The Conversation

State efforts to close the K-12 digital divide may come up short

Written by Stephanie Holcomb, Ph.D. Student in Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University

Students and teachers alike struggle with digital connectivity – but education is just one area in which technology matters.AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

In 2021, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that education officials in his state had “closed” the digital divide by ensuring that every public school student had a laptop or tablet and...

The omicron variant is deepening severe staffing shortages in medical laboratories across the US

Written by Rodney E. Rohde, Regents' Professor of Clinical Laboratory Science, Texas State University

Thousands of physicians throughout the U.S. rely daily on the critical data provided to them by medical labs.xavierarnau/E+ via Getty Images

Medical laboratory professionals form the backbone of health care and the public health system. They conduct some 13 billion laboratory medicine tests annually in the U.S. As of January 2022, these individuals...

Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard won't clean up gamer culture overnight: 5 essential reads about sexual harassment and discrimination in gaming and tech

Written by Eric Smalley, Science + Technology Editor

Microsoft announced on Jan. 18, 2022, its intention to purchase video game giant Activision Blizzard. The company, publisher of top-selling video games Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush, has been the subject of a series of sexual discrimination and harassment complaints. A day before Microsoft’s announcement, Activision...

Yes, it's easier to get birth control than it was in the 1970s – but women still need abortion care

Written by Emily M. Godfrey, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Washington

A historic ruling on abortion is likely to emerge from the U.S. Supreme Court this year as justices consider whether Mississippi can, in fact, impose a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, challenges the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protects women’s right to...

Taliban 2.0 aren't so different from the first regime, after all

Written by Atal Ahmadzai, Visiting Assistant Professor of International Relations, St. Lawrence University

The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021, without major opposition. Photo by Mohd Rasfan /AFP via Getty Image

The international community is closely monitoring the Taliban, after the group re-seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

There is legitimate reason for concern. The Taliban are again ruling through fear and draconian...

More than masks and critical race theory – 3 tasks you should be prepared to do before you run for school board

Written by Casey D. Cobb, Neag Professor of Educational Policy, University of Connecticut

School board elections are increasingly contested. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

When people run for school board these days, they often are motivated to campaign on a controverisial topic. That’s according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit that tracks political elections in the U.S.

In an analysis of school board elections in 463 school districts in...

Sperm donation is largely unregulated, but that could soon change as lawsuits multiply

Written by Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Freezing and storing sperm vials has proved easier than regulating artificial insemination.MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

When Wendy and Janet Norman decided to have a baby, they went sperm shopping through Xytex Corp., a sperm bank.

The couple chose Donor #9623. Xytex, the Normans later claimed, told them the man spoke multiple...

Why massive new youth sports facilities may not lead to the tourist boom many communities hope for when they build them

Written by Richard Buning, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, School of Business, The University of Queensland

Grand Park, a multi-use sporting facility in Westfield, Ind., was built to lure youth sports competitions and tourists to the region.AP Photo/Michael Conroy

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

The big idea

Parents who travel with their kids to compete in regional sports tournaments tend to be too focused on the...

Fact-checking may be important, but it won't help Americans learn to disagree better

Written by Taylor Dotson, Associate Professor of Social Science, New Mexico Tech

You're not the only one having trouble discerning the truth.nicoletaionescu/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Entering the new year, Americans are increasingly divided. They clash not only over differing opinions on COVID-19 risk or abortion, but basic facts like election counts and whether vaccines work. Surveying rising political antagonism, journalist...

These machines scrub greenhouse gases from the air – an inventor of direct air capture technology shows how it works

Written by Klaus Lackner, Professor of Engineering and Director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, Arizona State University

One 'mechanical tree' is about 1,000 times faster at removing carbon dioxide from air than a natural tree. The first is to start operating in Arizona in 2022.Illustration via Arizona State University

Two centuries of burning fossil fuels has put more carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere than nature can remove. As that CO2...