NewsPronto

 
Times Advertising


.

The Conversation

Do authors really put deeper meaning into poems and stories – or do readers make it up?

  • Written by Elisabeth Gruner, Associate Professor of English, University of Richmond
Many books, like 'Charlotte's Web,' contain symbolism.Dmitriy Os Ivanov/Shutterstock.com

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Do authors really put deeper meaning into poems and stories – or do readers make it up? Jordan,...

Read more: Do authors really put deeper meaning into poems and stories – or do readers make it up?

Quarantines have tried to keep out disease for thousands of years

  • Written by Leslie S. Leighton, Visiting Lecturer of History, Georgia State University
Camp beds set up for travelers returning to Germany from China, who will be isolated for two weeks to make sure they don't have coronavirus. YANN SCHREIBER/AFP via Getty Images

The recent global spread of a deadly coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China, has led world leaders to invoke an ancient tradition to control the spread of illness:...

Read more: Quarantines have tried to keep out disease for thousands of years

Catholic investigations are still shrouded in secrecy

  • Written by Brian J Clites, Instructor and Associate Director, Case Western Reserve University
The pope can order religious investigations that can allow the Vatican to swiftly take action.Giuseppe Lami/Pool Photo via AP

Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone resigned in December 2019 after intense public criticism for his handling of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York.

His departure came three months after the...

Read more: Catholic investigations are still shrouded in secrecy

Inside Mexico's war on drugs: Conversations with 'el narco'

  • Written by Karina G.Garcia Reyes, Profesora de la Escuela de Sociología, Política y Relaciones Internacionales y del departamento de Estudios Latinoamericanos, University of Bristol
More than 35,000 people were killed in Mexico in 2019, the deadliest year on record. Violence has spiked as a result of the government's ongoing assault on drug cartels.Leonardo Emiliozzi Ph / Shutterstock

I am from northern Mexico, one of the regions most affected by the global war on drugs.

From 2008 to 2012 my hometown – which I’m...

Read more: Inside Mexico's war on drugs: Conversations with 'el narco'

The Trump administration has made the US less ready for infectious disease outbreaks like coronavirus

  • Written by Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance, Harvard Kennedy School
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (blue) budding from an infected cell (yellow-green). NIAID, CC BY

As coronavirus continues to spread, the Trump administration has declared a public health emergency and imposed quarantines and travel restrictions. However, over the past three years the administration has...

Read more: The Trump administration has made the US less ready for infectious disease outbreaks like...

The Trump administration has made the U.S. less ready for infectious disease outbreaks like coronavirus

  • Written by Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance, Harvard Kennedy School
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (blue) budding from an infected cell (yellow-green). NIAID, CC BY

As coronavirus continues to spread, the Trump administration has declared a public health emergency and imposed quarantines and travel restrictions. However, over the past three years the administration has...

Read more: The Trump administration has made the U.S. less ready for infectious disease outbreaks like...

Anthrax vs. cancer – researchers harness the deadly toxin to cure dogs and hopefully people

  • Written by R. Claudio Aguilar, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Purdue University
Dogs with terminal bladder cancer improved with this new modified anthrax treatment.Lucky Business/Shutterstock.com

Can the feared anthrax toxin become an ally in the war against cancer? Successful treatment of pet dogs suffering bladder cancer with an anthrax-related treatment suggest so.

Anthrax is a disease caused a by bacterium, known as Bacillus...

Read more: Anthrax vs. cancer – researchers harness the deadly toxin to cure dogs and hopefully people

France-US skirmish over Amazon digital tax shows why the century-old international tax system is broken

  • Written by Ruth Mason, Edwin S. Cohen Distinguished Professor of Law and Taxation, University of Virginia
Trump and Macron agreed to a detente in their trade spat. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

France and the U.S. have managed to avoid turning their recent trade skirmish into a war – for now.

The dispute involves France’s decision last summer to unilaterally reach outside the United States-French tax treaty framework to tax U.S. tech companies like...

Read more: France-US skirmish over Amazon digital tax shows why the century-old international tax system is...

