Callie Maddox, Miami University For most baseball fans, hope springs eternal on Opening Day. American women have been playing baseball since at least the 1860s. Ullstein Bild/Getty Images Many of those fans – more than you might think – are women. A 2024 survey found that women made up 39% of those who attended or
Fred L. Pincus, University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 20, 2025, that calls for closing the U.S. Department of Education. The Heritage Foundation flag flies over its building on July 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images The president needs congressional approval to shutter the department.
Kevin A. Schug, University of Texas at Arlington and Alexander Kaplitz, University of Texas at Arlington In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It’s now about 400 million tons – an increase of nearly 20,000%. As a material, it has seemingly limitless potential. Plastic is inexpensive to produce while being lightweight and
Charlie Hunt, Boise State University Facing a threat of imminent government shutdown, nine Democrats joined GOP Senate colleagues to defeat a filibuster, moving the six-month government funding bill to final passage in a late-day vote on March 14, 2025. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was one of 10 Democrats who voted to break the
Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University As the pandemic accelerated in 2020, U.S. hospitals – including this one in New York City – set up tents to diagnose patients with COVID-19. Misha Friedman via Getty Images Five years ago, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a global
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, University of Pittsburgh Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship,
Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino If there are any limits to a president’s power, it wasn’t evident from Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images In that speech, the first before lawmakers of Trump’s second term, the president declared vast accomplishments during the brief six weeks
Daniel J. Olson, Purdue University English should be the official language of the United States, says a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 1, 2025. The move follows the Trump administration’s termination of the Spanish-language version of the White House website and its Spanish-language account on X, formerly Twitter. The Obama
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham, and Tetyana Malyarenko, National University Odesa Law Academy The visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House has not gone to plan – at least not to his plan. There were extraordinary scenes as a press conference between Zelensky and Trump descended into acrimony, with the US president
Sidney Shapiro, Wake Forest University and Joseph P. Tomain, University of Cincinnati The U.S. government is attempting to dismantle itself. President Donald Trump has directed the executive branch to “significantly reduce the size of government.” That includes deep cuts in federal funding of scientific and medical research and freezing federal grants and loans for businesses.
Alex Hinton, Rutgers University – Newark At the start of his inaugural address on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump declared, “The golden age of America begins right now!” Attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 20, 2025. Andrew Harnick/Getty Images A month later, Trump’s supporters gathered at the
by Philip Klinkner, Hamilton College and Rogers M. Smith, University of Pennsylvania For many Americans, Donald Trump’s head-spinning array of executive orders in the early days of his second term look like an unprecedented effort to roll back democracy and the rights and liberties of American citizens. There’s a long history in the U.S. of
Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald Trump’s special commission tasked with slashing federal spending, continues to disrupt Washington and the federal bureaucracy. According to published reports, its teams are dropping into federal agencies with a practically unlimited mandate to reform the federal government in accordance with
By Ambuj Tewari, University of Michigan State-of-the-art artificial intelligence systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude have captured the public imagination by producing fluent text in multiple languages in response to user prompts. Those companies have also captured headlines with the huge sums they’ve invested to build ever more powerful models. An AI
By Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton Democracy is in trouble, despite popular uprisings and dynamic social movements in Lebanon, Hong Kong and across Europe and Latin America. Scholars say countries across the globe are experiencing a rise in autocratic rule, with declines in democratic ideals and practice. Autocratic rule – also known as authoritarianism –
Chris Impey, University of Arizona A hundred years ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble dramatically expanded the size of the known universe. At a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in January 1925, a paper read by one of his colleagues on his behalf reported that the Andromeda nebula, also called M31, was nearly a million light
Originally published by The 19th Taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump described his view of how to bring about a safer and richer nation and vowed to forcefully enforce a conservative view on gender and race where public policies will not consider racial disparities and will not acknowledge transgender or nonbinary individuals.
