The Conversation

How some Muslim and non-Muslim rappers alike embrace Islam's greeting of peace

Written by Margarita Guillory, Associate Professor of Religion, Boston University

Phife and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest perform in 1994.Tim Mosenfelder/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Ever since the United States’ “war on terror” began, American media has been rife with stereotypes of Muslims as violent, foreign threats. Advocates trying to push back against this characterization sometimes emphasize that...

Screen time is contributing to chronic sleep deprivation in tweens and teens – a pediatric sleep expert explains how critical sleep is to kids' mental health

Written by Maida Lynn Chen, Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington

When teens can’t sleep, they often scroll online well into the night, which only exacerbates the problem.ljubaphoto/E+ via Getty Images

With the start of a new school year comes the inevitable battle to get kids back into a healthy bedtime routine. In many cases, this likely means resetting boundaries on screen use, especially late in the...

AI scores in the top percentile of creative thinking

Written by Erik Guzik, Assistant Clinical Professor of Management, University of Montana

Creativity involves generating something new -- a product or solution that didn't previously exist.Maestria_diz/iStock via Getty Images

Of all the forms of human intellect that one might expect artificial intelligence to emulate, few people would likely place creativity at the top of their list. Creativity is wonderfully mysterious – and...

How educational research could play a greater role in K-12 school improvement

Written by Detris Honora Adelabu, Clinical Professor of Applied Human Development, Boston University

Billions of dollars are being spent on education research. Is it working?Fly View Productions/E+ via Getty Images

For the past 20 years, I have taught research methods in education to students here in the U.S. and in other countries. While the purpose of the course is to show students how to do effective research, the ultimate goal of the research...

India's Chandrayaan-3 landed on the south pole of the Moon − a space policy expert explains what this means for India and the global race to the Moon

Written by Mariel Borowitz, Associate Professor of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology

India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully touched down on the south pole of the Moon on Aug. 23, 2023, sparking celebrations across the country.AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

India made history as the first country to land near the south pole of the Moon with its Chandrayaan-3 lander on Aug. 23, 2023. This also makes it the first country to land on the...

Campus sexual assault prevention programs could do more to prevent violence, even after a decade-long federal mandate

Written by Heather Hensman Kettrey, Associate Professor of Sociology, Clemson University

Meghan Downey of Chatham protests on September 7, 2017, as then U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announces federal policy changes in rules for investigating sexual assault reports on college campuses.Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Ten years after a federal law required colleges and universities to offer sexual assault...

Waves of strikes rippling across the US seem big, but the total number of Americans walking off the job remains historically low

Written by Judith Stepan-Norris, Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of California, Irvine

Striking members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union in New York City in 1958.AP Photo

More than 323,000 workers – including nurses, actors, screenwriters, hotel cleaners and restaurant servers – walked off their jobs during the first eight months of 2023. Hundreds of thousands of the employees of delivery giant UPS would...

8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump's future and -- covertly, with dog whistles -- race

Written by Jordan Tama, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University School of International Service

Eight GOP candidates for president after they entered the debate hall in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023.Scott Olson/Getty Images

After weeks of speculation over who was going to participate, eight Republican candidates seeking their party’s presidential nomination appeared on stage together in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023, for the first debate of...

Wagner group's Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly died in private jet crash – if confirmed, it wouldn't be first time someone who crossed Putin met a suspicious demise

Written by Gregory F. Treverton, Professor of Practice in International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, photographed on June 24, 2023, in Russia.Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, reportedly died when a private jet he was said to be on crashed on Aug. 23, 2023, killing all 10 people on board.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency...

Secrets of the Octopus Garden: Moms nest at thermal springs to give their young the best chance for survival

Written by Amanda Kahn, Assistant Professor of Invertebrate Ecology at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San José State University

Two miles below the ocean surface off Monterey, California, warm water percolates from the seafloor at the base of an underwater mountain. It’s a magical place, especially if you’re an octopus.

In 2018, one of us, Amanda Kahn, was aboard the...