Why Italian cinema is starting to glamorize the mafia

  • Written by Dana Renga, Associate Professor of Italian Studies and Film, The Ohio State University

For almost a century, American filmmakers have glamorized the Mafia, depicting their ranks as so charismatic and quick-witted that you might want to invite them over for dinner.

Audiences saw this most recently in “The Irishman,” which reunites a star cast of the usual suspects – Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci – but...

Read more: Why Italian cinema is starting to glamorize the mafia

More Articles ...

  1. Fracking has led to a 'bust' for Pennsylvania school district finances
  2. WHO declares global health emergency over coronavirus: 4 questions answered
  3. Coronavirus grown in lab outside China for first time, aiding the search for vaccine
  4. The Kobe legacy: Should the NBA let high school players skip college?
  5. Why losing Kobe Bryant felt like losing a relative or friend
  6. Iowa caucuses: It's not just candidates who face uncertainty – it's their campaign workers, too
  7. As Democratic primaries near, educators can teach hope to a polarized citizenry
  8. Humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don't fit their worldview
  9. How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?
  10. The Senate has actually tied in an impeachment trial – twice
  11. Supreme Court allows public charge clause that kept Nazi-era refugees from the US
  12. Why we knock on wood
  13. Has Trump proposed a Middle East peace plan – or terms of surrender for the Palestinians?
  14. Limiting Senate inquiry ignores Founders' intent for impeachment
  15. Britain's Brexit divorce is here – but the bickering over alimony payments and who gets the house is only beginning
  16. The US economy produced about $21.7 trillion in goods and services in 2019 - but what does GDP really mean?
  17. The US economy produced about $21.7 trillion in goods and services in 2019 – but what does GDP really mean?
  18. Is the coronavirus outbreak as bad as SARS or the 2009 influenza pandemic? A biologist explains the clues
  19. What is a super spreader? An infectious disease expert explains
  20. Harvey Weinstein's 'false memory' defense is not backed by science
  21. How do I know if I might have coronavirus? 5 questions answered
  22. Modern tomatoes are very different from their wild ancestors – and we found missing links in their evolution
  23. Union gunboats didn't just attack rebel military sites – they went after civilian property, too
  24. 4 myths the Trump team promoted about Andrew Johnson
  25. Preventing genocide in Myanmar: Court order tries to protect Rohingya Muslims where politics has failed
  26. Brain organoids help neuroscientists understand brain development, but aren't perfect matches for real brains
  27. I track murder cases that use the 'gay panic defense,' a controversial practice banned in 9 states
  28. Britain is about to leave the EU – what's next?
  29. Islamophobia in the US did not start with Trump, but his tweets perpetuate a long history of equating Muslims with terrorism
  30. The meme endorsement you might have missed – and why it matters for 2020
  31. Hidden by a pleasant scent: The health consequences of flavor in e-cigarettes
  32. Beware the brokered convention that breaks up the party
  33. E-cig flavors may be more than alluring; they could cause damage themselves
  34. Teaching kids how to make guitars can get them hooked on engineering
  35. Why legislation is needed to make Holocaust education more prominent in public schools: 5 questions answered
  36. Worried about accidentally harassing a woman? Don't be
  37. When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered
  38. A secret reason Rx drugs cost so much: A global web of patent laws protects Big Pharma
  39. Puerto Rico earthquakes imperil island's indigenous heritage
  40. Despite defeats, the Islamic State remains unbroken and defiant around the world
  41. Americans on the right and left change their minds after hearing where Trump stands
  42. Young California ranchers are finding new ways to raise livestock and improve the land
  43. Is workplace rudeness on the rise?
  44. Hate cancel culture? Blame algorithms
  45. After the trial's over, President Trump's impeachment battles could determine who holds real power in the US government
  46. Gay rights dispute is pulling apart the United Methodist Church, after decades of argument
  47. Obesity, second to smoking as the most preventable cause of US deaths, needs new approaches
  48. Don't be fooled – most independents are partisans too
  49. How Minneapolis made Prince
  50. Why it's unclear whether private programs for 'troubled teens' are working