By Jason Oliver Evans, University of Virginia Since 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into law, many Americans have observed the federal holiday to commemorate the life and legacy of the civil rights leader, Baptist minister and theologian. MLK Day volunteers typically perform community service that continues King’s fight to
Billy J. Stratton, University of Denver “There’s a sort of evil out there,” says Sheriff Truman in an episode of David Lynch’s iconic TV series, “Twin Peaks.” Lynch, the director of ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive,’ died in January 2024 at the age of 78. Hector Mata/AFP via Getty Images That line gets to the
Patrick Megonigal, Smithsonian Institution A firefighting plane dumps water on one of the fires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Firefighters battling the deadly wildfires that raced through the Los Angeles area in January 2025 have been hampered by a limited supply
Tyler Garner, University of Texas at Arlington “I’m tracking my macros.” Most whole foods contain more than one kind of macro. carlosgaw/E+ via Getty Images “I’ll pass on that, it doesn’t fit in my macros.” “I’m on the Macro Diet.” Macros seem to come up often in the corners of the internet and social media
Robert C. Donnelly, Gonzaga University Former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29, 2024, at age 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia, was a dark horse Democratic presidential candidate with little national recognition when he beat Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976. The introspective former peanut farmer pledged a new era of honesty
Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, focuses on Dylan’s early 1960s transition from idiosyncratic singer of folk songs to internationally renowned singer-songwriter. Dylan and singer-songwriter Mimi Farina relax at the Viking Hotel in Newport, R.I., in July 1964. John Byrne Cooke Estate/Getty Images As a
Ken Hughes, University of Virginia The Nixon administration’s enemies list inspired bipartisan revulsion. Its purpose was, in the immortal words of President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, to “use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.” President Richard Nixon used the government as a weapon against his perceived enemies. Wally McNamee/Corbis Historical The
Stephen Lind, University of Southern California It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The 1965 broadcast has become a staple – etched into traditions across generations like decorating the tree or sipping hot cocoa. In 2024, the beloved special is streaming on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ But this beloved TV
Anurag Srivastava, West Virginia University Across the U.S. and worldwide, energy demand is soaring as data centers work to support the wide and growing use of artificial intelligence. These large facilities are filled with powerful computers, called servers, that run complex algorithms to help AI systems learn from vast amounts of data. High-voltage transmission lines
Alexandra Plakias, Hamilton College The holidays offer many opportunities for awkward moments. Political discussions, of course, hold plenty of potential. But any time opinions differ, where estrangements have caused lingering rifts, or when behaviors veer toward the inappropriate, awkwardness can set in. ‘I don’t even know what to say to that.’ Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via
Andrew J. Hoffman, University of Michigan Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton but across the country. Hurricane Beryl tore up homes in Freeport, Texas, in July 2024. Brandon Bell/Getty Images) According to S&P Global
Angie Brown, Quinnipiac University Knee injuries are common in athletes, accounting for 41% of all athletic injuries. But knee injuries aren’t limited to competitive athletes. In our everyday lives, an accident or a quick movement in the wrong direction can injure the knee and require medical treatment. A quarter of the adult population worldwide experiences
Jordan Batchelor, Arizona State University; Charles Max Katz, Arizona State University; and Taylor Cox, Arizona State University Mounting evidence shows that veterans need targeted suicide prevention services. adamkaz/E+ via Getty Images America’s military veterans make up about 6% of the adult population but account for about 20% of all suicides. That means that each day,
Daniel J. Mallinson, Penn State Pennsylvania was for months considered the key swing state that would decide the 2024 election. Candidates, political parties and advocacy groups spent over US$1 billion courting the commonwealth’s small number of persuadable voters. People gather at McGillin’s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia as election results trickle in. Ed Jones/AFP via
Kate Starbird, University of Washington and Stephen Prochaska, University of Washington On Sept. 20, 2024, a newspaper in Montana reported an issue with ballots provided to overseas voters registered in the state: Kamala Harris was not on the ballot. Election officials were able to quickly remedy the problem, but it was not before accusations began to
Mark Satta, Wayne State University Shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States in January 2017, George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” shot to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. Apparently, lots of people thought Orwell had something relevant to say in that political moment. Donald Trump hugs an American flag
Robert Shand, American University When it comes to education policy, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris not only have mostly distinct visions but also distinct track records. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris present dueling platforms for U.S. education. Getty Images Harris is calling for a wider role for the federal government and
Alauna Safarpour, Gettysburg College The country is unlikely to know who wins the battleground state of Pennsylvania on election night. That’s because of a quirk in Pennsylvania’s laws. An official Pennsylvania mail-in ballot, seen in Pittsburgh, Oct. 3, 2024. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar I am an assistant professor of political science at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg,
Rosalyn R. LaPier, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign I am a direct descendant of family members who were forced as children to attend either a U.S. government-operated or church-run Indian boarding school. They include my mother, all four of my grandparents and the majority of my great-grandparents. A photograph archived at the Center for Southwest
Jennifer Selin, Arizona State University Rumors and lies about government responses to natural disasters are not new. Politics, misinformation, and blame-shifting have long surrounded government response efforts. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the effects of Hurricane Milton on Oct. 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017,
James R. Elliott, Rice University; Dominic Boyer, Rice University, and Phylicia Lee Brown, Rice University Hundreds of industrial facilities with toxic pollutants were in Hurricane Helene’s path as the powerful storm flooded communities across the Southeast in late September 2024. An overturned industrial storage tank in Asheville, N.C., shows the power of fast-moving flood water.
