The Conversation

Putin's control over Ukraine war news is not total - it's challenged by online news and risk-taking journalists

Written by Sarah Oates, Professor and Senior Scholar, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland

A woman looks at a computer screen as Russian state news editor Marina Ovsyannikova protests the Ukraine war during a news segment.AFP via Getty Images

The Russian media is a powerful propaganda machine. Russian media outlets have been closely controlled by the government over the past several decades, and since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24,...

In ‘Licorice Pizza’ a 15-year-old and 25-year-old fall for each other – here's what's known about these types of relationships

Written by Jeni Loftus, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Memphis

Nominated for Academy Awards for best picture, best director and best original screenplay, “Licorice Pizza” is also garnering attention – and raising eyebrows – for the relationship at the center of the film.

Set in 1970s California, it tells the story of 15-year-old Gary, who falls for a 25-year-old woman named Alana. As...

El olor de la enfermedad: El uso de perros, ratones y hurones para detectar padecimientos

Written by Glen J. Golden, Research Scientist/Scholar I, Colorado State University

El sentido del olfato de un perro es al menos 1.000 veces más sensible que cualquier dispositivo mecánico. Le están entrenando a Moose, un perro de Nebrasks, para detectar ciertas aromas.Bill Cotton/Colorado State University, CC BY-ND

Nota del editor: Debido a un brote de la gripe aviar en los Estados Unidos que comenzó...

Economic sanctions may make Russians' lives worse – without stopping Putin's assault on Ukraine

Written by Joseph Wright, Professor of Political Science, Penn State

Everyday Russians, like these people in Moscow, may shoulder much of the burden of the world's economic sanctions aimed at Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs.AFP via Getty Images

The economic sanctions levied upon Russia as a consequence of its invasion of Ukraine target the Russian economy and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest...

What is the new COVID-19 variant BA.2, and will it cause another wave of infections in the US?

Written by Prakash Nagarkatti, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina

BA.2, one of three main omicron sublineages, is sweeping the world.BlackJack3D/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A new omicron subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19, BA.2, is quickly becoming the predominant source of infections amid rising cases around the world. Immunologists Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti of the University of South...

SEC proposes far-reaching climate disclosure rules for companies – here’s where the rules may be vulnerable to legal challenges

Written by Daniel E. Walters, Assistant Professor of Law, Penn State

The SEC's proposed rules include some reporting of so-called Scope 3 emissions, in companies' supply chains and use of their products.AP Photo/Noah Berger

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released its long-awaited proposal to require companies to disclose their climate risks to investors, and it’s arguably the most significant...

Defending Europe: How cultural identity shapes support for Ukraine and armed resistance against Russia

Written by Anders C. Hardig, Senior Professorial Lecturer, American University School of International Service

Slovenia Prime Minister Janez Jansa (left), Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala (second from left) and Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (third from left) meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to Kyiv on behalf of the European Council on March 16, 2022. Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty...

An expert on trends in gun sales and gun violence in pandemic America

Written by Garen Wintemute, Distinguished Professor of Emergency Medicine; Director, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California, Davis

Most people buy guns for protection.(Mike Pont/Getty Images News via Getty Images)

Gun sales have risen in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Feb. 28, 2022, SciLine interviewed Garen Wintemute – an emergency medicine physician at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center and director of the California...

The 'hot hand' is a real basketball phenomenon – but only some players have the ability to go on these basket-making streaks

Written by Konstantinos Pelechrinis, Associate Professor of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh

Kevin Durant is one of the NBA players who shows the ability to go on hot streaks.AP Photo/Seth Wenig

March Madness is here, and basketball fans are making predictions: Who will be the Cinderella story of the college tournament? Which teams will make a run to the Final Four? And of course, which player is going to get “hot” and carry...

Older Americans are given the wrong idea about online safety – here's how to help them help themselves

Written by Nora McDonald, Assistant Professor of Information Technology, University of Cincinnati

Telling elders scary stories about online scammers is not the best way to keep them safe.Olga Gavrilenko/EyeEm via Getty Images

Recently, the U.S. Social Security Administration sent out an email to subscribers of its official blog explaining how to access social security statements online. Most people know to be suspicious of seemingly official...