The Conversation

Did Abraham Lincoln's bromance alter the course of American history?

Written by Charles B. Strozier, Professor of History, City University of New York

Joshua Speed found his BFF in Abraham Lincoln.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

In the spring of 1837, a “long, gawky, ugly, shapeless man” walked into Joshua Speed’s dry goods store in Springfield, Illinois, requesting supplies for a bed. Speed said the cost would be US$17, which ended up being too pricey for the visitor, who asked...

Why you should know about the New Thought movement

Written by Christopher H. Evans, Professor of the History of Christianity, Boston University

The New Thought movement left behind an important legacy.Wesley Nitsckie, CC BY-SA

President Donald Trump embraces several political stances important to his conservative evangelical base. This includes support for “religious liberty” legislation and exempting evangelicals from laws upholding lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual...

Combatting stereotypes: How to talk to your children

Written by Marjorie Rhodes, Associate Professor of Psychology, New York University

Children around the world are susceptible to stereotypes.World Bank Photo Collection, CC BY-NC-ND

How can modern parents raise the next generation to be free from corrosive gender and racial stereotypes? By the time children start elementary school, gender and race shape their lives in many ways that parents might want to prevent. As early as first...

Are fossil fuel companies telling investors enough about the risks of climate change?

Written by Paul Griffin, Professor of Management, University of California, Davis

Prior to President Donald Trump taking office, there was a push to require oil and gas companies to inform their investors about the risks of climate change. As governments step up efforts to regulate carbon emissions, the thinking goes, fossil fuel companies’ assets could depreciate in value over time.

The Securities and Exchange...

Galapagos giant tortoises make a comeback, thanks to innovative conservation strategies

Written by James P. Gibbs, Professor of Vertebrate Conservation Biology and Director of the Roosevelt Wild Life Station, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Giant tortoise on Pinzon Island, GalapagosRory Stansbury, Island Conservation/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

The Galapagos Islands are world-famous as a laboratory of biological evolution. Some 30 percent of the plants, 80 percent of the land birds and 97 percent of the reptiles on this remote archipelago are found nowhere else on Earth. Perhaps the most...

Personalized medicine may do more to treat rather than prevent chronic diseases

Written by Sharon Horesh Bergquist, Physician, teacher, researcher in preventive medicine and healthy aging, Emory University

What could genomic medicine do in the future?DNA gel image via www.shutterstock.com.

Personalized medicine, which involves tailoring health care to each person’s unique genetic makeup, has the potential to transform how we diagnose, prevent and treat disease. After all, no two people are alike. Mapping a person’s unique susceptibility...

How robots could help chronically ill kids attend school

Written by Veronica Newhart, Ph.D. Candidate in Education, University of California, Irvine

Too sick to attend school in person, but perfectly able to participate with a robot's help.AP Photo/David Duprey

Over the past century, American schools have integrated an ever-more-diverse group of students. Racial integration is most prominent, but it’s not just Native Americans, blacks and Latinos who have been brought into public...

Netanyahu's meeting with Trump: Good for Israeli-Palestinian peace?

Written by Dov Waxman, Professor of Political Science, International Affairs and Israel Studies, Northeastern University

At their meeting at the White House today, U.S. President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “hold back on settlements for a little bit.”

There are now more than 400,000 Israelis living in over 100 settlements located in the West Bank. Another 300,000 or so are living in East Jerusalem, which Israel has...

How will native tribes fight the Dakota Access Pipeline in court?

Written by Monte Mills, Assistant Professor of Law & Co-Director, Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic, The University of Montana

After the Army Corps of Engineers approved an easement for the North Dakota Pipeline, two tribes requested – unsuccessfully – to halt construction while their lawsuit over the project is resolved.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

On Feb. 8 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reversed course and issued an easement allowing the installation of the...

Trump's border plan for Canada? So far, not a wall

Written by Jessica Trisko Darden, Assistant Professor of International Affairs, American University School of International Service

President Donald Trump has said little about the world’s longest undefended border – the one between the U.S. and Canada.

Trump barely addressed the issue at his first meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 13 in Washington. Although Trudeau’s vision of openness and diversity may conflict with Trump’s vis...