The Conversation

Leaking a Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion or other hot topics is unprecedented – 4 things to know about how the high court works

Written by Eve Ringsmuth, Associate professor of poltiical science, Oklahoma State University

Signs belonging to anti-abortion protesters sit in front of a fenced U.S. Supreme Court building on May 16, 2022.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to announce a decision that could possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion.

The court is currently considering a case...

Racism is different than colorism – here's how

Written by Ronald Hall, Professor of Social Work, Michigan State University

The preference for lighter skin has its roots in colonial histories.STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP via Getty Images

Ronald Hall is a professor in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. He has written over 200 books/articles/monographs, etc., on colorism – discrimination on the basis of skin tone, often among the same ethnic or racial...

The role party affiliation played in getting US to grim new milestone of 1 million COVID deaths

Written by Monika L. McDermott, Professor of Political Science, Fordham University

The American flag flies at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 14, 2022, after President Biden ordered flags lowered to commemorate 1 million American dead due to COVID-19. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of 1 million Americans – a grim milestone made worse by the fact that probably a third...

Why Turkey isn't on board with Finland, Sweden joining NATO – and why that matters

Written by Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan

Room for any more at NATO? Not according to Turkey's president.Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images

After decades of neutrality, the two Scandinavian states that have to date remained out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have reacted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by declaring an intention to join the American-led alliance. But...

Zinc is a metal essential to life – scientists have discovered a protein that helps keep cells alive when zinc levels are low

Written by Andy Weiss, Postdoctoral Fellow in Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University

A protein called ZNG1 helps cells make use of zinc when stores of this essential nutrient are running low.bagi1998/E+ via Getty Images

All living things, including people, need zinc in their diets. Getting too little of this essential metal can impair growth and cause immune dysfunction, neurological disorders and cancer. Unfortunately, over 17% of...

Beyond flora and fauna: Why it's time to include fungi in global conservation goals

Written by Matt Kasson, Associate Professor of Mycology and Plant Pathology, West Virginia University

Decomposers at work: Shelf fungi feeding on a rotting log.Craig Joiner/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

It’s no secret that Earth’s biodiversity is at risk. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 26% of all mammals, 14% of birds and 41% of amphibians are currently threatened worldwide,...

Hydropower's future is clouded by droughts, floods and climate change – it's also essential to the US electric grid

Written by Caitlin Grady, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State

Lake Powell's water level has been falling amid a two-decade drought. The white 'bathtub ring' on the canyon walls marks the decline.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The water in Lake Powell, one of the nation’s largest reservoirs, has fallen so low amid the Western drought that federal officials are resorting to emergency measures to avoid...

It's impossible to determine your personal COVID-19 risks and frustrating to try – but you can still take action

Written by Malia Jones, Scientist in Health Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Before the pandemic, an intergenerational tea party wouldn't have seemed a risky proposition.fotostorm/E+ via Getty Images

“How risky is being indoors with our 10-year-old granddaughter without masks? We have plans to have birthday tea together. Are we safe?”

That question, from a woman named Debby in California, is just one of hundreds...

Fewer donors say they're willing to give to a charity when it supports immigrants – especially if they're undocumented

Written by Joannie Tremblay-Boire, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

A woman and her child seek help from CASA, an immigrants rights group, in Maryland in 2019.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

About 45 million Americans are immigrants, a near-record 14% of the population. Among them are, according to government estimates, 11.4 million who are undocumented.

Overall, immigrants are slightly more likely to...

Less than 1% of abortions take place in the third trimester – here’s why people get them

Written by Katrina Kimport, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, more people could find themselves needing a third-trimester abortion.RgStudio/E+ via Getty Images

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

The big idea

People seek third-trimester abortions for two main reasons: because they learn new information – such as about the health of the fetus...