Shuang-Ye Wu, University of Dayton Summer 2024 was officially the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest on record. In the United States, fierce heat waves seemed to hit somewhere almost every day. High pressure in the middle layers of the atmosphere acts as a dome or cap, allowing heat to build up at the Earth’s surface. NOAA Phoenix
Nathan H. Dize, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance continues to defend the false claim that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been abducting and eating area cats and dogs. A man in Tucson, Arizona, carries an AI-generated image referencing falsehoods spread by Donald Trump and his
Valerie Thomas, Georgia Institute of Technology The United States is producing more oil and natural gas today than ever before, and far more than any other country. So, what roles did the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations play in this surge? Both administrations supported banning some offshore drilling, but also saw rises in oil and gas
Mikel Delgado, Purdue University and Judith Stella, Purdue University Many people have seen dogs fetch, but cats like to get into the game too. Despite their very different hunting and play styles, fetching appears to combine elements of predatory and social behavior for both species. Throw it for me! Purple Collar Pet Photography/Moment, via Getty
Farhad Tabatabaei, University of Delaware Eco-friendly hotels increasingly are asking guests to forgo daily housekeeping or use their towels more than once. At the same time, hospitality researchers have long assumed that guests find these efforts to promote sustainability inconvenient and undesirable. My research, however, suggests that this is not – or is no longer
Tam Nguyen, University of Dayton CAPTCHAs are those now ubiquitous challenges you encounter to prove that you’re a human and not a bot when you go to log in to many websites. It’s not easy for computers to tell humans from other computers posing as humans. Andrii Shelenkov/Stock via Getty Images Websites and mobile apps
Dae Hee Kwak, University of Michigan On June 5, 2024, the Boston Red Sox placed relief pitcher Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list. It wasn’t for a sore shoulder, a tight elbow, or a tweaked groin. Teammates check on Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Martin after he fell to the ground fielding a ball
Kevin J. McMahon, Trinity College Polarization is both essential to a functioning democracy and a threat to it. Too little disagreement among citizens and leaders is unlikely to produce the fruitful political debate that leads to better policy and law. Too much dissension – especially if groups form opposing camps closed off from one another
Julie Maslowsky, University of Michigan Adolescence and young adulthood is a time of identity formation, when young people figure out who they are and who they want to be. One of the ways they do this is by considering the world around them, paying attention to social issues and starting to understand their society and
by Ian Brodie, Cape Breton University, and Moira Marsh, Indiana University Sometimes lameness – not laughter – is the point. “Dad, I’m hungry.” “Hi, hungry. I’m Dad.” If you haven’t been asleep for the past 20 years, you’ll probably recognize this exchange as a dad joke. The term dad joke is credited to a 1987
William McCorkle, College of Charleston As debate over U.S. immigration policy heats up during the 2024 presidential campaign, separating fact from fiction on the U.S.-Mexico border becomes increasingly difficult. Asylum-seekers at the Rio Grande near the U.S.-Mexico border in Matamoros, Mexico, on May 11, 2023. Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images In May 2023, shortly after
Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell Eight months after Israel invaded the Gaza Strip, some critics observe that the Israeli military hasn’t met either of its goals of destroying Hamas and rescuing all of the remaining 133 hostages Hamas is holding. Protesters wave Israeli flags and protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 20,
Chih-Ling Liu, Lancaster University and Robert Kozinets, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Here mum, I’ve bought you something! Fizkes/Shutterstock After your daughter spends the weekend visiting, a surprise gift seems like a kind gesture – until you open it and find a vacuum cleaner. What does this say about her visit and what
Katrina Burgess, Tufts University While campaigning in Iowa last September, former President Donald Trump made a promise to voters if he were elected again: “Following the Eisenhower model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” he said. Trump, who made a similar pledge during his first presidential campaign, has recently
Frank Scannapieco, University at Buffalo, and Ira Lamster, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York) C. Everett Koop, the avuncular doctor with a fluffy white beard who served as the U.S. surgeon general during the Reagan administration, was famous for his work as an innovative pediatric surgeon and the attention he paid to
Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences As artificial intelligence creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But behind the calls for a pause on the development of AI is a suite of
Randall W. Parkinson, Florida International University Wetlands have flourished along the world’s coastlines for thousands of years, playing valuable roles in the lives of people and wildlife. They protect the land from storm surges, stop seawater from contaminating drinking water supplies, and create habitat for birds, fish, and threatened species. Wetlands at Blackwater National Wildlife
H. James Gilmore, Flagler College and Tracy Halcomb, Flagler College Former MLB executive Pat Gillick won three World Series titles and served as general manager of four baseball teams from the 1970s to 2000s. Texas Rangers scout Brian Williams takes notes at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. H. James Gilmore and Tracy Halcomb,
Lee D. Han, University of Tennessee A container ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, causing a portion of the bridge to collapse into Baltimore Harbor. Officials called the event a mass casualty and were searching for people in the waters of the busy port.
