Author: TheConversation

By Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell The Supreme Court justices signaled a potential major shift on abortion law on Dec. 1, 2021. Hearing arguments in a case that could fundamentally alter abortion rights and regulations throughout the nation, the six conservative justices who hold the majority in the highest court seemed divided: Would they overturn the core right to abortion entirely or would they allow abortion to be limited by the states to the early stages of pregnancy? In either approach, the court seemed to be moving toward the position that some decisions...

By Michele Gilman, Venable Professor of Law, University of Baltimore The U.S. Supreme Court on December 1 heard oral arguments in a case that may result in a ruling that overturns Roe v. Wade. But reproductive health is not just about abortions, despite all the attention the procedures get. It is also about access to family planning services, contraception, sex education and much else – all of which have also been under threat in recent years. Such access lets women control the timing and size of their families so they have children when they are financially secure and emotionally...

By Ashley Gearhardt, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan Every year millions of Americans try to cut down on ultra-processed foods, industrial formulations that are typically high in added fat, refined carbohydrates or both. Think cookies, cakes, potato chips and pizza. For many, the desire to change what they eat is triggered by concerns about potentially life-threatening health conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. The impact of diet on health is not a small problem. In fact, a recent multidisciplinary commission of 37 leading scientists from around the globe identified unhealthy diets as a greater risk to human...

By Pascale Joassart-Marcelli, Professor of Geography and Director, Urban Studies and Food Studies Programs, San Diego State University It seems that everybody welcomes the arrival of new restaurants, cafés, food trucks and farmers markets. What could be the downside of fresh veggies, homemade empanadas and a pop-up restaurant specializing in banh mis? But when they appear in unexpected places – think inner-city areas populated by immigrants – they are often the first salvo in a broader effort to rebrand and remake the community. As a result, these neighborhoods can quickly become unaffordable and unrecognizable to longtime residents. Stoking an appetite...

By Xiaoming Xu, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Atul Jain, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Producing enough food for a growing world population is an urgent global challenge. And it is complicated by the fact that climate change is warming the Earth and making farming harder in many places. Food production is a big contributor to climate change, so it is critically important to be able to measure greenhouse gas emissions from the food sector accurately. In a new study, we show that the food system generates about...

By Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis During an interview with NASCAR driver Brandon Brown on October 2, NBC sportscaster Kelli Stavast made a curious observation. She reported that Talladega Superspeedway spectators were chanting “Let’s go Brandon” to celebrate the racing driver’s first Xfinity Series win. In reality, however, the crowd was shouting a very different phrase: “F–k Joe Biden,” a taunt that had become popular at college football games earlier in the fall. The deliberate misinterpretation of the crowd’s chant was a deft bit of verbal legerdemain on Stavast’s part. Although she...