The Conversation

The US drug industry used to oppose patents – what changed?

Written by Joseph M. Gabriel, Associate Professor of History and Social Medicine, Florida State University

The United States, Europe and other wealthy parts of the world have already vaccinated large parts of their populations, yet vaccine rates in poor countries are lagging badly. That’s why the surprise announcement this spring that the United States will support waiving patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines is so important.

Drugmakers...

The Declaration of Independence wasn't really complaining about King George, and 5 other surprising facts for July Fourth

Written by Woody Holton, Professor of History, University of South Carolina

Fireworks shows commonly celebrate the nation's birthday. Pete Saloutos via Getty Images

Editor’s note: Americans may think they know a lot about the Declaration of Independence, but many of those ideas are elitist and wrong, as historian Woody Holton explains.

His forthcoming book “Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American...

Trees are dying of thirst in the Western drought – here’s what’s going on inside their veins

Written by Daniel Johnson, Assistant Professor of Tree Physiology and Forest Ecology, University of Georgia

Juniper trees, common in Arizona's Prescott National Forest, have been dying with the drought.Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP

Like humans, trees need water to survive on hot, dry days, and they can survive for only short times under extreme heat and dry conditions.

During prolonged droughts and extreme heat waves like the Western U.S. is...

Science denial: Why it happens and 5 things you can do about it

Written by Barbara K. Hofer, Professor of Psychology Emerita, Middlebury

Are you open to new ideas and willing to change your mind?Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Science denial became deadly in 2020. Many political leaders failed to support what scientists knew to be effective prevention measures. Over the course of the pandemic, people died from COVID-19 still believing it did not exist.

Science denial is...

The #BTSSyllabus is a global resource fueled by an ARMY of experts

Written by Candace Epps-Robertson, Assistant Professor of English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

BTS performs at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards in Los Angeles.Billboard Music Awards 2021 via Getty Images

My journey began with a question from my then 13-year-old daughter in November of 2018: “Do you know BTS?”

I didn’t.

But in the months that followed, she guided me through the maze of music, history and fan content...

'Cheating's OK for me, but not for thee' – inside the messy psychology of sexual double standards

Written by David M. Buss, Professor of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

The mating game often involves convoluted rationalizations.tomozina/Getty Images

Sexual double standards – in which women and men are judged differently for the same sexual behavior – will probably sound familiar to most people.

The classic one centers on multiple sexual partners: Men who are promiscuous are lauded as...

Infrastructure spending has always involved social engineering

Written by Erika M Bsumek, Associate Professor of History, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

In 1872, John Gast painted 'American Progress,' showing trains and roads spreading across the American West.John Gast, Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons

The effort by Democrats and Republicans in Congress to find agreement over a federal infrastructure spending bill has hinged on a number of factors, including what...

Defund the police? Actually, police salaries are rising in departments across the United States

Written by Laurie Woods, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Vanderbilt University

Police work can be one of the best-paid professions in the United States.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 median salary for a police officer was US$67,290 – more than one-third higher than the national median of $48,769 for all occupations. Many officers probably earn much more, because the bureau’s analysis...

How did the superstition that broken mirrors cause bad luck start and why does it still exist?

Written by Barry Markovsky, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of South Carolina

Damaging a mirror was believed to invite the wrath of the gods in ancient cultures.Fairfax Media via Getty Images

Every human culture has superstitions. In some Asian societies people believe that sweeping a floor after sunset brings bad luck, and that it’s a curse to leave chopsticks standing in a bowl of rice. In the U.S., some people panic...

Florida condo collapse – searching for answers about what went wrong in Surfside can improve building regulation

Written by Norb Delatte, M.R. Lohmann Professor of Engineering and the Head of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Oklahoma State University

The collapse of Champlain Towers is one of the worst building failures in recent memory.AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

The collapse of a huge condominium building near Miami, Florida was shocking news to wake up to on the morning of June 24, 2021. It is one of the worst building collapses in recent U.S. history.

I am a professor of engineering and have been...