Andrea Merchak, University of Florida Probiotics have been getting a lot of attention recently. These bacteria, which you can consume from fermented foods, yogurt or even pills, are linked to a number of health and wellness benefits, including reducing gastrointestinal distress, urinary tract infections and eczema. But can they improve your mood, too? The difference
Regina Smyth, Indiana University Long lines of Russians endured subzero temperatures in January 2024 to demand that anti-Ukraine war candidate Boris Nadezhdin be allowed to run in the forthcoming presidential election. It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner. Authorities say Navalny, a
Rodney Benson, New York University and Victor Pickard, University of Pennsylvania For the journalism industry, 2024 is off to a brutal start. Most spectacularly, the Los Angeles Times recently slashed more than 20% of its newsroom. Though trouble had long been brewing, the layoffs were particularly disheartening because many employees and readers hoped the Times’
Ryan Raul Bañagale, Colorado College February 12, 1924, was a frigid day in New York City. But that didn’t stop an intrepid group of concertgoers from gathering in midtown Manhattan’s Aeolian Hall for “An Experiment in Modern Music.” The organizer, bandleader Paul Whiteman, wanted to show how jazz and classical music could come together. So
Jonathan Wynn, UMass Amherst and Daniel Skinner, Ohio University Does living near a hospital make you more likely to get the health care you need? Scholars interviewed people living near the University of Colorado Hospital to assess whether it’s a good neighbor. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images Even though the federal government requires nonprofit hospitals
Joan Donovan, Boston University An unknown number of New Hampshire voters received a phone call on Jan. 21, 2024, from what sounded like President Joe Biden. A recording contains Biden’s voice urging voters inclined to support Biden and the Democratic Party not to participate in New Hampshire’s Jan. 23 GOP primary election. Republicans have been
Robin Kundis Craig, University of Southern California The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Jan. 17, 2024, in two cases that center on fisheries management but could have broad impacts on federal regulatory power. Two cases centered on Atlantic herring could have widespread impacts on federal regulation. Joe Raedle/Getty Images The question at the core
Kaitlin Woolley, Cornell University, and Paul Stillman, San Diego State University It’s a familiar start-of-the-year scene. You’ve committed to a healthier lifestyle and are determined that this time is going to be different. Your refrigerator is stocked with fruits and veggies, you’ve tossed out processed foods, and your workout routine is written in pen in
Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland In 2024, former President Donald Trump will face some of his greatest challenges: criminal court cases, primary opponents and constitutional challenges to his eligibility to hold the office of president again. The Colorado Supreme Court has pushed that latter piece to the forefront, ruling on Dec. 19, 2023, that
Alexes Harris, University of Washington, and Alex R. Piquero, University of Miami In today’s American criminal legal system, courts impose fines and fees as a means to punish people and hold them accountable for legal violations. Several U.S. states are eliminating criminal fines and fees for people who can’t afford them. Getty Images At times,
Michael Blake, University of Washington On Nov. 16, 2023, the bipartisan House Committee on Ethics issued a scathing report on the behavior of Rep. George Santos, finding that Santos had engaged in “knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act.” That committee’s Republican chair later introduced a motion to expel Santos from Congress.
