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US and Cuba spar over jailed dissident – but is José Daniel Ferrer really a political prisoner?

  • Written by María Isabel Alfonso, Professor of Spanish, St. Joseph's College of New York
Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer was a US ally in Cuba during the Obama-era restoration of diplomatic and economic ties with the Island.Sven Creutzmann/Getty Images

Cuba and the United States are in dispute over the prolonged detention of a Cuban dissident.

José Daniel Ferrer, head of an opposition group called Patriotic Union of Cuba, has...

Read more: US and Cuba spar over jailed dissident – but is José Daniel Ferrer really a political prisoner?

A brief history of black names, from Perlie to Latasha

  • Written by Trevon Logan, Hazel C. Youngberg Distinguished Professor of Economics, The Ohio State University
Black names have changed over the centuries.fizkes/Shutterstock.com

Most people recognize that there are first names given almost exclusively by black Americans to their children, such as Jamal and Latasha.

While fodder for comedians and social commentary, many have assumed that these distinctively black names are a modern phenomenon. My research...

Read more: A brief history of black names, from Perlie to Latasha

Why California is banning chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide: 5 questions answered

  • Written by Gina Solomon, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Starting Feb. 6, 2020, California growers will be barred from using the insecticide chlorpyrifos on grapes and other crops.AP Photo/Eric Risberg

Editor’s note: California, the top U.S. food-producing state, is ending use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide associated with neurodevelopmental problems and impaired brain function in children. Gina...

Read more: Why California is banning chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide: 5 questions answered

Victorian efforts to export animals to new worlds failed, mostly

  • Written by Harriet Ritvo, Professor of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A murmuration of starlings over West Pier in Brighton England. Lois GoBe/Shutterstock.com

In 1890, a New York bird enthusiast released several dozen starlings in Central Park. No one knows for sure why Eugene Schieffelin set the birds aloft, but he may have been motivated by a sentimental desire to make the American Northeast more like the English...

Read more: Victorian efforts to export animals to new worlds failed, mostly

Silicon Valley's latest fad is dopamine fasting – and that may not be as crazy as it sounds

  • Written by A. Trevor Sutton, Ph.D. Student in Doctrinal Theology, Concordia Seminary
Dopamine fasting, the newest fad to hit Silicon Valley, is being used as a way to get over addictive habits.SewCream/Shutterstock.com

Silicon Valley’s newest fad is dopamine fasting, or temporarily abstaining from “addictive” activities such as social media, music, internet gaming – even food.

Twitter’s CEO, Jack...

Read more: Silicon Valley's latest fad is dopamine fasting – and that may not be as crazy as it sounds

Is it OK for teens to drink coffee?

  • Written by Jennifer L. Temple, Associate Professor of Nutrition; Director, Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Too much caffeine interferes with sleep.Luis Molinero/Shutterstock.com

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 it OK for teens to drink coffee? – Lucy G., Arlington, Virginia

When my daughter was around 14 years old, she...

Read more: Is it OK for teens to drink coffee?

The dramatic dismissal of a landmark youth climate lawsuit might not close the book on that case

  • Written by Mary Wood, Philip H. Knight Professor of Law, University of Oregon
The legal battle these young plaintiffs are waging might not be over yet.AP Photo/Steve Dipaola

A sharply divided panel of three federal judges on Jan. 17 dismissed a high-profile climate lawsuit brought on behalf of 21 young people against the federal government.

The Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals’ ruling accepted with unusual...

Read more: The dramatic dismissal of a landmark youth climate lawsuit might not close the book on that case

Snakes could be the original source of the new coronavirus outbreak in China

  • Written by Haitao Guo, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh
Chinese cobra (_Naja atra_) with hood spread.Briston/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

Snakes – the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra – may be the original source of the newly discovered coronavirus that has triggered an outbreak of a deadly infectious respiratory illness in China this winter.

The many-banded krait (Bungarus multicinctus), also...

Read more: Snakes could be the original source of the new coronavirus outbreak in China

Can capitalism solve capitalism’s problems?

