The Conversation

From the Pentagon Papers to Trump: How the government gained the upper hand against leakers

Written by Margot Susca, Professorial Lecturer, American University School of Communication

In October 1969, a national security official named Daniel Ellsberg began secretly photocopying 7,000 classified Vietnam War documents. He had become increasingly frustrated with the systematic deception of top U.S. leaders who sought to publicly escalate a war that, privately, they knew was unwinnable.

In March 1971...

Want to understand the British election? Look online and listen to grime

Written by Nicholas D. Mirzoeff, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University

Grime Jme MC with Labour candidate Jeremy Corbin.

Why did no one who gets paid for their opinion see Britain’s election result coming? Or Brexit? Or the Trump election? Perhaps everyone’s looking and listening in the wrong places.

Britain, like everywhere else in the capitalist world, is now a visual culture, as I showed in my book &ldquo...

The UK's plan to deny terrorists 'safe spaces' online would make us all less safe in the long run

Written by Molly Land, Professor of Law, University of Connecticut

In the wake of the recent attacks in Manchester and London, British Prime Minister Theresa May has called on social media companies to eliminate “safe spaces” online for extremist ideology. Despite losing the majority in the recent election, she is moving forward with plans to regulate online communications, including in cooperation...

As Fed 'returns to normal,' is the risk of recession rising?: Experts react

Written by Sheila Tschinkel, Visiting Faculty in Economics, Emory University

Fed Chair Janet Yellen speaks at a press conference following the rate-hike decision.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Editor’s note: The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting committee raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a range of 1 percent to 1.25 percent, the second increase this year. The central bank also indicated that it will...

Silent partners: Are earthworms creating pathways for invasive plants?

Written by Kathryn M. Flinn, Assistant Professor of Biology, Baldwin Wallace University

A National Park Service staffer applies herbicide to invasive honeysuckle along the Natchez Trace Parkway.NPS

Small but mighty, earthworms transform the soil of any ecosystem they inhabit. In farm fields, we appreciate the way they recycle nutrients and aerate soil. But in forests, earthworms’ services can be less welcome.

Glaciers removed...

Dear students, what you post can wreck your life

Written by Thao Nelson, Lecturer, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University

Antonio Guillem/shutterstock.com

Dear Student,

Harvard recently rescinded admission offers for some incoming freshmen who participated in a private Facebook group sharing offensive memes. The incident has sparked a lot of discussion: Was Harvard’s decision justified? What about the First Amendment? Do young people know the dangers of social...

Did Sessions and Trump conspire to obstruct justice?

Written by Clark D. Cunningham, W. Lee Burge Chair in Law & Ethics; Director, National Institute for Teaching Ethics & Professionalism, Georgia State University

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Did Attorney General Jeff Sessions conspire with President Donald Trump to fabricate a false story about why former FBI Director James Comey was fired?

If the answer is yes, it could be grounds for criminal prosecution of either Sessions...

Helping or hacking? Engineers and ethicists must work together on brain-computer interface technology

Written by Eran Klein, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health and Sciences University and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Washington

A subject plays a computer game as part of a neural security experiment at the University of Washington.Patrick Bennett, Author provided

In the 1995 film “Batman Forever,” the Riddler used 3-D television to secretly access viewers’ most personal thoughts in his hunt for Batman’s true identity. By 2011, the metrics company Nie...

Why the South still has such high HIV rates

Written by Thurka Sangaramoorthy, Professor of Anthropology, University of Maryland

Reggie Batiste with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Atlanta administers an HIV test. David Goldman/AP

Increased funding, targeted prevention efforts and better treatment have helped to slow down the HIV epidemic in the United States. The number of new HIV-positive cases has decreased significantly, according to the Centers for Disease Control...

The rise – and possible fall – of the graphing calculator

Written by Frederick Peck, Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Montana

Graphing calculators – like the ones used in this seventh grade Dallas classroom – have become ubiquitous in U.S. education.AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

The first handheld graphing calculator, the Casio fx-7000G, appeared in 1985.

Since then, graphing calculators have become a common – and controversial – tool for learning...