The Conversation

How Valentine’s Day was transformed by the Industrial Revolution and ‘manufactured intimacy’

Written by Christopher Ferguson, Associate Professor of History, Auburn University

A popular Victorian-era Valentine Day's card.Valentine Card by Jonathan King,1860-1880, London Museum., CC BY

When we think of Valentine’s Day, chubby Cupids, hearts and roses generally come to mind, not industrial processes like mass production and the division of labor. Yet the latter were essential to the holiday’s history.

As a...

Why federal courts are unlikely to save democracy from Trump’s and Musk’s attacks

Written by Maya Sen, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Many people may look to federal courts as a bulwark of the U.S. Constitution.Jose Luis Pelaez/Stone via Getty Images

State governments, community groups, advocacy nonprofits and regular Americans have filed a large and growing number of federal lawsuits opposing President Donald Trump’s barrage of executive orders and policy statements. Some...

How much does scientific progress cost? Without government dollars for research infrastructure, breakthroughs become improbable

Written by Aliasger K. Salem, Bighley Chair and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iowa

America may not maintain its position as a global leader in biomedical research without federal support.Sean Gladwell/Moment via Getty Images

Biomedical research in the U.S. is world-class in part because of a long-standing partnership between universities and the federal government.

On Feb. 7, 2025, the U.S. National Institutes of Health issued a...

In spite of anti-DEI pressures, top corporations continued to diversify in 2024: new research

Written by Richie Zweigenhaft, Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Guilford College

Despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning affirmative action in college admissions, and mounting pressure on corporations to eliminate their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the top 50 Fortune 500 companies continued to diversify their boards in 2024.

As a social psychologist, I’ve been tracking diversity on...

China flexes its media muscle in Africa – encouraging positive headlines as part of a soft power agenda

Written by Mitchell Gallagher, Ph.D Candidate in Political Science, Wayne State University

An African journalist films President Xi Jinping delivering an opening ceremony speech for the China-Africa forum in Beijing in September 2024.AP Photo/Andy Wong

Every year, China’s minister of foreign affairs embarks on what has now become a customary odyssey across Africa. The tradition began in the late 1980s and sees Beijing’s top...

Repatriation to Indigenous groups is more than law, it’s human rights − an archaeologist describes the day that lesson hit home

Written by Christopher Wolff, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University at Albany, State University of New York

Leola One Feather of the Oglala Sioux Tribe observes as Native American artifacts are photographed at the Founders Museum in Barre, Mass., in 2022, before their return.AP Photo/Philip Marcelo

As an archaeologist, you picture yourself traveling to some remote location, digging into the ground, and returning to a lab in a university or museum to...

Teenagers turning to AI companions are redefining love as easy, unconditional and always there

Written by Anna Mae Duane, Professor of English, University of Connecticut

Can a person love an AI chatbot?RLT_Images/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Teenagers are falling in love with chatbots. Young people are reporting epidemic levels of loneliness, and some are turning to technology to fill the void. Recent tragedies provide a glimpse into the extent of this trend and the dangers it poses.

A 14-year-old boy&rsquo...

Address science misinformation not by repeating the facts, but by building conversation and community

Written by Anne Toomey, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Science, Pace University

Using communication strategies that tap into people's social networks can help agencies combat misinformation. arthobbit/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Misinformation about scientific topics, including falsehoods such as vaccines cause autism and climate change being an entirely natural phenomenon, is an issue scientists have been discussing more and...

Helping teachers learn what works in the classroom − and what doesn’t − will get a lot harder without the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences

Written by Nicole M. McNeil, Professor of Psychology, University of Notre Dame

A U.S. flag and an Education Department flag fly outside the U.S. Department of Education building on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C.Alex Wong/Getty Images

The future of the Institute of Education Sciences, the nonpartisan research arm of the Education Department, is suddenly in jeopardy. The Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump...

Even as polarization surges, Americans believe they live in a compassionate country

Written by Tara Sonenshine, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in Public Diplomacy, Tufts University

Most Americans responding to a survey said compassion is declining but still strong.stellalevi/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Compassion comes easily to me.

As the granddaughter of immigrants from Lithuania and Poland who spoke little English, I understand what it’s like to be treated as a stranger in America.

As a journalist, I covered...