The Conversation

For Vladimir Putin and other autocrats, ruthlessly repressing the opposition is often a winning way to stay in power

Written by Shelley Inglis, Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center, University of Dayton

Police arrest a protester at a Moscow rally in support of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who fell ill while in prison and is now hospitalized.Alexander Demianchuk\TASS via Getty Images

Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most important opposition leader, is emaciated, hospitalized and reportedly nearing death after developing a fever and cough in the...

¿Aumento o pérdida de peso no deseado durante la pandemia? El estrés podría tener la culpa

Written by Lina Begdache, Assistant Professor of Nutrition, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Si has experimentado un aumento o una pérdida de peso no deseados durante la pandemia, no estás solo.Karl Tapales/Moment via Getty Images

Si has experimentado un aumento o una pérdida de peso no deseados durante la pandemia, no estás solo. Según una encuesta de la Asociación Americana de Psicología, e...

Declaring racism a public health crisis brings more attention to solving long-ignored racial gaps in health

Written by Paul K. Halverson, Dean, Fairbanks School of Public Health, IUPUI

Medical workers hold signs during a rally in Central Park in New York City by White Coats for Black Lives after the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.Maria Khrenova/TASS via Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined hundreds of cities and counties across the country in declaring racism a public health threat. On...

New US climate pledge: Cut emissions 50% this decade, but can Biden make it happen?

Written by Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines

U.S. President Joe Biden, with presidential climate envoy John Kerry, opened the Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22, 2021, by announcing new U.S. targets.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Joe Biden announced an ambitious new national climate target at the world leaders’ climate summit on April 22. He pledged to cut U.S. carbon emissions in...

The other George Floyd story: How media freedom led to conviction in his killer's trial

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

Darnella Frazier is third from right, recording the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020.Minneapolis Police Department via AP

When 17-year-old Darnella Frazier started recording video of Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd, she initiated a series of historic events that led to Chauvin’s...

Why corporate America appears to be drifting away from the Republican Party

Written by M. K. Chin, Assistant Professor of Management, Indiana University

Public protests over Georgia's voting law likely contributed to many companies' taking a strong stand. AP Photo/Jeff Amy

There’s a growing rift between corporate America and the GOP – two groups that have long been bedfellows.

The latest incident involves a restrictive voting law passed in Georgia – with dozens of other states...

Money alone can't fix Central America – or stop migration to US

Written by Luis Guillermo Solis, Distinguished Professor, Director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University

Children play in Las Flores village, Comitancillo, Guatemala, home of a 22-year-old migrant murdered in January 2021 on his journey through Mexico.Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images

To stem migration from Central America, the Biden administration has a US$4 billion plan to “build security and prosperity” in Honduras, Guatemala and El...

Best schools often out of reach for disadvantaged students in choice programs

Written by Danielle Sanderson Edwards, Ph.D. Candidate of Education Policy, Michigan State University

Just 1 in 10 choice students from Detroit attend high-performing schools.Kayla Ruble for The Washington Post via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Although school choice policies are often presented as a way to let families select the best schools for their children, my research found that...

You don't have a male or female brain – the more brains scientists study, the weaker the evidence for sex differences

Written by Lise Eliot, Professor of Neuroscience, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Brain sex isn't a thing.Sunny/Stone via Getty Images

Everyone knows the difference between male and female brains. One is chatty and a little nervous, but never forgets and takes good care of others. The other is calmer, albeit more impulsive, but can tune out gossip to get the job done.

These are stereotypes, of course, but they hold surprising...

Lab–grown embryos and human–monkey hybrids: Medical marvels or ethical missteps?

Written by Sahotra Sarkar, Professor of Philosophy and Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

Researchers have grown mammal embryos later into development than ever before in an artificial womb.Vitalii Kyryk/WikimediaCommons, CC BY-SA

In Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel “Brave New World,” people aren’t born from a mother’s womb. Instead, embryos are grown in artificial wombs until they are brought into the world, a...