The Conversation

Brexit could spell the end of globalization, and the global prosperity that came with it

Written by William Hauk, Associate Professor of Economics, University of South Carolina

Many fear the U.K. will be worse off economically outside the EU.AP Photo/Matt Dunham

The U.K. House of Commons has finally voted for Brexit. If the plan passes the House of Lords without much delay, the U.K. will leave the European Union several years after a 2016 referendum set it down this path.

More than merely tossing aside the EU, this vote...

Cyberspace is the next front in Iran-US conflict – and private companies may bear the brunt

Written by Bryan Cunningham, Executive Director of the Cyber Security Policy & Research Institute, University of California, Irvine

In the wake of U.S. killings, Iran's supreme leader vowed 'harsh revenge' – which could come in the form of cyber attacks.Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

Iran and other nations have waged a stealth cyberwar against the United States for at least the past decade, largely targeting not the government itself but, rather, critical...

Why are there seven days in a week?

Written by Kristin Heineman, Instructor in History, Colorado State University

Your calendar dates back to Babylonian times. Aleksandra Pikalova/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.

Why are there seven days in a week? – Henry E., age 8, Somerville, Massachusetts

Waiting for the weekend...

Weinstein jurors must differentiate between consent and compliance – which research shows isn't easy

Written by Vanessa K. Bohns, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Cornell University

The jury at the Weinstein trial will have to check their biases about consent.Aleutie/Shutterstock.com

Did the women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault consent to his sexual advances of their own free will, or were they coerced?

Jurors’ answers to this question will be critical in determining the outcome of Weinstein’s trial,...

Large turnouts for Soleimani’s funeral in Iran carry powerful collective emotions – just as Americans saw during the colonial era

Written by G. Patrick O'Brien, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Ave Maria University

Coffins of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and others are carried on a truck surrounded by mourners.Majid Saeedi via Getty Images

Massive crowds took to the streets of Iranian cities to mourn the death of Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone in Iraq on Jan. 3.

State television reported “millions” of Iranians attended...

Killing of Soleimani evokes dark history of political assassinations in the formative days of Shiite Islam

Written by Deina Abdelkader, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Iranians publicly mourn the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani four days after he was killed in a US drone strike, Jan 7., 2020. Babek Jeddi/SOPA Images via Getty

Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who promoted the religious and political influence of the Iranian regime across the Middle East with covert military operations, was an important figure in the Iranian...

Why some public universities get to keep their donors secret

Written by Alexa Capeloto, Associate Professor of Journalism, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

The Charles Koch Foundation had a say in some GMU faculty hires. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

In April 2018, the public learned that George Mason University had let the Charles Koch Foundation have a say in the hiring and review of faculty. The revelation confirmed long-held suspicions that Virginia’s largest public university was...

The made-up crisis behind the state takeover of Houston's public schools

Written by Domingo Morel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University Newark

The State of Texas is in a legal battle to seize power from the Houston public school board.Eakrin Rasadonyindee/Shutterstock.com

If the state of Texas had its way, the state would be in the process of taking over the Houston Independent School District.

But a judge temporarily blocked the takeover on Jan. 8, with the issue now set to be decided at...

We're living in the bizarre world that Flaubert envisioned

Written by Susanna Lee, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Georgetown University

'I want to produce such an impression of utter weariness and ennui that my readers will imagine the book could only have been written by a cretin,' Flaubert wrote.Photo by Nadar / ullstein bild via Getty Images

Are we all trapped in a live-action version of Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary”?

The Jan. 3 assassination of Iranian General...

Your blood type may influence your vulnerability to norovirus, the winter vomiting virus

Written by Patricia L. Foster, Professor Emerita of Biology, Indiana University

Projectile vomiting is common with norovirus.Elnur/Shutterstock.com

In the last few months, schools all over the country have closed because of outbreaks of norovirus. Also known as stomach flu, norovirus infections cause watery diarrhea, low-grade fever and, most alarming of all, projectile vomiting, which is an extremely effective way of spreading...