  • Written by Elizabeth Schmidt, Professor of Practice, Nonprofit Organizations; Social & Environmental Enterprises, University of Massachusetts Amherst
A session at Davos highlighted the consequences of capitalism. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Capitalism is in trouble – at least judging by recent polls.

A majority of American millennials reject the economic system, while 55% of women age 18 to 54 say they prefer socialism. More Democrats now have a positive view of socialism than...

Read more: Can capitalism solve capitalism’s problems?

Ozzy Osbourne has a type of Parkinson's disease called Parkin: A neurologist explains

  • Written by Michael Okun, Professor of Neurology, University of Florida
Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon Osbourne after Ozzy received a Golden God Award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony in London on June 11, 2018.Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP Photo

For many, hearing the word “Parkinson’s” conjures an image of tremors. But Parkinson’s disease, brought about by loss of nerve and other brain...

Read more: Ozzy Osbourne has a type of Parkinson's disease called Parkin: A neurologist explains

More Articles ...

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  2. If the Romance Writers of America can implode over racism, no group is safe
  3. What a bundle of buzzing bees can teach engineers about robotic materials
  4. Stoneflies and mayflies, canaries of our streams
  5. When politicians turn immigration into a 'crisis,' they hurt their own people
  6. Snacks after youth sports add more calories than kids burn while playing, study says
  7. Is secondhand screen time the new secondhand smoking?
  8. Where are the Hispanic executives?
  9. Is it ethical to show Holocaust images?
  10. Giving is changing as philanthropy faces more scrutiny
  11. Vital Hasson, the Jew who worked for the Nazis, hunted down refugees and tore apart families in WWII Greece
  12. There's more than one good way to teach kids how to read
  13. Iceland didn't hunt any whales in 2019 – and public appetite for whale meat is fading
  14. Veterans, refugees and victims of war crimes are all vulnerable to PTSD
  15. Even planets have their (size) limits
  16. What to think when you're thinking about impeachment: 5 essential reads
  17. Native people did not use fire to shape New England's landscape
  18. Impeachment trial senators swear an oath aimed at guarding 'against malice, falsehood, and evasion'
  19. Bill de Blasio's bagel gaffe and the fraught politics of food
  20. 'Lennon Walls' herald a sticky-note revolution in Hong Kong
  21. How a heritage of black preaching shaped MLK's voice in calling for justice
  22. Why bosses should let employees surf the web at work
  23. Identifying aquatic plants with drones could be the key to reducing a parasitic infection in people
  24. What is a bar mitzvah?
  25. I asked people why they don't vote, and this is what they told me
  26. A Navy scandal sheds light on the nature of bribery and the limits of free speech
  27. Black kids and suicide: Why are rates so high, and so ignored?
  28. The first step in managing plastic waste is measuring it – here's how we did it for one Caribbean country
  29. Why teen depression rates are rising faster for girls than boys
  30. US and Iran have a long, troubled history
  31. Why you need more Vitamin D in the winter
  32. Why do onions make you cry?
  33. What do we want? Unbiased reporting! When do we want it? During protests!
  34. US-China trade pact President Trump just signed fails to resolve 3 fundamental issues
  35. Russia's cabinet resigns and it's all part of Putin's plan
  36. Screen time: Conclusions about the effects of digital media are often incomplete, irrelevant or wrong
  37. What Iranians think of the US and their own government
  38. Supreme Court DACA decision isn't just about Dreamers -- it's about whether the White House has to tell the truth
  39. Who is born a US citizen?
  40. An old debate over religion in school is opening up again
  41. Meet the narwhal, 'unicorn of the sea'
  42. Why fitness trackers may not give you all the 'credit' you hoped for
  43. 3 quotes that defined the first Democratic debate of 2020
  44. Earthquake forecast for Puerto Rico: Dozens more large aftershocks are likely
  45. Worrying about being drafted doesn't mean you're disloyal – it's an old American tradition
  46. Parental leave laws are failing single parents
  47. How Prohibition changed the way Americans drink, 100 years ago
  48. 'Uncut Gems' celebrates Manhattan’s Diamond District, a neighborhood that's a window into the past
  49. Think twice before shouting your virtues online – moral grandstanding is toxic
  50. Being copycats might be key to being human