The Conversation

War in Gaza: An ethicist explains why you shouldn't turn to social media for information about the conflict or to do something about it

Written by Nir Eisikovits, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston

There has been a flood of images on social media about the Israel-Hamas war. NurPhoto via Getty Images

As the war between Israel and Hamas drags on, many on both sides have taken to social media to gather information and air their outrage. The impulse to do so is understandable: Political activism on social media provides people with an emotional...

Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy

Written by Joshua Jansa, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University

Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics – a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court – to be her “most important legacy.”

“The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene...

How to provide reliable water in a warming world – these cities are testing small-scale treatment systems and wastewater recycling

Written by Lu Liu, Assistant Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University

Water treatment doesn't have to be one large, citywide system.Deepblue4you/E+ via Getty Images

A lot can go wrong in a large urban water system. Pumps malfunction. Valves break. Pipes leak. Even when the system is functioning properly, water can sit in pipes for long periods of time. Water shortages are also a growing problem in a warming world, as...

Mutton, an Indigenous woolly dog, died in 1859 − new analysis confirms precolonial lineage of this extinct breed, once kept for their wool

Written by Audrey T. Lin, Research Associate in Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

Indigenous Coast Salish women wove woolly dogs' fur into blankets.Artist's reconstruction by Karen Carr

Dogs have been in the Americas for more than 10,000 years. They were already domesticated when they came from Eurasia with the first people to reach North America. In the coastal parts of present-day Washington state and southwestern British...

Release of Alberto Fujimori in Peru rekindles fears of backsliding on human rights

Written by Ñusta Carranza Ko, Assistant Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Baltimore

A frail but free Alberto Fujimori.Renato Pajuelo/AFP via Getty Images

The release from prison of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori on Dec. 6, 2023, has sparked concern over Peru’s commitment to human rights.

The move came a a day after the Constitutional Tribunal of Peru ruled that the 85-year-old, who was serving a 25-year sentence...

When authoritative sources hold onto bad data: A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information

Written by Janet Freilich, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University

Government information sources like the U.S. patent database often file bad information without labeling it or providing a way to retract it.Thinglass/iStock via Getty Images

In 2004, Hwang Woo-suk was celebrated for his breakthrough discovery creating cloned human embryos, and his work was published in the prestigious journal Science. But the...

Winter brings more than just ugly sweaters – here's how the season can affect your mind and behavior

Written by Michael Varnum, Associate Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University

Short winter days can influence your brain chemistry.Schon/Moment via Getty Images

What comes to mind when you think about winter? Snowflakes? Mittens? Reindeer? In much of the Northern Hemisphere, winter means colder temperatures, shorter days and year-end holidays.

Along with these changes, a growing body of research in psychology and related...

Artificial light lures migrating birds into cities, where they face a gauntlet of threats

Written by Carolyn S. Burt, Convergence Research Coordinator, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University

The New York City borough of Manhattan at night, viewed from the Rockefeller Center observation deck.Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Light pollution has steadily intensified and expanded from urban areas, and with the advent of LED lighting, it is growing in North America by up to 10% per year, as measured by the...

Why federal efforts to protect schools from cybersecurity threats fall short

Written by Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro

The cost of safeguarding America's schools from cybercriminals could run as high as $5 billion.boonchai wedmakawand via Getty Images

In August 2023, the White House announced a plan to bolster cybersecurity in K-12 schools – and with good reason. Between 2018 and mid-September 2023, there were 386 recorded cyberattacks in the U.S. education...

4 business lessons from the Boston Tea Party

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Clinical Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University

December 2023 marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, one of the most famous events leading up to the Revolutionary War. On the night of Dec. 16, 1773, Colonists marched aboard three ships and threw more than 90,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. No one died, and the only things injured were the tea leaves, but this event helped...