The Conversation

Hydrogen is one future fuel oil execs and environmentalists could both support as rival countries search for climate solutions

Written by John Ballantine, Professor of International Business, Brandeis University

Many oil companies are still planning for fossil fuel use to continue well into the future.Katja Buchholz/Getty Images

Tehran, 1943: Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill – hosted by the young Shah Reza Pahlavi – agree on plans for the two-front attack on Hitler while sketching out the east-west division of Europe....

The US electric power sector is halfway to zero carbon emissions

Written by Ryan Wiser, Senior Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Wind turbines near Glenrock, Wyo.AP Photo/Matt Young

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Renewable energy’s rapid growth is accelerating a national shift to a carbon-free electric power system.

So far 17 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have adopted laws or executive orders setting goals for reaching 100% clean electricity by 2050 or sooner. And 46 U.S....

Domestic violence calls for help increased during the pandemic – but the answers haven't gotten any easier

Written by Tara N. Richards, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska Omaha

Two women in late February at a Paterson, N.J. shelter for women who have suffered domestic violence.Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images

Domestic violence rose globally in 2020 – so much so that doctors have called it “a pandemic within a pandemic.”

The National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, a team of national experts...

No visits and barely any calls – pandemic makes separation even scarier for people with a family member in prison

Written by Alexander Testa, Assistant Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio

A Texas woman shows a picture of her 21-year-old son, who has been incarcerated during the pandemic. AP Photo/LM Otero

Jails and prisons in the United States had a coronavirus infection rate three times greater than the general population, with an average of 1,400 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths every day over the past year.

America’s...

Student loan debt is costing recent grads much more than just money

Written by Kate Padgett Walsh, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Iowa State University

Recent college graduates owed an average of nearly $30,000 in student loans in 2019.lightspeedshutter/iStock via Getty Images Plus

President Joe Biden promised to forgive up to US$10,000 in student loan debt during his 2020 campaign. Now, a few months into his presidency, over 415 organizations have urged him to use his executive authority to...

Why it's good for kids to have friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds

Written by Leah M. Lessard, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, University of Connecticut

Having a diverse set of friends supports youth development.Mark Lennihan/AP

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

The big idea

Friendships that bridge across social class – “cross-class friendships” – can minimize middle school academic achievement differences that are based on the level of...

There are plenty of moral reasons to be vaccinated – but that doesn’t mean it’s your ethical duty

Written by Travis N. Rieder, Director of the Master of Bioethics degree program at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University

Ethicists disagree on whether people are morally obligated to take small actions that – on their own – contribute only slightly to the collective good.Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

With the news that all U.S. adults are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the holy grail of infectious disease mitigation – herd...

An advantage of the government's new payments for families: Not humiliating poor people

Written by Wendy Bach, Professor of Law, University of Tennessee

Nearly all U.S. families with children will benefit.Tara Moore/Stone via Getty Images

The US$1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package President Joe Biden signed in March 2021 will expand the child tax credit for one year. Instead of providing families with up to $2,000 per child under 17, the government will distribute a total of $3,600 for each...

What's next for Cuba and the United States after Raul Castro's retirement

Written by Joseph J. Gonzalez, Associate Professor, Global Studies, Appalachian State University

With Raul Castro's resignation as first secretary of the Communist Party, the Castro era is officially over in Cuba.Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

Cuba’s Castro dynasty has officially ended.

On April 16, 2021, Raul Castro – younger brother of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro – relinquished his position as first secretary...

From haute cuisine to hot dogs: How dining out has evolved over 200 years – and is innovating further in the pandemic

Written by Hannah Cutting-Jones, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Oregon

The dining-out experience has changed as people wear masks and are separated by plexiglass in outdoor dining.Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Dining out has for generations been a fun way to celebrate special occasions, meet friends or just enjoy a quiet evening with someone special. But for many, that ended almost overnight last...