The Conversation

Protestants and the pill: How US Christians helped make birth control mainstream

Written by Samira Mehta, Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Protestant Christians have been debating -- and more often than not, supporting -- modern contraceptives since they first appeared.Bettmann/Bettman via Getty Images

Since May 3, 2022, when Politico reported that the Supreme Court was planning to strike down Roe v. Wade, many Christians have celebrated the prospect of an America where abortion is...

Scientists at Work: How pharmacists and community health workers build trust with Cambodian genocide survivors

Written by Christina Polomoff, Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

Community health workers assist patients as they gather their medications and supplements to discuss them during remote visits with pharmacists.Photo courtesy of Khmer Health Associates

Wartime trauma paired with starting over in a new country make getting health care particularly challenging for immigrant refugees. Talking to a doctor or getting...

What is a medication, or medical, abortion? 5 questions answered by 3 doctors

Written by Lauren Owens, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

The mifepristone pill is one option for medication abortion that can be purchased online and used at home.Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Abortion access is in the headlines after Politico released a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. advising the overturn of Roe v. Wade. On May 4, 2022, SciLine, a nonprofit,...

The Catholic Church's views on exorcism have changed – a religious studies scholar explains why

Written by Joseph P. Laycock, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University

A 19th-century engraving shows a cleric doing an exorcism against an evil spirit.Ipsumpix/Corbis via Getty Images

In September 2021, a 3-year-old was killed during an exorcism in a small Pentecostal church in San Jose, California. The child’s throat was allegedly squeezed and her head held down during the ceremony, which likely asphyxiated...

The big exodus of Ukrainian refugees isn't an accident – it's part of Putin's plan to destabilize Europe

Written by Mark A. Grey, Professor of Anthropology, University of Northern Iowa

Ukrainians fleeing the war walk toward a train in Krakow to bring them to Berlin on March 15, 2022. Omar Marques/Getty Images

More than 6.3 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia first invaded in late February 2022.

The European Union has welcomed Ukrainian refugees, allowing them to enter its 27 member countries without visas and...

Yorkicystis, the 500 million-year-old relative of starfish that lost its skeleton

Written by Samuel Zamora, Científico Titular (Paleontólogo), Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME - CSIC)

Reconstruction of the prehistoric *Yorkicystis haefneri* adapted from fossil evidence, created by Hugo Salais (Metazoa Studio).Samuel Zamora, CC BY-ND

After four years of digging for fossils in a churchyard in York, Pennsylvania, amateur paleontologist Chris Haefner made an intriguing find. “I knew it was worth keeping,” he said. He...

Nuclear isomers were discovered 100 years ago, and physicists are still unraveling their mysteries

Written by Artemis Spyrou, Professor of Nuclear Physics, Michigan State University

Protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus can be arranged in different configurations, creating nuclear isomers. KTSdesign/SciencePhotoLibrary via Getty Images

Nobel laureate Otto Hahn is credited with the discovery of nuclear fission. Fission is one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century, yet Hahn considered something else to be his...

How many bots are on Twitter? The question is difficult to answer and misses the point

Written by Kai-Cheng Yang, Doctoral Student in Informatics, Indiana University

Yes, worry about Twitter, but don't worry whether there are hordes of spambots running rampant there.gremlin/E+ via Getty Images

Twitter reports that fewer than 5% of accounts are fakes or spammers, commonly referred to as “bots.” Since his offer to buy Twitter was accepted, Elon Musk has repeatedly questioned these estimates, even...

The Heard v. Depp trial is not just a media spectacle – it is an opportunity to discuss the nuances of intimate partner violence

Written by Kellie Lynch, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio

The Depp v. Heard trial provides a chance to shine a light on intimate partner violence.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Strip away the celebrity intrigue and media frenzy, and the high-profile court battle between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard involves issues painfully familiar to many women and men across America.

The civil defamation...

Conflicts over language stretch far beyond Russia and Ukraine

Written by Stanley Dubinsky, Professor of Linguistics, University of South Carolina

In Canada, the French and English languages generally peacefully coexist.Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

One key element of the war between Russia and Ukraine is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that the two countries share not just history, but also a common language. Both are attempts to diminish Ukrainian...