The Conversation

Having COVID-19 or being close to others who get it may make you more charitable

Written by Nancy R. Buchan, Associate Professor of International Business, University of South Carolina

A volunteer distributes face masks in a rural California community in February 2021.Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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

The big idea

People who got COVID-19 or were directly affected by the disease, either by losing loved ones or having close friends or relatives become...

As a patriot and Black man, Colin Powell embodied the 'two-ness' of the African American experience

Written by Chad Williams, Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University

A complex legacy.AP Photo/Vincent Michel

Colin Powell knew where he fit in American history.

The former secretary of state – who died on Oct. 18, 2021 at 84 as a result of COVID-19 complications – was a pioneer: the first Black national security advisor in U.S. history, the first Black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and also the...

Cellphone data shows that people navigate by keeping their destinations in front of them – even when that's not the most efficient route

Written by Carlo Ratti, Professor of Urban Technologies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

People navigate cities in much the same way animals navigate their environments.Max Böhme/Unsplash

Think of your morning walk to work, school or your favorite coffee shop. Are you taking the shortest possible route to your destination? According to big data research that my colleagues and I conducted, the answer is no: People’s brains...

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...