The Conversation

People have had a hard time weighing pandemic risks because they haven't gotten information they needed when they needed it

Written by Kathleen H. Pine, Assistant Professor of Health Informatics, Arizona State University

Misinformation and lack of information during the pandemic have made it even harder for people to assess risk. Xesai/Getty Images

The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. It’s been still harder for everyday people, most of whom have no medical...

Biden gives Congress his vision to 'win the 21st century' – scholars react

Written by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor of Communication Studies, Colorado State University

Biden laid out an ambitious agenda to Congress with a historic backdrop.Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP

President Joe Biden spoke to Congress April 28, 2021, with a historic duo flanking him: two women, one of them African American. Vice President Kamala Harris called the proceedings to order; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made the...

Measuring a president's first 100 days goes back to the New Deal

Written by Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, Erie Campus, Penn State

Joe Biden has signed dozens of executive orders during his first 100 days in office, many of them reversing Trump-era policies.Evan Vucci/AP Photo

During Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office as president, he has signed 11 bills into law.

One was the prominent American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, intended to provide broad economic relief and...

Going back to the office? The colder temperature could lead to weight gain

Written by Kenneth McLeod, Professor of Systems Science and Director, Clinical Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A person's resting metabolism is very sensitive to temperature, and offices are often too cold for people.Steelcase/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

With millions of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, many who have worked from home over the past year will be heading back into the office. Adjusting to new routines is challenging and can affect our...

Internships in Congress overwhelmingly go to white students

Written by James R. Jones, Assistant Professor of African American and African Studies, Rutgers University - Newark

About three out of every four paid Capitol Hill interns are white. Hill Street Studios/DivisionVision via Getty Images

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

The big idea

When it comes to paid congressional internships, white students get more than their fair share, but Black and Latino students don’t get enough.

That...

What’s a capital gain and how is it taxed?

Written by Stephanie Leiser, Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Michigan

President Biden said he wants to raise capital gains taxes to help pay for his ambitious proposals. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Joe Biden proposed doubling the tax wealthy people pay on their capital gains.

Under the plan, which he presented during an April 28, 2021, speech to Congress, the tax rate on profits from the sale of an asset such as...

Shhhh, they're listening – inside the coming voice-profiling revolution

Written by Joseph Turow, Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Media Systems & Industries, University of Pennsylvania

Companies could soon tailor what they try to sell you based on the mood conveyed by the sound of your voice.CSA-Printstock via Getty Images

You decide to call a store that sells some hiking boots you’re thinking of buying. As you dial in, the computer of an artificial intelligence company hired by the store is activated. It retrieves its...

Feminism's legacy sees college women embracing more diverse sexuality

Written by Sean G. Massey, Associate Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York

How women describe themselves, and whom they engage romantically with, is changing.serts/E+ via Getty Images

Most adults identify themselves as heterosexual, meaning they report being attracted to, and engaging in sex with, only members of the other sex. However, women ages 18 to 29 are increasingly rejecting exclusive heterosexuality and...

Climate-friendly farming strategies can improve the land and generate income for farmers

Written by Lisa Schulte Moore, Professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University

A prairie strip filled with flowers and wild rye grass between soybean fields on Tim Smith's farm near Eagle Grove, Iowa, reduces greenhouse gases and stores carbon in the soil.The Washington Post via Getty Images

Agriculture has not been a central part of U.S. climate policy in the past, even though climate change is altering weather patterns that...

Space tourism – 20 years in the making – is finally ready for launch

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

Space tourism has been slow to get off the ground. Nadia Bormotova/iStock via Getty Images Plus

For most people, getting to the stars is nothing more than a dream. On April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito achieved that lifelong goal – but he wasn’t a typical astronaut. Tito, a wealthy businessman, paid US$20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz s...