The Conversation

What's a natural burial? A Christian theologian explains

Written by Beth Hoeltke, Director of the Graduate School, Concordia Seminary

Some people are drawn to the idea of a natural burial to bring more of the dying ritual into their homes. LPETTET/E+ via Getty Images

Death is not a subject people typically have an easy time discussing. But for Christian scholar Beth Hoeltke, it’s one she’s devoted much time to, focusing particularly on the growing interest in natural...

Long COVID leaves newly disabled people facing old barriers – a sociologist explains

Written by Laura Mauldin, Associate Professor of Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies and Human Development & Family Sciences, University of Connecticut

Some COVID-19 patients experience months of debilitating symptoms.sharply_done/E+ via Getty Images

Up to one-third of COVID-19 survivors will acquire the condition known as long or long-haul COVID-19. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation estimates that long COVID will add as many as 22 million individuals to the U.S....

Why some women are traveling to South Korea to find boyfriends

Written by Min Joo Lee, Visiting Lecturer in Women's & Gender Studies, Wellesley College

Actor Seo Kang Joon poses with a fan at an autograph signing. Visual China Group/Getty Images

For my entire life I’ve obsessively watched South Korean television dramas, or K-dramas.

The term refers to the disparate genres of television dramas produced in South Korea, including mystery, crime and rom-com. Regardless of genre, most K-dramas...

Lungs have their own microbiome – and these microbes affect the success of bone marrow transplants in kids

Written by Matt Zinter, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco

While the gut microbiome has gotten much of the spotlight, the microbes in the lungs also play an important role in health.sorbetto/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

The microorganisms deep in your lungs may play an important role in your overall lung health. And for children undergoing bone marrow transplants, measuring the microbes in their...

Why Apple, Disney, IKEA and hundreds of other Western companies are abandoning Russia with barely a shrug

Written by Douglas Schuler, Associate Professor of Business and Public Policy, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

Muscovites rushed to buy furniture and other goods from IKEA before it closed its Russian stores.AP Photo/Vladimir Kondrashov

Many companies in the U.S. and elsewhere have been quick to sever ties to Russia – going well beyond applying the sanctions ordered by their governments.

IKEA, Nike and H&M are temporarily closing their Russian...

Supreme Court inches towards deciding whether state legislatures can draw congressional districts largely free of court oversight

Written by Henry L. Chambers Jr., Professor of Law, University of Richmond

Which branch has the power to rewrite congressional maps?Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

To what extent can state or federal courts limit how state legislatures draw congressional districts?

It is a substantial question with huge implications for future elections and voting rights in America. But the Supreme Court has decided not to answer it &ndas...

It's 'Ukraine,' not 'the Ukraine' – here's why

Written by Kathryn E. Graber, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University

Ukrainian passports say "Ukraine" with no "the." On the Polish border, March 5, 2022. Enrico Mattia Del Punta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

For most of the 20th century, English speakers referred to “the Ukraine,” following Soviet practice. That’s not the case now. Ukraine’s official name in English does not include...

Long before shots were fired, a linguistic power struggle was playing out in Ukraine

Written by Phillip M. Carter, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Florida International University

A woman holds a placard with the words 'language is a weapon' written in Ukrainian during a 2020 protest of a bill that sought to widen the use of Russian in Ukrainian public education.Evgen Kotenko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

What does the Russian invasion of Ukraine have to do with language?

If you ask Russian leader Vladimir...

The Ukrainian refugee crisis could last years – but host communities might not be prepared

Written by Jose J. Padilla, Research Associate Professor, Old Dominion University

More than 2 million Ukrainians – almost all women and children – have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. The sudden exodus of Ukrainian refugees is at a scale not seen in Europe since World War II.

The migration of Ukrainian refugees has prompted a swift international and regional response, including everything from...

Is 'headline stress disorder' real? Yes, but those who thrive on the news often lose sight of it

Written by Michael J. Socolow, Associate Professor, Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

The front-page of the New York Post following a missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 26, 2022.Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

It began with a basic “news you can use” feature from National Public Radio. Titled “5 ways to cope with the stressful news cycle,” producer Andee Tagle’s piece, published in late...