The Conversation

The horse bit and bridle kicked off ancient empires – a new giant dataset tracks the societal factors that drove military technology

Written by Peter Turchin, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Connecticut

Ancient military innovations – like the bit and bridle that enabled mounted horseback riding – changed the course of history.Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin/British Museum via WikimediaCommons , CC BY-NC

Starting around 3,000 years ago, a wave of innovation began to sweep through human societies around the globe. For the next millennium the...

Extreme rain heads for California's wildfire burn scars, raising risk of mudslides – this is what cascading climate disasters look like

Written by Amir AghaKouchak, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine

A firefighter checks homes after a mudslide that killed 23 people in Montecito, Calif., in 2018.Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A powerful storm system known as an atmospheric river is heading for northern California and Oregon, a region in the midst of an historic drought.

While it will bring much-needed water to the parched region...

Evacuations ordered as a powerful storm heads for California's wildfire burn scars, raising risk of mudslides – this is what cascading climate disasters look like

Written by Amir AghaKouchak, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine

A firefighter checks homes after a mudslide that killed 23 people in Montecito, Calif., in 2018.Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Officials issued evacuation orders for people living downhill from several of California’s wildfire burn scars on Oct. 24, 2021, as a powerful storm system known as an atmospheric river began to drench...

Extreme rain heads for California's burn scars, raising the risk of mudslides – this is what cascading climate disasters look like

Written by Amir AghaKouchak, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine

A firefighter checks homes after a mudslide that killed 23 people in Montecito, Calif., in 2018.Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Two powerful storm systems known as atmospheric rivers are heading for northern California and Oregon, a region in the midst of an historic drought.

While the storms will bring much-needed water to a...

How do you spot a witch? This notorious 15th-century book gave instructions – and helped execute thousands of women

Written by Melissa Chim, Adjunct Professor and Reference Librarian, General Theological Seminary

The 'Malleus Maleficarum,' a medieval handbook, was used to try and execute supposed witches. Its influence lasted for centuries – including at the Salem Witch Trials. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Books have always had the power to cast a spell over their readers – figuratively.

But one book that was quite popular...

Decades of hype turned protein into a superfood – and spawned a multibillion-dollar industry

Written by Hannah Cutting-Jones, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Oregon

A protein-rich shake is often the way many people try to get more of this nutrient into their diets.andresr E+ via Getty Images

Do you ever blend up a protein smoothie for breakfast, or grab a protein bar following an afternoon workout? If so, you are likely among the millions of people in search of more protein-rich diets.

Protein-enriched...

The American founders didn’t believe your sacred freedom means you can do whatever you want – not even when it comes to vaccines and your own body

Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

Protests against mandates and quarantines get the Founding Fathers' ideas wrong.George Rose/Getty Images

President Joe Biden has mandated vaccines for a large part of the American workforce, a requirement that has prompted protest from those opposed to the measure.

Meanwhile, a similar move in New York City to enforce vaccinations has resulted in...

Bolsonaro faces 'crimes against humanity' charge over COVID-19 mishandling: 5 essential reads

Written by Matt Williams, Breaking News Editor

Reckless policies are to blame for Brazil's high death toll.Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Image

A Brazilian congressional panel has recommended that President Jair Bolsonaro be charged with “crimes against humanity” over his alleged bungling of the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The near-1,200 page report, formally...

Deportation threats for some students come from within schools

Written by Patricia Maloney, Associate Professor, Sociology, Texas Tech University

Immigrant students worry that minor school infractions could lead to deportation. Astrid Riecken For The Washington Post via Getty Images

When Bilal, a recent immigrant from South Asia, started his sophomore year at a high school in a large southern U.S. city in 2014, it wasn’t a welcoming experience.

Upon entering the school, Bilal had to go...

What is COP26? Here's how global climate negotiations work and what's expected from the Glasgow summit

Written by Shelley Inglis, Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center, University of Dayton

U.N. climate summits bring together representatives of almost every country.UNFCCC

Over two weeks in November, world leaders and national negotiators will meet in Scotland to discuss what to do about climate change. It’s a complex process that can be hard to make sense of from the outside, but it’s how international law and institutions...