The Conversation

A community can gentrify without losing its identity -- examples from Pittsburgh, Boston and Newark of what works

Written by Anthony Alvarez, Lecturer of Arts, Culture & Media, Rutgers University - Newark

A street mural by Manuel Acevedo at Halsey Place in Newark, N.J.Anthony Alvarez, CC BY-NC-ND

How can neighborhoods gentrify without erasing their heart and voice?

It’s an important question to ask now, I’d suggest, since many communities across the U.S. are at risk of losing their historical identities as new people and businesses move...

Several Down syndrome features may be linked to a hyperactive antiviral immune response – new research

Written by Joaquin Espinosa, Professor of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Addressing the increased risks of certain diseases among those with Down syndrome could help improve their quality of life.Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

People with Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21, experienced a remarkable increase in life expectancy during the 20th...

How building more backyard homes, granny flats and in-law suites can help alleviate the housing crisis

Written by Jeff Kruth, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Miami University

A newly built accessory dwelling unit in Los Angeles.Alisha Jucevic/The Washington Post via Getty Images

To many people, the image of a nuclear family in a stand-alone house with a green lawn and white picket fence still represents a fulfillment of the American dream.

However, this ideal is relatively new within a broader history of housing and...

Arsenic contamination of food and water is a global public health concern – researchers are studying how it causes cancer

Written by Cristina Andrade-Feraud, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Health Sciences, Florida International University

One symptom of arsenic poisoning is the growth of plaques on the skin called arsenical keratosis.Anita Ghosh/REACH via Flickr, CC BY

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in the Earth’s crust. Exposure to arsenic, often through contaminated food and water, is associated with various negative health effects, including cancer.

Arsenic...

Is there life in the sea that hasn't been discovered?

Written by Suzanne OConnell, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science, Wesleyan University

The Rose-veiled fairy wrasse, a small reef fish discovered in 2022.Luiz A. Rocha/Wikimedia Commons

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.

Is there life in the sea that hasn’t been discovered? – Haven W., age 12,...

How hip-hop learned to call out homophobia – or at least apologize for it

Written by Matthew Oware, Professor of Sociology, University of Richmond

Rapper Offset apologized over a homophobic slur.Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images

In the 2018 song “Boss Life,” the rapper Offset, part of the multiplatinum-selling rap group Migos, rhymed: “I do not vibe with queers.”

Such casual use of a perceived anti-gay slur is not uncommon in the history of hip-hop. But...

Sudan’s war is wrecking a lot, including its central bank – a legacy of trailblazing African American economist and banker Andrew Brimmer

Written by Christopher Tounsel, Associate Professor of History, University of Washington

Andrew Brimmer gets sworn in as a member of the Federal Reserve Board. President Lyndon Johnson, right, Brimmer's wife and daughter look on. Robert L. Knudsen via Wikimedia Commons

The war in Sudan between two rival generals for control of the country is devastating in so many ways. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, thousands injured and more...

Saying that students embrace censorship on college campuses is incorrect -- here's how to discuss the issue more constructively

Written by Bradford Vivian, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State

It's not true that college students reject challenging ideas wholesale and oppose conservative views.SDI Productions/E+/Getty Images

The claim that college students censor viewpoints with which they disagree is now common. Versions of this claim include the falsehoods that students “shut down” most invited speakers to campuses, reject...

Baseless anti-trans claims fuel adoption of harmful laws – two criminologists explain

Written by Henry F. Fradella, Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Affiliate Professor, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law., Arizona State University

Kansas legislators Brenda Landwehr, left, and Chris Croft confer during a vote on an anti-transgender bathroom bill, which both support.AP Photo/John Hanna

It has been seven years since North Carolina made headlines for enacting a “bathroom bill” – legislation intended to prevent transgender people from using restrooms that align...

Birth of a story: How new parents find meaning after childbirth hints at how they will adjust

Written by Darby Saxbe, Associate Professor of Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Having a new baby can upend everything about your old life.Cavan Images/Cavan via Getty Images

Gather a group of new parents and the conversation will likely turn to their childbirth stories – ranging from the joyful to the gnarly to the positively traumatic. Birth story podcasts and websites feature a curated range of birth experiences, and...