The Conversation

India's Prime Minister Modi pursues politics of Hindu nationalism – what does that mean?

Written by Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations., Indiana University

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is garlanded after winning the elections.AP Photo/Manish Swarup

Almost immediately after winning a second term in office on May 23, India’s Prime Minister Modi gave a speech making light of parties and individuals who had espoused secularism over the past five years.

During the five years while the Indian...

Trump and the problem with pardons

Written by Andrew Bell, Assistant Professor of International Studies, Indiana University

As a veteran, I was astonished by the recent news that President Trump may be considering pardons for U.S. military members accused or convicted of war crimes. But as a scholar who studies the U.S. military and combat ethics, I understand even more clearly the harmful long-term impact such pardons can have on the military.

My research, along with...

How the new 'Aladdin' stacks up against a century of Hollywood stereotyping

Written by Evelyn Alsultany, Associate Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California

In the live-action 'Aladdin,' Mena Massoud stars Aladdin, while Will Smith plays the Genie.Daniel Smith/Walt Disney Pictures

Though critically acclaimed and widely beloved, the 1992 animated “Aladdin” feature had some serious issues with stereotyping.

Disney wanted to avoid repeating these same problems in the live action version of...

Assange’s new indictment: Espionage and the First Amendment

Written by Ofer Raban, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Oregon

Julian Assange, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with a slew of Espionage Act violations that could keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

The new indictment expands an earlier one charging Assange with conspiring with Chelsea Manning, the former soldier convicted of leaking classified documents...

Rapid water quality tests better protect beachgoers

Written by Rachel Noble, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Fast tests can help keep people out of the water when it's unsafe, and let them back in sooner once the coast is clear.Paul Fisher, CC BY-ND

Planning a trip to the beach? Along with looking forward to some summer fun, beachgoers may be thinking about the safety of their waterfront destination. Will the water be clean enough for swimming, surfing,...

Doping soldiers so they fight better – is it ethical?

Written by Maxwell Mehlman, Professor of Biomedical Ethics, Case Western Reserve University

A waxwork of Captain America on display at Madame Tussauds in Bangkok, Thailand. Nuamfolio/Shutterstock.com

The military is constantly using technology to build better ships, warplanes, guns and armor. Shouldn’t it also use drugs to build better soldiers?

Soldiers have long taken drugs to help them fight. Amphetamines like Dexedrine were...

Water stays in the pipes longer in shrinking cities – a challenge for public health

Written by Nancy Love, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan

How long has that water already been in the system?mike.irwin/Shutterstock.com

The geographic locations where Americans live are shifting in ways that can negatively affect the quality of their drinking water.

Cities that experience long-term, persistent population decline are called shrinking cities. Although shrinking cities exist across the...

'World Heritage' site selection is Eurocentric – and that shapes which historic places get love and money

Written by Victoria Reyes, Assistant Professor, University of California, Riverside

The April 2019 fire that engulfed France’s Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, led to an outpouring of grief and introspection.

Historians explained how the 800-year-old church had survived political upheaval. Theologians examined its “secret life” and symbolism and architects recounted its structural changes through the centuries.

Bu...

People with traumatic brain injury, who often lose empathy, can regain it with treatment

Written by Dawn Neumann, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, IUPUI

Understanding the facial cues from another person is a component of empathy.Pressmaster/Shutterstock.com

Most people can easily determine when a loved one is feeling sad or anxious. This recognition will often trigger the person to offer a comforting gesture or even have a contagious emotional reaction, causing them to also feel sad or anxious,...

Mathematics of scale: Big, small and everything in between

Written by Mitchell Newberry, Assistant Professor of Complex Systems, University of Michigan

How many lakes are in Alaska? Thermokarst lakes on Alaska's North Slope are self-similar and fractal.Painting by Cherissa Dukelow, CC BY-SA

Breathe. As your lungs expand, air fills 500 million tiny alveoli, each a fraction of a millimeter across. As you exhale, these millions of tiny breaths merge effortlessly through larger and larger airways into...