The Conversation

Does raising the minimum wage kill jobs? The centurylong search for the elusive answer shows why economics is so difficult – but data sure helps

Written by Veronika Dolar, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY Old Westbury

The fight over the minimum wage continues.AP Photo/John Raoux

For decades it was conventional wisdom in the field of economics that a higher minimum wage results in fewer jobs.

In part, that’s because it’s based on the law of supply and demand, one of the most well-known ideas in economics. Despite it being called a “law,”...

How ‘managed retreat’ from climate change could revitalize rural America: Revisiting the Homestead Act

Written by Hillary A. Brown, Professor of Architecture and Director of the Urban Sustainability Program, City College of New York

Small inland towns can offer a haven for people escaping coastal climate change.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Southern Italy’s rural Calabria region announced an innovative project in 2021 to breathe new life into its small towns. It plans to offer young professionals thousands of dollars if they move in and commit to launch a business, preferably a...

Teachers must often face student attacks alone

Written by Charles Bell, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University

Teachers report post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing or witnessing attacks from students.Andrey Zhuravlev/iStock via Getty Images

When “Ms. Kyles,” a social studies teacher in a suburban district, heard her colleague scream in a nearby classroom, she ran to her aid. It appeared that a female student had attacked a classmate....

A forgotten mangrove forest around remote inland lagoons in Mexico's Yucatan tells a story of rising seas

Written by Sula E Vanderplank, Adjunct Professor, San Diego State University

A stand of red mangroves in the calm, calcium-rich, fresh waters of the San Pedro Mártir River, Tabasco, Mexico.Ben Meissner, CC BY-ND

The San Pedro River winds from rainforests in Guatemala through the Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico. There, this peaceful river widens into a series of slow-flowing lakes. Along a remote 50-mile...

Is chewing on ice cubes bad for your teeth?

Written by Matthew Cooke, Associate Professor of Pediatric Dentistry & Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

Your teeth will be better off if you refrain from chomping on ice cubes. Credit: Laurence Monneret/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Is chewing on ice cubes bad for your teeth? – Gabriela...

How to nurture creativity in your kids

Written by James C. Kaufman, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut

Creativity has many academic, professional and personal benefits.Stephen Simpson/Stone Collection via Getty Images

Parents who want their kids to be more creative may be tempted to enroll them in arts classes or splurge on STEM-themed toys. Those things certainly can help, but as a professor of educational psychology who has written extensively about...

Trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s accused killers will scrutinize the use – and abuse – of ‘outdated’ citizen’s arrest laws

Written by Seth W. Stoughton, Associate Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

Defense set to claim that the three men accused over death of unarmed Black man were trying to conduct a citizen's arrest.Glynn County Detention Center via AP, File

The murder trial of three men accused in the death of unarmed Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery gets underway on Oct. 18, 2021, with the issue of what makes for a lawful citizen’s arrest...

French outrage over US submarine deal will not sink a longstanding alliance

Written by Hervé-Thomas Campangne, Professor of French Studies, University of Maryland

French President Emmanuel Macron talks to U.S. President Joe Biden at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels on June 14, 2021.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

France’s recent recall of its ambassador to the United States was an exceptional move in the long history of France-U.S. relations, which began...

Death penalty can express society's outrage – but biases often taint the verdict

Written by Amelia Wirts, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Washington

In 2013, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, with his brother Tamerlan, put bombs along the Boston Marathon route, killing and injuring many. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

In its hearing on Oct. 13, 2021, the Supreme Court appeared to favor reinstating the death sentence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty of planting homemade bombs, with...

Tsarnaev Supreme Court appeal: Do unbiased jurors exist in an age of social media?

Written by Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Law Professor, University of Dayton

Is it possible to have a jury whose members are unbiased?Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument on Oct. 13, 2021, in the case of Dzokhar Tsarnaev, the lone surviving Boston Marathon bomber. While much of the news coverage has focused on whether the court will uphold the death penalty for Tsarnaev, the case also...