The Conversation

Can animals have mental disabilities?

Written by Rachel Blaser, Professor of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior, University of San Diego

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.

Are there any animals with mental disabilities? – Adria G.

Max was a fun-loving Labrador retriever who enjoyed going for car rides and greeting clients at his owner’s office. But...

How Roman society integrated people who altered their bodies and defied gender norms

Written by Tom Sapsford, Assistant professor of Classical Studies, Boston College

A relief showing a gallus making sacrifices to the goddess Cybele and Attis.Sailko via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

A few weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders restricting the rights of trans workers in the federal government. The first was a renewal of the ban on transgender people joining the U.S. military &nda...

The quest to extend human life is both fascinating and fraught with moral peril

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has made it his life's mission to delay aging and death.Netflix

“Who wants to live forever?” Freddie Mercury mournfully asks in Queen’s 1986 song of the same name.

The answer: Quite a few people – so much so that life extension has long been a cottage industry.

As a physician and scholar in...

I went to CPAC as an anthropologist to see how Trump supporters are feeling − for them, a ‘golden age’ has begun

Written by Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University - Newark

Attendees take selfies at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 20, 2025. Andrew Harnick/Getty Images

At the start of his inaugural address on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump declared, “The golden age of America begins right now!”

A month later, Trump’s supporters gathered at the annual Conse...

Trump’s moves to strip employment protections from federal workers threaten to make government function worse – not better

Written by James L. Perry, Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Emeritus, Indiana University

Federal workers' jobs may become more precarious than in the past.mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

On top of efforts to fire potentially tens of thousands of federal workers, an early executive order from President Donald Trump’s second term seeks to reclassify the employment status of as many as 50,000 other federal workers...

Brazil coup charges could end Bolsonaro’s political career − but they won’t extinguish Bolsonarismo

Written by Anthony Pereira, Director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University

The former president looked disappointed on Jan. 18, 2025, after a judge denied his request to travel to the U.S. for Donald Trump's inauguration.Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images

Brazilian politics are getting more dramatic again.

The South American country’s attorney general filed five criminal charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro...

A Palestinian film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?

Written by Drew Paul, Associate Professor of Arabic, University of Tennessee

Directors Basel Adra, left, and Yuval Abraham on stage at the 62nd New York Film Festival on Sept. 29, 2024.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar nomination is a golden ticket.

The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals and sales.

However, for “No...

A Palestinian-Israeli film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?

Written by Drew Paul, Associate Professor of Arabic, University of Tennessee

Directors Basel Adra, left, and Yuval Abraham on stage at the 62nd New York Film Festival on Sept. 29, 2024.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar nomination is a golden ticket.

The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals and sales.

However, for “No...

We study mass surveillance for social control, and we see Trump laying the groundwork to ‘contain’ people of color and immigrants

Written by Brittany Friedman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California

Black and Latino communities are disproportionately affected by mass surveillance, studies show.Vicente Méndez/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has vowed to target his political enemies, and experts have warned that he could weaponize U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct mass surveillance on his targets.

Mass surveillance is the...

Survey shows immigrants in Florida – even US citizens – are less likely to seek health care after passage of anti-immigrant laws

Written by Elizabeth Aranda, Professor of Sociology, University of South Florida

For decades, many U.S. immigrants have received subpar health care, and asking about immigration status can make those disparities worse.Maskot via Getty Images

Since arriving in the United States four years ago, Alex has worked at a primary care office. He has witnessed firsthand how difficult it was for immigrants to access preventive care.

When...