The Conversation

From Stonewall to Pride, the fight for equal rights has been rooted in resistance led by Black transwomen

Written by Deion Scott Hawkins, Assistant Professor of Argumentation & Advocacy, Emerson College

An unidentified participant in a New York City Pride March during the 1980s. Mariett Pathy Allen/Getty Images

Its unclear who threw the first brick at Stonewall Inn on that night in New York City that arguably launched the gay rights liberation movement.

As part of queer lore, Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transwoman at the forefront of gay...

Inside the grogue wars of Cabo Verde

Written by Brandon D. Lundy, Professor of Anthropology, Kennesaw State University

Grogue, the national drink of Cabo Verde, is a spirit distilled from sugar cane.Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

At what point does a craft spirit no longer qualify as craft?

For centuries on the archipelago nation Cabo Verde off Africa’s west coast, farmers have produced a sugar cane-based craft spirit known...

By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance

Written by Julian Avery, Associate Research Professor of Wildlife Conservation, Penn State

An eastern box turtle crossing a rural Pennsylvania road.Julian Avery, CC BY-ND

For anyone who enjoys nature, summer is a fascinating time to be outside. Animals are on the move: Turtles are nesting, baby birds are testing their wings, snakes are foraging and young mammals are emerging.

In central Pennsylvania, where I live, last year’s...

Visual misinformation is widespread on Facebook – and often undercounted by researchers

Written by Yunkang Yang, Assistant Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University

If your instincts say a lot of images on Facebook are misleading, you're right.AP Photo/Jenny Kane

How much misinformation is on Facebook? Several studies have found that the amount of misinformation on Facebook is low or that the problem has declined over time.

This previous work, though, missed most of the story.

We are a communications researcher,...

Is it legal to sell human remains?

Written by Tanya D. Marsh, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

The handling and disposition of human bodies raises all sorts of ethical and legal questions.Jupiterimages/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Four individuals were charged with federal crimes in June 2023 related to the “unlawful transport” across state lines of human remains taken from the Harvard Medical School morgue. This indictment...

3 myths about immigration in America

Written by April Nisan Ilkmen, PhD Candidate in Couple and Family Therapy, Adler University

A family of Syrian refugees arrive at their new home in Bloomfield, Mich., in 2015.Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

The U.S. is – and long has been – a pluralistic society that contains large immigrant communities.

Yet migration is an actively debated but poorly understood topic, and much of the conventional thinking and political rhetoric...

A 2003 Supreme Court decision upholding affirmative action planted the seeds of its overturning, as justices then and now thought racism an easily solved problem

Written by Kenneth L. Shropshire, Professor Emeritus of Legal Studies and Business Ethics; Faculty Director, Wharton Coalition for Equity & Opportunity, University of Pennsylvania

The Supreme Court issued a decision on June 29, 2023, that ends affirmative action in college admissions.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In an anticipated but nonetheless stunning decision expected to have widespread implications on college campuses and workplaces across the country, the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 2023,...

IceCube neutrino detector in Antarctica spots first high-energy neutrinos emitted in our own Milky Way galaxy

Written by Jim Madsen, Executive Director, Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Scientists have detected the first neutrinos from our galaxy.NSF/IceCube

The South Pole IceCube Neutrino Observatory – the biggest and strangest telescope in the world – has detected the first neutrino emissions from within the Milky Way, an achievement that will shape how astronomers view our galaxy.

Neutrinos are tiny, electrically...

Researchers can learn a lot with your genetic information, even when you skip survey questions – yesterday's mode of informed consent doesn't quite fit today's biobank studies

Written by Robbee Wedow, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Data Science, Purdue University

Participants in biobank studies are often asked for broad consent to use their data.Science Photo Library - TEK IMAGE/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images

Imagine you agreed to be part of a new and exciting long-term research study to better understand human health and behavior. For the past few years, you’ve been visiting a collection site...

Yes, debates do help voters decide – and candidates are increasingly reluctant to participate

Written by Gibbs Knotts, Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston

Republican nominee Donald Trump gestures as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton looks on during the final presidential debate in 2016. Mark Ralston/ AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump’s threat to skip the first Republican presidential debate, scheduled for Aug. 23, 2023, may be a sign that candidate debates will be the next...