The Conversation

Russian anti-satellite weapon test: What happened and what are the risks?

Written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies

If a satellite is destroyed, the debris fans out in orbit and poses serious threats to other satellites or crewed spacecraft. ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL via WikimediaCommons, CC BY-SA

On Nov. 15, 2021, U.S. officials announced that they had detected a dangerous new debris field in orbit near Earth. Later in the day, it was confirmed that Russia had...

Cancers are in an evolutionary battle with treatments – evolutionary game theory could tip the advantage to medicine

Written by Anuraag Bukkuri, PhD Student in Integrated Mathematical Oncology, University of South Florida

Anticipating when cancer cells become resistant to treatment can help oncologists more quickly adjust their therapies.CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images

Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020. Although billions of dollars have been poured into cancer research, the results are still disappointing for...

Congress is waiting on the CBO for its Build Back Better report – but how did fiscal scorekeepers come to be so powerful in politics?

Written by Philip Rocco, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Marquette University

You know they're waiting, just anticipating ... for CBO figures they don't yet possess.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“How much will it cost?” This question, perhaps more than any other, bedevils Congress’ efforts to change public policy. And whatever problems a major piece of legislation might purport to...

Journalism in middle America got communities through the pandemic

Written by William Thomas Mari, Assistant Professor of Media law and Media History, Louisiana State University

Journalists and news organizations had to be resilient to serve their communities during the pandemic.Illustration E+/Getty Images

News of the pandemic’s devastating effect on journalism was conveyed by headlines across the nation telling of newsroom closures, layoffs and furloughs.

Journalism was in trouble in 2020. In fact, it had been in...

The concrete effects of body cameras on police accountability

Written by Suat Cubukcu, Professorial Lecturer, American University

Police officers wear body cameras in Oakland, California, on Dec. 4, 2014.Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Without video evidence, it’s unlikely we would have ever heard of George Floyd or witnessed the prosecution of his killer, a Minneapolis police officer.

The recording of Floyd’s killing echoed the documentation in the deaths of Michael...

How getting kids to make grocery lists and set the table can improve their vocabulary and willingness to learn

Written by Diana Leyva, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Children can help make grocery lists and confirm the parent has bought everything on the list. Antonio Diaz/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Reading, writing and math are often thought of as subjects that children learn in school. But as a psychologist who researches how families can help support learning at home, I have found that children can also learn...

Gun violence soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds – but the reasons why are complex

Written by Paddy Ssentongo, Assistant Research Professor of Neural Engineering, Penn State

Gun violence spiked in more than half of all U.S. states in the first 13 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

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In a new study, we found that the overall U.S. gun violence rate rose by 30% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the year before. In 28 states, the rates were...

Infrastructure matters for wildlife too – here's how aging culverts are blocking Pacific salmon migration

Written by Ashlee Abrantes, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Science & Policy, University of Washington

A culvert in Seattle's Lake City neighborhood, rated 67% passable for salmon. Ashlee Abrantes, CC BY-ND

As the Biden administration prepares to make the biggest investment in U.S. infrastructure in more than a decade, there’s much discussion about how systems like roads, bridges and electric power grids affect people’s daily lives....

Companies are pushing sweetened drinks to children through advertising and misleading labels – and families are buying

Written by Fran Fleming-Milici, Director of Marketing Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, University of Connecticut

There are dozens of options for children's drinks in most supermarkets. Choosing the healthy options is difficult. ferrantraite/E+ via Getty Images

Walking down the drink aisle at any grocery store will take you past hundreds of drinks, from sodas to sports drinks. Children’s drink sections are filled with a vast array of products as well....

Alex Jones loses Sandy Hook case, but important defamation issues remain unresolved

Written by Enrique Armijo, Professor of Law, Elon University

Alex Jones, who was sued by Sandy Hook parents for saying they were accomplices in their children's deaths.AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

A Connecticut judge has found Alex Jones, a well-known media personality, liable in the defamation claim brought against him by parents of 6- and 7-year-old children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre for falsely...