The Conversation

Why cats love to sit on squares

By Nicholas Dodman, The Conversation

#CatSquare, the latest social media craze, could be caused by cats' proclivity to seek out spaces that give them a sense of safety and security.

Column: Addressing the myths surrounding U.S. foreign aid

By Joannie Tremblay-Boire for The Conversation

With foreign aid on the chopping block, it’s important for Americans to understand how it works, who benefits from it and how U.S. contributions stack up.

Column: Why removing Syria's Assad from power is so complicated

By David Alpher for The Conversation

As costly as inaction has been in the six years since the Arab Spring uprisings first took hold in Syria, recent history suggests that removing Syrian President Bashar Assad in a hurry would be an even bigger mistake.

6 charts that illustrate the divide between rural and urban America

By Brian Thiede, Lillie Greiman, Stephan Weiler, Steven Beda, Tessa Conroy, The Conversation

The data paint a rich and sometimes surprising picture of the U.S. today.

Meet the farm boy from Wales who gave the world 'pi'

By Gareth Ffowc Roberts for The Conversation

One of the most important numbers in maths might today be named after the Greek letter π or “pi”, but the convention of representing it this way actually doesn’t come from Greece at all.

Why farmers and ranchers think the EPA Clean Water Rule goes too far

By Reagan Waskom and David J. Cooper for The Conversation

Some farmers and ranchers fear the Clean Water Rule could expand federal regulations that impact their private property rights.

How will Native tribes fight the Dakota Access Pipeline in court?

By Monte Mills for The Conversation

On Feb. 8 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reversed course and issued an easement allowing the installation of the Dakota Access Pipeline under Lake Oahe in North Dakota. That decision followed a presidential memorandum indicating…

Fact check: Immigration doesn't bring crime into U.S., data say

By The Conversation

Analysis suggests immigration has a crime-suppressing effect. In other words, more immigration equals less crime.

Column: Can librarians help solve the fake news problem?

By Donald A. Barclay for The Conversation

As a long-time academic librarian, I have spent a good part of my career teaching college students to think critically about information. For me, the recent spate of stories about large segments of the population falling for fake news stories…