The Conversation

Columbus believed he would find 'blemmyes' and 'sciapods' – not people – in the New World

Written by Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus Circle, New York City.Zoltan Tarlacz/Shutterstock.com

In 1492, when Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of a fast route to East Asia and the southwest Pacific, he landed in a place that was unknown to him. There he found treasures – extraordinary trees, birds and gold.

But...

How the loss of Native American languages affects our understanding of the natural world

Written by Rosalyn R. LaPier, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, The University of Montana

Dance is a unique way of passing on cultural stories to a younger generation.Aaron Hawkins/Flickr.com, CC BY-ND

Alaska has a “linguistic emergency,” according to the Alaskan Gov. Bill Walker. A report warned earlier this year that all of the state’s 20 Native American languages might cease to exist by the end of this century, if...

Beto O'Rourke won't beat Ted Cruz in Texas – here's why

Written by James Henson, Director of the Texas Politics Project and Lecturer, Dept. of Government, University of Texas at Austin

With Election Day now only a few weeks away, the race between incumbent Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke has attracted national and international attention.

For Cruz, a star in national conservative politics, losing to O'Rourke would be a particularly bitter pill. Cruz rose to prominence during the heyday of the Tea Party,...

Could an artificial intelligence be considered a person under the law?

Written by Roman V. Yampolskiy, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science, University of Louisville

Sophia, a robot granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia.MSC/wikimedia, CC BY

Humans aren’t the only people in society – at least according to the law. In the U.S., corporations have been given rights of free speech and religion. Some natural features also have person-like rights. But both of those required changes to the legal system. A new...

For mothers who lose their babies, donating breast milk is a healing ritual

Written by Ayelet Oreg, Ph.D. Candidate, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Donated breast milkAP Photo/Matt Rourke

Stillbirth and neonatal loss are painful in many ways.

But increasingly, some of the more than 24,000 American women whose pregnancies end with the loss of their babies are choosing to do something they find both demanding and healing – giving their breast milk away.

As a social worker, a scholar of...

'Bystander effect' and sexual assault: What the research says

Written by Heather Hensman Kettrey, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Clemson University

Sexual assault, pushed into public conversation by the #MeToo movement, once again dominates the U.S. news cycle. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces allegations that he sexually assaulted professor Christine Blasey Ford, a former high school classmate.

The allegations have led to a number of important questions regarding victim testimony,...

Massacres, disappearances and 1968: Mexicans remember the victims of a 'perfect dictatorship'

Written by Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong

Mexican soldiers killed up to 300 student protesters and arrested 1,000 more on Oct. 3, 1968, in an event that's come to be known as the Tlatelolco massacre.AP Photo

Ten days before the opening ceremony of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, uniformed soldiers and rooftop snipers opened fire on student protesters in a plaza in the capital...

'Coming of Age in Mississippi' still speaks to nation's racial discord, 50 years later

Written by Leigh Ann Wheeler, Professor of History, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Most memoirs are soon forgotten.

A rare exception is Anne Moody’s “Coming of Age in Mississippi,” which was published in 1968. It spoke to the day’s pressing issues – poverty, race and civil rights – with an urgent timeliness.

Fifty years later, the book still commands a wide readership. Read each year by...

5 habilidades matemáticas que los niños en edad preescolar deben aprender: enséñeselas de forma divertida

Written by Susan Sonnenschein, Professor, Applied Development Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Cómo lograr que su hijo esté listo para la escuela.Studio.g photography/shutterstock

Los padres desempeñan un papel fundamental en la enseñanza temprana de matemáticas de sus hijos: no solo pueden proporcionar juguetes y entretenimientos relacionados con las matemáticas, sino que pueden convertirse en el...

Why trade deficits aren't so bad

Written by William D. Lastrapes, Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

The trade deficit, and how much a country exports or imports, is only part of the story. AP Photo/Reed Saxon

Most Americans seem to think international trade deficits are a bad thing.

A March poll, for example, showed that more than two-thirds think the U.S. should take steps to reduce the trade deficit with China, even if a resulting trade war...