The Conversation

Even presidents need a touch of madness − in March

Written by Daniel Palazzolo, Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

Then-Vice President Joe Biden at the NCAA men's Final Four semifinal between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Syracuse Orange on April 2, 2016, in Houston. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Why would a president faced with lingering inflation at home and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, among other problems, take time out to participate in the ann...

Purim’s original queen: How studying the Book of Esther as fan fiction can teach us about the roots of an unruly Jewish festival

Written by Esther Brownsmith, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton

Esther denouncing Haman, who, according to the Purim story, attempted to have all Jews within the Persian Empire massacred. Hutchinson's History of the Nations/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Once upon a time, in the ancient Near East, there was a beautiful queen.

Scribes wrote of her lovely form, her regal majesty...

For centuries, owls were considered to bring bad luck in many cultures as well as in the US, but the outpouring of grief in New York over Flaco shows how times have changed

Written by Arjun Guneratne, Professor of Anthropology, Macalester College

Tributes left at a memorial for Flaco the owl in Central Park in New York.AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

There has been an outpouring of grief in New York City ever since the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl Flaco died on Feb. 23, 2024, after striking a building. In 2023, after escaping from Central Park Zoo, Flaco survived for over a year on his own,...

Why are Americans fighting over no-fault divorce? Maybe they can’t agree what marriage is for

Written by Marcia Zug, Professor of Family Law, University of South Carolina

“First comes love, then comes marriage” – so goes the classic children’s rhyme. But not everyone agrees. Increasingly, the idea that love is the most important reason to marry – or at least to stay married – is under attack. Republican pundits and lawmakers have been pushing back on the availability of no-fault...

James Clavell’s ‘Shōgun’ is reimagined for a new generation of TV viewers

Written by Constantine Nomikos Vaporis, Professor of History, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Actress Anna Sawai, who plays Mariko in FX's 'Shōgun,' attends the Los Angeles premiere of the series on Feb. 13, 2024.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

In 1980, when James Clavell’s blockbuster historical novel “Shōgun” was turned into a TV miniseries, some 33% of American households with a television tuned in. It quickly...

Legislative inaction and dissatisfaction with one-party control lead to more issues going directly to voters in ballot initiatives, with 60% of them in six states

Written by Thom Reilly, Professor & Co-Director, Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University

A home in rural Bingham, Maine, displays signs protesting a Quebec-to-New England hydropower corridor that voters rejected in a referendum vote. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Recent polls show Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with their system of representative democracy, in which they choose candidates to represent their interests once in...

How safe are your solar eclipse glasses? Cheap fakes from online marketplaces pose a threat, supply-chain experts say

Written by Yao "Henry" Jin, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, Miami University

Don't trust. Verify.Andrew Holt/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Americans from Maine to Texas are set for a rare treat on April 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse will be visible across much of the U.S.

In ancient times, eclipse-viewers thought they were watching the Sun be eaten by wolves, a dragon or a demon.

Of course, we now know that the Sun...

New studies suggest millions with mild cognitive impairment go undiagnosed, often until it’s too late

Written by Soeren Mattke, Director of the USC Dornsife Brain Health Observatory, University of Southern California

Mild cognitive impairment can be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.ivanastar/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Mild cognitive impairment – an early stage of dementia – is widely underdiagnosed in people 65 and older. That is the key takeaway of two recent studies from our team.

In the first study, we used Medicare data...

California is wrestling with electricity prices – here’s how to design a system that covers the cost of fixing the grid while keeping prices fair

Written by Yihsu Chen, Professor of Technology Management in Sustainability, University of California, Santa Cruz

As more homes like these in Folsom, Calif., add solar power, electricity pricing becomes more complicated.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Small-scale solar power, also known as rooftop or distributed solar, has grown considerably in the U.S. over the past decade. It provides electricity without emitting air pollutants or climate-warming greenhouse gases,...

What Article 23 means for the future of Hong Kong and its once vibrant pro-democracy movement

Written by Michael C. Davis, Professor of Law and International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University

Lawmakers in Hong Kong passed new security legislation on March 19, 2024, handing authorities in the semi-autonomous city-state further power to clamp down on dissent.

The law, under Article 23, has been decades in the making but was resisted for a long time by protesters who feared the legislation’s effect on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a...