The Conversation

Debates over sacred images in the Byzantine Empire show why it's hard to appease any side

Written by Paroma Chatterjee, Associate Professor of History of Art, University of Michigan

The depiction of Prophet Muhammad at Hamline University has opened up a debate about what sacred images can or cannot be shown in a classroom.Friscocali via Flickr, CC BY-NC

An adjunct lecturer at Hamline University recently lost her job for showing an image of Prophet Muhammad in an art history class, which some students and administrators...

Prince Harry's kill count revelation could spark important discussions about war's effects on soldiers

Written by L. William Uhl, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, United States Air Force Academy

Prince Harry's new book "Spare" is stirring discussion about whether he should have revealed the number of warfighters that he killed.Anwar Hussein / Getty Images

When Prince Harry revealed in his new book, “Spare,” that he killed 25 Taliban fighters as an Apache helicopter pilot, he compared their deaths to “chess pieces removed...

US will give military tanks to Ukraine, signaling Western powers' long-term commitment to thwarting Russia

Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

M1 Abrams, a third-generation American main battle tanks, are seen in Poland in September 2022. Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 25, 2023, that the U.S. would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine – following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repeated requests for more military tanks...

COVID-19 deaths in the US continue to be undercounted, research shows, despite claims of 'overcounts'

Written by Andrew Stokes, Assistant Professor of Global Health, Boston University

An accurate count of COVID-19 deaths is critical both scientifically and politically. Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, a recurring topic of debate has been whether official COVID-19 death statistics in the U.S. accurately capture the fatalities associated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus...

Even bivalent updated COVID-19 boosters struggle to prevent omicron subvariant transmission – an immunologist discusses why new approaches are necessary

Written by Matthew Woodruff, Instructor of Human Immunology, Emory University

The FDA is proposing an annual shot against COVID-19, signaling that a new approach is needed.wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

By almost any measure, the vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been a global success.

As of January 2023, more than 12 billion vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been...

Fossil teeth reveal how brains developed in utero over millions of years of human evolution – new research

Written by Tesla Monson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Western Washington University

Any hominid fossil find with molar teeth can be plugged into a new equation that reveals its species' prenatal growth rate.Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images

Fossilized bones help tell the story of what human beings and our predecessors were doing hundreds of thousands of years ago. But how can you learn about important parts of our...

The SAT and ACT are less important than you might think

Written by Mary L. Churchill, Associate Dean, Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement and Professor of the Practice, Boston University

Whether on paper or computerized, standardized tests may be in decline.Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

College admission tests are becoming a thing of the past.

More than 80% of U.S. colleges and universities do not require applicants to take standardized tests – like the SAT or the ACT. That proportion of institutions with...

Calls for Pope Benedict's sainthood make canonizing popes seem like the norm – but it's a long and politically fraught process

Written by Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

People pray in front of the tomb of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI inside the grottos of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, on Jan. 8, 2023.AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Like many others around the world, I watched the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI live on the internet. Before the service began, an unexpected announcement came over the...

Starbucks fans are steamed: The psychology behind why changes to a rewards program are stirring up anger, even though many will get grande benefits

Written by H. Sami Karaca, Professor of Business Analytics, Boston University

The rewards price to get a free cup of hot coffee at Starbucks is going up. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Starbucks, the coffee chain giant, is modifying its rewards program, and the news is full of stories of outraged consumers.

The main focus of their ire is that, starting Feb. 13, 2023, it will cost twice as many of the program’s reward points,...

Atlanta's BeltLine shows how urban parks can drive 'green gentrification' if cities don't think about affordable housing at the start

Written by Dan Immergluck, Professor of Urban Studies, Georgia State University

A pedestrian walking along the BeltLine in Atlanta on Feb. 17, 2016, passes townhomes under construction. AP Photo/David Goldman

Is Atlanta a good place to live? Recent rankings certainly say so. In September 2022, Money magazine rated Atlanta the best place to live in the U.S., based on its strong labor market and job growth. The National...