The Conversation

Iran and the US appear unlikely to reach a new nuclear deal – leaving everyone more unsafe

Written by Nina Srinivasan Rathbun, Professor of international relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A man reads an Iranian newspaper with a headline in Farsi that says, 'The night of the end of the JCPOA,' or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s standoff with the United States over its potential nuclear weapons program is unlikely to ease anytime soon.

The U.S. and Iran launched talks in 2021 to renew...

Arizona's Latino voters and political independents could spell midterm defeats for MAGA candidates

Written by Gina Woodall, Principal Lecturer at the School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona marches in a Fourth of July parade in Arizona on July 4, 2022.Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Two years after the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump’s resentment over losing continues to energize his supporters in Arizona.

That resentment played out during the Aug. 13, 2022,...

Charles III faces challenges at home, abroad – and even in defining what it means to be king

Written by Tobias Harper, Assistant Professor of History, Arizona State University

Long to reign over whom and how?Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Charles III became the King of the United Kingdom on Sept. 8, 2022, having spent almost all of his 73 years preparing for this role, watching the example of his mother, Elizabeth II. Yet, he faces an uncertain course as monarch.

The legacy of Charles’ mother is complex. While...

Educators can help make STEM fields diverse – over 25 years, I've identified nudges that can encourage students to stay

Written by Nilanjana Dasgupta, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UMass Amherst

Connecting studies to the real world, mentoring and building community make all the difference.FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

Jen, a student I taught early in my career, stood head-and-shoulders above her peers academically. I learned she had started off as an engineering major but switched over to psychology. I was surprised and curious.

Was she...

How you can help protect sharks – and what doesn't work

Written by David Shiffman, Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology, Arizona State University

Whitetip sharks amid a school of anthias near Jarvis island in the South Pacific.Kelvin Gorospe, NOAA/NMFS/Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Blog/Flickr, CC BY

Sharks are some of the most ecologically important and most threatened animals on Earth. Recent reports show that up to one-third of all known species of sharks and their relatives,...

Barbara Ehrenreich helped make inequality visible – her legacy lives on in a reinvigorated labor movement

Written by Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

Best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich in a 2005 photo.AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff

Have you heard of Jaz Brisack, Liz Fong-Jones and Chris Smalls?

Those names might not be familiar to all Americans, but their recent accomplishments amount to a potential sea change in labor rights.

As union organizers or advocates for better work conditions at some of...

How do ants crawl on walls? A biologist explains their sticky, spiky, gravity-defying grip

Written by Deby Cassill, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida

Walking vertically – or even upside down – is a piece of cake for ants.pecchio/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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.

How do ants crawl on walls? – Ethan, age 9, Dallas, Texas

When I...

What is proof-of-stake? A computer scientist explains a new way to make cryptocurrencies, NFTs and metaverse transactions

Written by Scott Ruoti, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Tennessee

Blockchain transactions are carried in blocks. The amount of energy it takes to add a new block varies widely depending on how it's done.Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images

Proof-of-stake is a mechanism for achieving consensus on a blockchain. Blockchain is a technology that records transactions that can’t be deleted or altered. It’s...

Stop using 'Latinx' if you really want to be inclusive

Written by Melissa K. Ochoa, Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Saint Louis University

'Latine' is much more adaptable to the Spanish language.Mario Garza, CC BY-SA

Most of the debates on the usage of “Latinx” – pronounced “la-teen-ex” – have taken place in the U.S. But the word has begun to spread into Spanish-speaking countries – where it hasn’t exactly been embraced.

In July 2022,...

Burning Man highlights the primordial human need for ritual

Written by Dimitris Xygalatas, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut

A wooden effigy of a man is erected each year in Nevada's Black Rock Desert and later burned down.AP Photo/Ron Lewis

At the end of each summer, hordes of people flock to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada to erect a makeshift city the size of the Italian town of Pisa. They call it Black Rock City. A few days later, they will burn it to the ground,...