The Conversation

Rethinking polygamy – new research upends conventional thinking about the advantages of monogamous marriage

Written by David W. Lawson, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Most polygamous marriages are "polygynous," a union between one husband and multiple wives.HerminUtomo/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In July 2025, Uganda’s courts swiftly dismissed a petition challenging the legality of polygamy, citing the protection of religious and cultural freedom. For most social scientists and policymakers who have long...

Astronauts can get motion sick while splashing back down to Earth – virtual reality headsets could help them stay sharp

Written by Taylor Lonner, Ph.D. Candidate in Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Between adjusting to gravity and floating through choppy waves, returning to Earth from space can be nauseating. Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

When learning about the effects of spaceflight on human health, you typically will hear about the dangers of radiation, bone density loss and changes in eyesight. While these long-term risks are...

Flying is safe thanks to data and cooperation – here’s what the AI industry could learn from airlines on safety

Written by James Higgins, Professor of Aviation, University of North Dakota

Flying is routine and safe. Hard lessons were learned to make it that way.Vernon Yuen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Approximately 185,000 people have died in civilian aviation accidents since the advent of powered flight over a century ago. However, over the past five years among the U.S. airlines, the risk of dying was almost zero. In fact, you have a...

When coal smoke choked St. Louis, residents fought back − but it took time and money

Written by Robert Wyss, Professor Emeritus of Journalism, University of Connecticut

Scenes from downtown St. Louis on 'Black Tuesday,' Nov. 28, 1939, show how thick the smoke was even in the middle of the day.Missouri Historical Society

It was a morning unlike anything St. Louis had ever seen. Automobile traffic crawled as drivers struggled to peer through murky air. Buses, streetcars and trains ran an hour behind schedule....

The Erie Canal: How a ‘big ditch’ transformed America’s economy, culture and even religion

Written by Matthew Smith, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Miami University

The Erie Canal, seen here in Pittsford, N.Y., opened up western regions to trade, immigration and social change.Andre Carrotflower via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Two hundred years ago, on Oct. 26, 1825, New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton boarded a canal boat by the shores of Lake Erie. Amid boisterous festivities, his vessel, the Seneca Chief, embarked...

Why are women’s shoes so pointy? A fashion expert on impractical but stylish footwear

Written by Michael Watson, Interim Associate Chair and Instructor of Retailing, University of South Carolina

One thing uniting humans across history is their willingness to suffer for fashion.Victoria Kotlyarchuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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 ladies’ shoes so pointy? Feet and toes...

Space exploration in the backyard, on a budget – how NASA simulates conditions in space without blasting off

Written by Jordan Bretzfelder, Postdoctoral Fellow, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology

Analog missions, like those conducted at NASA's CHAPEA facility at the Johnson Space Center, help scientists study human spaceflight without leaving Earth. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Humanity’s drive to explore has taken us across the solar system, with astronaut boots, various landers and rovers’ wheels exploring the...

How mobsters’ own words brought down Philly’s mafia − a veteran crime reporter has the story behind the end of the ‘Mob War’

Written by George Anastasia, Adjunct Professor of Law and Justice Studies, Rowan University

Former mob boss John Stanfa, pictured here in 1980, waged a bloody war for control of the Philadelphia mafia in the late 1990s. Bettmann via Getty Images

The bloody mob war that is the focus of the new Netflix series “Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia,” which premieres Oct. 22, 2025, is full of the murder and mayhem, treachery and...

Pharaohs in Dixieland – how 19th-century America reimagined Egypt to justify racism and slavery

Written by Charles Vanthournout, Ph.D. Student in Ancient History, Université de Lorraine

In the American South, ancient Egypt and its pharaohs became a way to justify slavery.Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images

When Napoleon embarked upon a military expedition into Egypt in 1798, he brought with him a team of scholars, scientists and artists. Together, they produced the monumental “Description de l’Égypte,&rdqu...

Why is Halloween starting so much earlier each year? A business professor explains

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Halloween is a fun, scary time for children and adults alike – but why does the holiday seem to start so much earlier every year? Decades ago, when I was young, Halloween was a much smaller affair, and people didn’t start preparing until mid-October. Today, in my neighborhood near where I grew up in Massachusetts, Halloween decorations...