The Conversation

Gov. Josh Shapiro has a reputation for getting things done in Pennsylvania – but not necessarily things all Democrats like

Written by Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

Josh Shapiro's political ambitions were clear since his college days.Hannah Beier/Getty Images

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s place on the short list of potential Democratic vice presidential nominees has vaulted him to a national profile. That’s not surprising to someone like me who follows Pennsylvania politics closely.

Shapiro is no...

‘House of the Dragon’ was inspired by the chaos of the Middle Ages, a world without law and order

Written by David Routt, Adjunct Professor of History, University of Richmond

Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith, finds himself in the middle of an internecine struggle between two warring families.Ollie Upton/HBO

Students in my medieval history courses often wonder whether historical reality can be gleaned from medieval cinematic fantasy.

I tell them that fantasy does not aspire to historical verisimilitude. But it can...

Psilocybin legislation is helping psychedelic drugs make a comeback – a drug researcher explains the challenges they face

Written by Benjamin Y. Fong, Drug Researcher and Honors Faculty Fellow, Arizona State University

Psilocybin mushrooms have been approved for therapeutic use in Oregon and Colorado.The Washington Post via Getty Images

An operations manager finds relief from her depression with the help of psilocybin, the primary psychoactive component of “magic mushrooms.” A veteran conquers his post-traumatic stress disorder through therapy using...

Trump supporters wasted no time in claiming Kamala Harris is ineligible to be president, but they’re wrong

Written by Charlie Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

Opponents of the presidential bids of both Kamala Harris and Barack Obama falsely asserted they weren't legally qualified to be president.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

You may have heard the rumor that Kamala Harris isn’t eligible to be president because neither of her parents was born in the United States and they had unclear citizenship...

CAPTCHAs: The struggle to tell real humans from fake

Written by Tam Nguyen, Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Dayton

It's not easy for computers to tell humans from other computers posing as humans.Andrii Shelenkov/Stock via Getty Images

CAPTCHAs are those now ubiquitous challenges you encounter to prove that you’re a human and not a bot when you go to log in to many websites.

Websites and mobile apps have long been attacked by bots on a massive scale. Those...

The French baron who revived the Olympics believed they were more than sport – they were a religion of perfection and peace

Written by Jeffrey Scholes, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Athletes line up for a 100-meter race at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, always envisioned the Games as much more than the sum of their parts. “Olympism,” as he coined it, was a new type of religion – one shorn of gods, yet...

Missy Elliott tours as a headliner − and it’s about time

Written by Elliott H. Powell, Associate Professor American Studies and Asian American Studies, University of Minnesota

Missy Elliott's music tells stories of Black cyborgs, space-time travel and postapocalyptic worlds. Prince Williams/WireImage via Getty Images

Missy Elliott’s first-ever headline tour, which stops in Philadelphia on Aug. 5, 2024, comes nearly three decades after she released her debut album, “Supa Dupa Fly,” in 1997.

For a...

Sustainability and resilience: What do they mean, and how do they matter for policy?

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, & Interim Head, Department of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology

“Sustainability” and “resilience” have become buzzwords in recent years, but many people don’t know what either term really means. As an economist who studies environmental issues, I believe an important first step to solving any problem is to define your terms clearly.

Although laypeople often use them...

Olympic arson attacks highlight growing danger of low-tech terrorism on public transit systems

Written by Sara Harmouch, Ph.D. candidate in Public Affairs, American University

Outside the Gare de Montparnasse train station, ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris following rail network arson attacks.AP Photo/Yasin Dar

As the Olympic torch was carried toward Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, flames of another kind were causing concern for the city’s security chiefs. On the eve of the July 26 opening ceremony, a...

7-nation prisoner swap shows how diplomacy, not law, governs exchanges

Written by William E. Butler, Distinguished Professor of Law, Penn State

President Joe Biden, joined by relatives of prisoners freed by Russia, delivers remarks about the prisoner swap on Aug. 1, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other Americans were freed from Russia in a prisoner exchange on Aug. 1, 2024. In total, 24 prisoners, including 12 German nationals and...