The Conversation

Political violence: What can happen when First Amendment free speech meets Second Amendment gun rights

Written by Gregory P. Magarian, Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis

The proliferation of guns in the U.S. can elevate political rhetoric to political violence.Douglas Sacha, Moment/Getty Images

The assassination in September 2025 of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has heightened attention on the relationship between political rhetoric and political violence.

Even before police had identified a suspect, President...

Trump is cutting funding to universities with large Hispanic student populations – here’s what to know

Written by Joseph Morales, University Diversity Officer, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, California State University, Chico

A billboard truck criticizing education cuts is parked at Florida International University, an HSI in Miami, in March 2025. John Parra/Getty Images for Students Organizing Now

The Trump administration is trying to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs as part of a broader campaign to end what it calls “wokeness” in...

Our engineering team is making versatile, tiny sensors from the Nobel-winning ‘metal-organic frameworks’

Written by Jie Huang, Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Prof. Jie Huang stands with the MOF-based breathalyzer his lab developed with support from the NIH.Michael Pierce/Missouri S&T

When the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honored Omar Yaghi – the “father of metal-organic frameworks,” or MOFs – along with Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson, it celebrated more than the creation...

How pollution and the microbiome interact with Tregs, the immune system regulators whose discovery was honored with the Nobel Prize

Written by Prakash Nagarkatti, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina

Treg cells have been thrust into the limelight thanks to the Nobel Prize-winning work of a team of researchers from the U.S. and Japan.jarun011/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A special group of immune cells known as regulatory T cells, or Tregs for short, became an overnight sensation when a trio of U.S. and Japanese scientists won the Nobel Prize in...

Friendships aren’t just about keeping score – new psychology research looks at why we help our friends when they need it

Written by Jessica D. Ayers, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, Boise State University

Friendship isn't about a running tally of who's doing more.miodrag ignjatovic/E+ via Getty Images

Despite how natural friendship can feel, people rarely stop to analyze it. How do you know when someone will make a good friend? When is it time to move on from a friendship? Oftentimes, people rely on gut intuitions to answer these kinds of questions.

I...

Flu season has arrived – and so have updated flu vaccines

Written by Libby Richards, Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

The flu vaccine is updated every year to include the strains known to be circulating. Cecilie_Arcurs/E+ via Getty Images

As the autumn’s cool weather settles in, so does flu season – bringing with it the familiar experiences of sniffles, fever and cough.

Every year, influenza – the flu – affects millions of people. Most will...

Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers are uncovering convincing similarities to drug addiction

Written by Claire Wilcox, Adjunct Faculty in Psychiatry, University of New Mexico

Research has found that high-sugar, ultraprocessed foods can be addictive for some people.Doucefleur/iStock via Getty Images Plus

People often joke that their favorite snack is “like crack” or call themselves “chocoholics” in jest.

But can someone really be addicted to food in the same way they could be hooked on substances...

For war-weary Syria, potential benefits of security pact with Israel comes with big risks

Written by Mireille Rebeiz, Chair of Middle East Studies, Dickinson College

The Syrian Defense Ministry was heavily damaged after airstrikes in Damascus on July 16, 2025. AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed

On Sept. 21, 2025, a senior U.S official boasted that an Israeli-Syrian security agreement to resolve months of conflict was “99% complete” and would be announced within two weeks.

Those two weeks have now passed. And...

A Denver MD has spent 2 decades working with hospitalized patients experiencing homelessness − here’s what she fears and what gives her hope

Written by Sarah Stella, Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

People experiencing homelessness are more likely to end up in the emergency room.Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

On a recent early fall morning, hope was in short supply.

My first patient was a regular. Mr. D was a man in his 50s with diabetes. He had been living on Denver’s streets for most of the past five years, two...

In 1776, Thomas Paine made the best case for fighting kings − and for being skeptical

Written by Matthew Redmond, Lecturer, Université de Lille

Were these protesters in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 16, 2025, inspired by Thomas Paine?Alex Brandon/AP

In one of his stand-up sets, comedian David Cross rejects all political commentary that tries to answer the question, “What would America’s Founding Fathers think if they were alive today?”

For Cross, it is pointless to speculate...