Christopher P. Scheitle, West Virginia University Given popular portrayals, you would be forgiven for assuming that the type of person who is a scientist is not the type of person who would be religious. Consider the popular television show “The Big Bang Theory,” which is about friends who nearly all have advanced degrees in physics,
Katrina Stack, University of Tennessee and Rebecca Sheehan, Oklahoma State University On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to dedicate a cemetery at the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Four months before, about 50,000 soldiers had lost their lives at the Battle of Gettysburg, later seen as
Dustin Cole, Auburn University Reports of lengthy shipping delays for vessels traveling through the Panama Canal this year have highlighted the critical but often overlooked role that fresh water plays across global supply chains. Drier than normal conditions in Panama, brought on by El Niño, have left the region drought-stricken and water levels in the
Patrice McMahon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln The results of Poland’s parliamentary elections held on Oct. 15, 2023, have been lauded as a blow against populism – and they may also hold important lessons for reversing democracy’s decline. Donald Tusk looks set to lead the governing coalition, in large part thanks to female voters. Omar Marques/Getty Images
Debra J. Rosenthal, John Carroll University Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: Alcohol in American Literature What prompted the idea for the course? I got the idea for the course when I was writing a chapter on the temperance movement in American literature
Robert Goldman, American University The killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas and retaliatory airstrikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip by Israel raises numerous issues under international law. Warring parties are duty-bound to minimize civilian casualties. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images Indeed, President Joe Biden made express reference to the “laws of war” in comments he made at
Eric Gable, University of Mary Washington and Richard Handler, University of Virginia Of all the debate over teaching U.S. slavery, it is one sentence of Florida’s revised academic standards that has provoked particular ire: “Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” A Black actor in
Shauna Shames, Rutgers University Signs in the hallway during the inaugural Moms For Liberty Summit on July 15, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. Octavio Jones/Getty Images Motherhood language and symbolism have been part of every U.S. social movement, from the American Revolution to Prohibition and the fight against drunk drivers. Half of Americans are women, most
Erica Neuman, University of Dayton The Internal Revenue Service is getting a funding boost thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. The IRS has relied on technology for decades, as this 1965 photo taken in its Philadelphia office shows. US News & World Report Collection/Marion S Trikosko/PhotoQuest
by Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service; Brian Kalt, Michigan State University, and Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University After weeks of speculation over who was going to participate, eight Republican candidates seeking their party’s presidential nomination appeared on stage together in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023, for the first debate of the 2024
Jesus Lizana, University of Oxford; Nicole Miranda, University of Oxford; and Radhika Khosla, University of Oxford Temperatures around the world are soaring. Both California’s Death Valley and China’s Xinjiang region have seen temperatures climb above the 50℃ mark. A blistering heatwave is also sweeping across the Mediterranean, causing temperatures in parts of Italy, Spain, France,
Daniel E Bergan, Michigan State University If you’re going to write to your legislator, do your homework on the issues. digitalskillet/ iStock / Getty Images Plus Suppose you have an issue you are really passionate about – taxes, gun control or some other important policy. You want to do more than vent on social media,
Kevin J. Krizek, University of Colorado Boulder Retractable bollards can be used to signal priority areas on streets for smaller vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Eugene Nekrasov/Getty Images Plus Deadly traffic incidents have declined in most developed countries in recent years. But in the U.S. they’re becoming more common. Deaths in motor vehicle crashes rose more
Brenna Moore, Fordham University When news broke on July 26, 2023, that the gifted Irish singer Sinead O’Connor had died, stories of her most famous performance circulated amid the grief and shock. Irish singer Sinead O’Connor performs at Paradiso in Amsterdam in March 1988. Paul Bergen/Redferns via Getty Images Thirty-one years ago, after a haunting
Nicole A. Cooke, University of South Carolina Despite misconceptions and stereotypes – ranging from what librarians Gretchen Keer and Andrew Carlos have described as the “middle-aged, bun-wearing, comfortably shod, shushing librarian” to the “sexy librarian … and the hipster or tattooed librarian” – library professionals are more than book jockeys, and they do more than
Tarun Gopalakrishnan, Tufts University; Bethany Tietjen, Tufts University, and Seth Owusu-Mante, Tufts University Green banks are starting to draw attention in the U.S., particularly since the federal government announced its first grant competitions under a national green bank program to bring clean technology and more affordable energy to low-income communities. Retrofitting apartment buildings for energy
