The Conversation

Do poor people eat more junk food than wealthier Americans?

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

Billionaire Warren Buffett says he drinks five Cokes a day.AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Eating fast food is frequently blamed for damaging our health.

As nutrition experts point out, it is not the healthiest type of meal since it is typically high in fat and salt. More widely, it’s seen as a key factor in the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S. and...

Future of unions in balance as Trump prepares to reshape national labor board

Written by Nicole Hallett, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Yale University graduate students have sought to form a union for more than a decade. AP Photo/Bob Child

Last October, employees of the Elderwood Nursing Home in Grand Island, New York, voted to unionize after years of dealing with short staffing, stagnant wages and problems with management. Six months later, the company has yet to come to the...

Are jokesters screwing up our data on gay teenagers?

Written by Jessica Fish, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Austin

Should we trust what they say?Shutterstock

Teens are mischievous, not to be trusted. You’ve probably heard the trope before – maybe you even believe it yourself. But is the stereotype now warping our trust of scientific results?

Surveys can help researchers better understand the lives of teens, but skeptics argue that youth are often...

Can people 'like me' go to college? Inequality and dreams of higher ed

Written by Daphna Oyserman, Professor of Psychology and Education, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Some minorities are less likely to think that their college dreams could become a reality.AP Photo/Tim Boyd

The cost of college may be on the rise, but most still agree that it’s a sound investment. There are, in fact, a number of personal and societal benefits associated with getting a bachelor’s degree and, it seems, people know that:...

Is Trump's definition of 'the rule of law' the same as the US Constitution's?

Written by David Mednicoff, Director, Middle Eastern Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

News such as the recent federal court decision against President Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban and James Comey’s public Senate testimony serve as occasions for outrage among critics about the president’s disrespect for “the rule of law.”

Many pr...

Before the digital age, how religious groups increased the numbers in their order

Written by Bruce T. Morrill, Edward A. Malloy Chair of Catholic Studies, Professor of Theological Studies, Vanderbilt University

Cloistered nuns in the Monastery of Saint Clare in the western Mediterranean Sardinian city of Oristano.Gabriele Calvisi, CC BY

A monastery of 10 nuns on the Italian island of Sardinia is using social media to share their community’s work and ensure its very survival. This might appear surprising considering these nuns chose a life of quiet...

The understated affection of fathers

Written by Kory Floyd, Professor of Communication, University of Arizona

dvdflm/flickr, CC BY-NC

Men may not be from Mars, but – compared to women – they do communicate in very different ways.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the relationships of fathers and sons. Outwardly, many father and son pairs may appear distant and disengaged. A guy who wouldn’t think twice about hugging and kissing...

When politicians cherry-pick data and disregard facts, what should we academics do?

Written by Andrew J. Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor at the Ross School of Business and Education Director at the Graham Sustainability Institute, University of Michigan

Advocating for facts and evidence at the March for Science in California earlier this year.Matthew Roth/flickr, CC BY-NC

When politicians distort science, academics and scientists tend to watch in shock from the sidelines rather than speak out. But in an age of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” we need to step into the...

President Macron marches to parliamentary majority in France

Written by Mabel Berezin, Professor of Sociology, Cornell University

“Bien joué” – or “well played” – was sprawled across a picture of Emmanuel Macron on the cover of the newspaper Libération the day after he won the French presidential election.

And more congratulations are in order after the first round of the legislative elections. Today’s...

Designing antiviral proteins via computer could help halt the next pandemic

Written by Ian Haydon, Doctoral Student in Biochemistry, University of Washington

Computers may play an important role in preparing us for the next viral outbreak – whether flu or Ebola.UW Institute for Protein Design, CC BY-ND

As Bill Gates sees it, there are three main threats to our species: nuclear war, climate change and the next global pandemic.

Speaking on pandemic preparedness at the Munich Security Conference...