The Conversation

Unwanted weight gain or weight loss during the pandemic? Blame your stress hormones

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

Stress hormones are closely tied to hunger and motivation.Karl Tapales/Moment via Getty Images

If you have experienced unwanted weight gain or weight loss during the pandemic, you are not alone. According to a poll by the American Psychological Association, 61% of U.S. adults reported undesired weight change since the pandemic began.

The...

Should there be a limit on how much debt a young person takes on?

Written by Paul Schofield, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Bates College

Do young people pose a threat to their future freedom by taking on too much debt?Fairfax Media via Getty Images

Young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 owe over US$1 trillion in student loans and mortgage and credit card debt that many will be paying back for decades.

The law generally allows adults to accrue significant debt so long as they...

The situation at the US-Mexico border is a crisis – but is it new?

Written by Randi Mandelbaum, Distinguished Clinical Professor of Law, Rutgers University

U.S. Border Patrol detains tens of thousands of the families and children who try to cross U.S. borders every year.AP Photo/Julio Cortez

The media create the impression that there is an unprecedented crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, with droves of children arriving alone, as well as families flooding to the border.

There is a crisis.

But as a law...

5 ways parents can help children with the 'new' math

Written by Clarissa A. Thompson, Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Kent State University

Many parents have had to play the role of a substitute math teacher during the pandemic.damircudic/E+ via Getty Images

In his March 2021 Netflix special, comedian Nate Bargatze complains about having to teach his kids a confusing “new math” based on standards known as the Common Core.

“The goal of Common Core is to use one sheet of...

For Black cowboys – from inner-city Philly to small-town Texas – horses and riding are a way of life

Written by Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture Editor

'The Basketball Game.'Ron Tarver

Photographer Ron Tarver grew up in Fort Gibson, a small town in Oklahoma where horses, cattle and Wrangler jeans were embedded into the rhythms of everyday life. His grandfather was a cowboy admired for his roping abilities, and many of his family members owned ranches in the area.

But he wanted, he told me,...

60 years after Bay of Pigs, New York Times role – and myth – made clear

Written by W. Joseph Campbell, Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication

Bay of Pigs debacle: Watched by armed guards, grim-faced US-backed invaders are marched off to prison after their capture by Fidel Castro's forces.Bettmann via Getty Images

Sixty years ago, The New York Times is said to have muzzled itself in reporting about plans for the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, earning a lasting niche of dishonor in the...

America gets a D+ for school infrastructure - but federal COVID relief could pay for many repairs

Written by Michael Addonizio, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Wayne State University

Money from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan could go toward much-needed improvements to crumbling public school buildings.Erin Clark for The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Many kids are attending public schools this spring with the use of COVID-19 safety protocols, including more desk spacing, more frequent cleaning and mandates to wear masks.

B...

Why Johnson Johnson throwing out 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses shouldn't scare you

Written by Tinglong Dai, Associate Professor of Operations Management & Business Analytics, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Vaccine production staff demonstrate operations at a facility in Germany.AP Photo/Michael Probst

Human errors at a manufacturing plant forced Johnson & Johnson to throw out 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine – enough to vaccinate 7% of the U.S. adult population.

The New York Times, which first reported the loss on March 31, 2021,...

CBD, marijuana and hemp: What is the difference among these cannabis products, and which are legal?

Written by Brandon McFadden, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware

New York recently became the 15th U.S. state to legalize cannabis for recreational use.

While 67% of U.S. adults support marijuana legalization, public knowledge about cannabis is low. A third of Americans think hemp and marijuana are the same thing, according to the National Institutes of Health, and many people still search Google to find out...

In gun debate, both sides have evidence to back them up

Written by Zach Lang, Ph.D. Student in Political Science, University of Missouri-Columbia

People who want to restrict guns have a point, but so do people who say those laws make little difference in mass shootings.George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

Gun control is back in the U.S. political debate, in the wake of mass shootings in California, Boulder and Atlanta.

Democrats see stricter gun control as a step toward addressing the problem....