The progestin-only pill Opill could be available in early 2024. Lucas Berenbrok, University of Pittsburgh and Marian Jarlenski, University of Pittsburgh On July 13, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drugmaker’s application for the first daily over-the-counter birth control pill for people seeking to prevent pregnancy. Kwangmoozaa/iStock via Getty Images The pill,
Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago and Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago Former President Donald Trump on his airplane on June 10, 2023, two days after his federal indictment. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images Lawyer Thomas A. Durkin has spent much of his career working in national security law, representing clients in a
Archon Fung, Harvard Kennedy School and Lawrence Lessig, Harvard University Could organizations use artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT to induce voters to behave in specific ways? An AI-driven political campaign could be all things to all people. Eric Smalley, TCUS; Biodiversity Heritage Library/Flickr; Taymaz Valley/Flickr, CC BY-ND Sen. Josh Hawley asked OpenAI CEO
Jeff Inglis, The Conversation Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oath Keepers, is just one member of a group that seeks to engage in violence against the U.S. government. Philip Pacheco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on May 25, 2023, in the wake of
Colleen C. Myles, Texas State University Some scholars say beer and wine – and fermentation in general – helped develop a civilization and shaped culture and landscapes over millennia. Portland, Maine’s Rising Tide Brewery supports ‘economic development, LGBTQ+ rights, BIPOC equality … and stewardship of Maine’s natural environment.’ John Ewing/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty
Courtney Carignan, Michigan State University Quaternary ammonium compounds can linger on surfaces and in indoor air and dust long after the disinfectant has dried. Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Image.The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Concerns about unnecessary use of a common class of antimicrobial chemicals used in disinfectants
Matt Williams, The Conversation Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen doesn’t want to look back in anger over a debt deadline missed. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Lawmakers have been given notice of a new deadline if they are to avoid a damaging default on U.S. debt: June 1, 2023. If Congress fails to raise the nation’s
Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis Harry Belafonte died at the age of 96. AP Photo/Chris Pizzello In May 1963, as civil rights demonstrations rocked the city of Birmingham, Alabama, Harry Belafonte was at a cocktail party in Manhattan, scolding the then-attorney general of the United States. “You may think you’re doing enough,” he recalled telling
Jacob L. Nelson, University of Utah For decades, Fox News thrived because the people behind it understood what their audience wanted and were more than willing to deliver: television news – or what Fox called news – from a populist perspective. Fox is consistently the most-watched cable news channel, far ahead of competitors like MSNBC
Shichun Huang, University of Tennessee ‘Earthrise,’ a photo of the Earth taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, Dec. 4, 1968. NASA/Bill Anders via Wikipedia Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Will the Earth last forever?
Thomas Godwin, Purdue University A red-letter day? Hardly! iStock / Getty Images Plus Mid-April has arrived. And along with the spring sunshine, that means the often dreaded civic duty of finishing off one’s taxes. It’s an arduous time for many, characterized by navigating increasingly confusing rules to arrive at the best refund possible. For some, it
Sayonnha Mandal, University of Nebraska Omaha Passwords could soon become passé. Effective passwords are cumbersome, all the more so when reinforced by two-factor authentication. But the need for authentication and secure access to websites is as great as ever. Enter passkeys. Passkeys are digital credentials stored on your phone or computer. They are analogous to
Erica Neuman, University of Dayton Dog-walking income is taxable. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images Do you rent out your home a few weekends a year through Airbnb? Sell stuff on Etsy? Get paid for pet-sitting? If you, like many Americans, make at least US$600 a year with a side hustle of any kind, the way you pay taxes
Meteorologists began warning about severe weather with the potential for tornadoes several days before storms tore across the Southeast and the Central U.S. in late March 2023. At one point, more than 28 million people were under a tornado watch. But pinpointing exactly where a tornado will touch down – like the tornadoes that hit
For many Muslims breaking fast in mosques around the world this Ramadan, something will be missing: plastics. Noorzehra Zaidi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County The communal experience of iftars – the after-sunset meal that brings people of the faith together during the holy month starting on March 22, 2023 – often necessitates the use of
Dan McEvoy, Desert Research Institute After three years of extreme drought, the Western U.S. is finally getting a break. Mountain ranges are covered in deep snow, and water reservoirs in many areas are filling up following a series of atmospheric rivers that brought record rain and snowfall to large parts of the region. Many people