The Conversation

What is a 529 college savings plan? An economist explains

Written by Robert H. Scott III, Professor, Dept. of Economics, Finance & Real Estate, Monmouth University

A 529 plan can pay for up to $10,000 a year for tuition at K-12 schools.MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images

The college savings plan known as a “529” is often touted as a smart way to save for a child’s college education. But these plans involve more than just putting away money for college. Here, Robert H. Scott III,...

Fishing, strip clubs and golf: How male-focused networking in medicine blocks female colleagues from top jobs

Written by Jennifer R. Grandis, Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco

Building relationships with colleagues outside of work is important for career development. 10'000 Hours/Digital Vision via Getty Images

Women have been entering academic medicine at nearly the same rate as men for decades, but very few women reach the top levels of leadership. For example, as of April 2022, of the 71 U.S. cancer centers designated...

Your digital footprints are more than a privacy risk – they could help hackers infiltrate computer networks

Written by Ravi Sen, Associate Professor of Information and Operations Management, Texas A&M University

Your digital footprints can give hackers clues about you that they can use to trick you.Ivan/Flickr, CC BY-SA

When you use the internet, you leave behind a trail of data, a set of digital footprints. These include your social media activities, web browsing behavior, health information, travel patterns, location maps, information about your mobile...

Pope Francis apologized for the harm done to First Nations peoples, but what does a pope’s apology mean?

Written by Annie Selak, Associate Director, Women's Center, Georgetown University

Representatives from the First Nations Inuit and Metis communities, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, after their meeting with Pope Francis, on April 1, 2022.AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Pope Francis apologized on April 1, 2022, to First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations, acknowledging the harm done by residential schools in Canada...

Oklahoma state officials resist Supreme Court ruling affirming tribal authority over American Indian country

Written by Kirsten Matoy Carlson, Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

Large portions of Oklahoma are governed, at least in part, by tribal jurisdiction.crimsonedge34 via Wikimedia Commons

It’s unusual for someone to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit one of its decisions. It’s very rare for that to happen almost immediately after the ruling was issued. But in the two years since the court’s...

Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed as Supreme Court justice: 4 essential reads

Written by Matt Williams, Breaking News Editor

The votes are there. Ketanji Brown Jackson will become the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

The phrase “in a historic vote” gets thrown around a lot in journalism – and it isn’t always warranted. But shortly after 2 p.m. EDT on April 7, 2022, a Senate roll call confirmed Ketanji Brown...

Researchers identified over 5,500 new viruses in the ocean, including a missing link in viral evolution

Written by Guillermo Dominguez Huerta, Science Consultant in Microbiology, The Ohio State University

There are even more types of viruses in the ocean than researchers once thought.newannyart/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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

The big idea

Diagram of the biological classification system, showing phylum is a broad grouping.VectorMine/iStock via Getty Images Plus

An analysis of the genetic...

COVID-19: Mental health telemedicine was off to a slow start – then the pandemic happened

Written by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

For decades, doctors and patients have used telemedicine. But it gained wider use when the COVID-19 pandemic led to canceled appointments and closed clinics.verbaska_studio/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 brought rising levels of stress, anxiety and depression. But stay-at-home orders and a national emergency prompted...

'Is It Cake?' feeds viewers visual catharsis for uncertain times

Written by Maggie Cao, David G. Frey Assistant Professor of Art History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Burger or baked good?Netflix

I doubt that even Netflix expected “Is It Cake?” to be such a hit.

The premise, if you haven’t already binged the TV series, involves professional bakers trying to fool judges by creating cakes that don’t look like dessert but instead appear to be everyday commodities – purses, toys, fast...

Bird flu is killing millions of chickens and turkeys across the US

Written by Yuko Sato, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University

Avian flu spreads quickly through domestic poultry flocks.Lance Cheung, USDA/Flickr

An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in chicken and turkey flocks has spread across 24 U.S. states since it was first detected in Indiana on Feb. 8, 2022. Better known as bird flu, avian influenza is a family of highly contagious viruses that are not...