The Conversation

James Webb Space Telescope: An astronomer on the team explains how to send a giant telescope to space – and why

Written by Marcia Rieke, Regents Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

The James Webb Space Telescope is the biggest orbital telescope ever built and is scheduled to be launched into space on Dec. 18, 2021.NASA/Desiree Stover, CC BY

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to head to space on Dec. 18, 2021. With it, astronomers hope to find the first galaxies to form in the universe, will search for Earthlike...

Brain scans of Black women who experience racism show trauma-like effects, putting them at higher risk for future health problems

Written by Sierra Carter, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Georgia State University

Your experiences affect your brain – and your brain affects your health.John Lamparski/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Black women who have experienced more racism throughout their lives have stronger brain responses to threat, which may hurt their long-term health,...

Menstrual cups are a cheaper, more sustainable way for women to cope with periods than tampons or pads

Written by Susan Powers, Spence Professor of Sustainable Environmental Systems and the Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Clarkson University

A woman holds a menstrual cup in Kenya. Gioia Forster/picture alliance via Getty Images

Every year in America, women spend at least US$2.8 billion on sanitary pads and tampons that can take hundreds of years to decompose. Is there a more economical and environmentally friendly way? To find out, we asked Susan Powers, a professor of sustainable...

What’s the law on vaccine exemptions? A religious liberty expert explains

Written by Douglas Laycock, Professor of Law, School of Law, University of Virginia

A woman holds a rosary and a picture of the Virgin Mary during a 2019 hearing in Albany, N.Y., challenging the constitutionality of the state's repeal of the religious exemption to vaccination.AP Photo/Hans Pennink

For Americans wary of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, like the sweeping requirements President Joe Biden announced Sept. 9, 2021, it seems...

5 characteristics of an effective science teacher – from a researcher who trains them

Written by Meenakshi Sharma, Assistant Professor of Science Education, Mercer University

Today's science standards encourage teachers to base lessons on real-world phenomena rather than textbook facts and definitions.FatCamera/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Rather than have students memorize definitions and facts about a science topic such as light, an effective first grade teacher today would have students investigate various types of...

Poverty got worse in 2020 as many low-wage workers took the brunt of the economic blows

Written by Elena Delavega, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Memphis

About 1 in 9 Americans live below the poverty level.AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Poverty in the U.S. increased in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered the economy and unemployment soared. Those at the bottom of the economic ladder were hit hardest, new figures confirm, suggesting that the recession may have widened the gap between the rich and the...

Forceful vaccine messages backfire with holdouts – how can it be done better?

Written by S. Shyam Sundar, James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects & Co-Director, Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State

Protesters gather at Indiana University in June 2021 to demonstrate against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and faculty. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

With the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the continued surge of the delta variant, governments across the world have renewed their push to increase the...

Pew's new global survey of climate change attitudes finds promising trends but deep divides

Written by Kate T. Luong, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, George Mason University

Global views on climate change are shifting, but there is still a strong progressive-conservative divide.Stephen Leonardi/Unsplash, CC BY

People’s views about climate change, from how worried they are about it affecting them to how willing they are to do something about it, have shifted in developed countries around the world in recent years,...

Who's covered by a vaccine mandate? Here's a quick guide to America's patchwork of COVID-19 shot requirements

Written by Debbie Kaminer, Professor of Law, Baruch College, CUNY

Tyson Foods is one of the companies that already said it would require workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. John Konstantaras/AP Images for Tyson Foods

President Joe Biden’s orders requiring vaccinations for about two-thirds of the U.S. workforce add to a patchwork of vaccine mandates aimed at pushing more people to get their...

What are microschools? 5 questions answered

Written by Barnett Berry, Reseach Professor of Education and founding director, ALL4SC, University of South Carolina

Microschools gained in appeal to some parents during the pandemic.Complexio/E+ via Getty Images

Since COVID-19, some parents in search of educational alternatives for their children have turned to microschools. Here, Barnett Berry, a research professor in education at the University of South Carolina, explains what makes microschools distinct from...