting can limit flooding as extreme storms become more common in a warming world

Written by: Riley Post, PhD Candidate in Water Resources Engineering, University of Iowa

Dams and reservoirs often serve several purposes, including flood control.Karl Specht/U.S. Department of Energy

The arduous task of cleaning up from catastrophic flooding is underway across the Northeast after storms stretched the region’s flood control systems nearly to the breaking point.

As rising global temperatures make extreme storms...

Women can now undertake Islamic pilgrimages without a male guardian in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean they're traveling alone -- communities are an important part of the religious experience

Written by: Iqbal Akhtar, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University

American Muslim women on pilgrimage at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina in 2023.Iqbal Akhtar, CC BY-NC

Saudi Arabia has changed its decadeslong rule that mandated single women be accompanied by a male relative when performing an Islamic pilgrimage, facilitating the participation of thousands of single Muslim women in the Hajj in 2023.

The new rules...

Horse health research will help humans stay healthy, too, with insights on reining in diabetes and obesity

Written by: Jane Manfredi, Associate Professor of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University

Learning how to treat endocrine disorders in horses may also lead to treatments in people, and vice versa.Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images

As a veterinary science researcher, equine surgeon and sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist, I’ve seen firsthand the similarities between horses and humans.

Both horses and...

Laughter can communicate a lot more than good humor – people use it to smooth social interactions

Written by: Adrienne Wood, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia

A well-deployed laugh can help grease a social interaction, even if nothing is funny.Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images

Laughter is an everyday reminder that we humans are animals. In fact, when recorded laughter is slowed down, listeners can’t tell whether the sound is from a person or an animal.

We throw our heads back and...

As contentious judicial 'reform' becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

Written by: David Mednicoff, Chair, Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy, UMass Amherst

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country's parliament in Jerusalem on July 24, 2023. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo

Israel’s parliament passed a law on July 24, 2023, that limits the Supreme Court’s ability to rein in government actions, part of a broader proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to...

Decades of public messages about recycling in the US have crowded out more sustainable ways to manage waste

Written by: Michaela Barnett, Founder, KnoxFill, University of Virginia

A worker sorts cardboard at a recycling center in Newark, N.J.Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

You’ve just finished a cup of coffee at your favorite cafe. Now you’re facing a trash bin, a recycling bin and a compost bin. What’s the most planet-friendly thing to do with your cup?

Many of us would opt for the...