The Conversation

From ‘mail-order brides’ to ‘passport bros,’ the international dating industry often sells traditional gender roles

Written by Julia Meszaros, Associate Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University-Commerce

For many American men, the draw of the international dating industry is the idea of 'more traditional' women.Kurgenc/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Fifteen years ago, when I started studying the international dating industry, few people took the subject seriously. The term “mail-order bride” was treated as a punch line – something...

$2B Counter-Strike 2 crash exposes a legal black hole: Your digital investments aren’t really yours

Written by João Marinotti, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University

In late October 2025, as much as US$2 billion vanished from a digital marketplace. This wasn’t a hack or a bubble bursting. It happened because one company, Valve, changed the rules for its video game Counter-Strike 2, a popular first-person shooter with a global player base of nearly 30 million monthly users.

For years, its players have...

Farmers – long Trump backers – bear the costs of new tariffs, restricted immigration and slashed renewable energy subsidies

Written by Kee Hyun Park, Assistant Professor of International Political Economy, Nanyang Technological University; Institute for Humane Studies

U.S. farmers, including those who grow soybeans, are under pressure from various Trump administration policies.Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images

Few political alliances in recent American history have seemed as solid as the one between Donald Trump and the country’s farmers. Through three elections, farmers stood by Trump even as tariffs, trade...

First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare

Written by Jodie Childers, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia

Hollywood screenwriter Samuel Ornitz speaks before the House Un-American Activities Committee in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 1947. UPI/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

As the United States faces increasing incidents of book banning and threats of governmental intervention – as seen in the temporary suspension of TV host Jimmy Kimmel –...

AI is providing emotional support for employees – but is it a valuable tool or privacy threat?

Written by Nelson Phillips, Distinguished Professor of Technology Management, University of California, Santa Barbara

Does AI that monitors and supports worker emotions improve or degrade the workplace?Marta Sher/iStock via Getty Images

As artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT become an increasingly popular avenue for people seeking personal therapy and emotional support, the dangers that this can present – especially for young people – have made...

Who wins and who loses as the US retires the penny

Written by Nancy Forster-Holt, Clinical Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Rhode Island

By now, Americans know the strange math of minting: Each penny costs about 4 cents to make. Chances are you have some in a jar, or scattered among pockets, purses and car ashtrays.

As small as it is, the penny punches above its weight culturally. If it ever disappeared, so too might the simple kindness of “take a penny, leave a penny,”...

‘Jeffrey Epstein is not unique’: What his case reveals about the realities of child sex trafficking

Written by Kate Price, Associate Research Scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College

Jeffrey Epstein abuse survivor Lisa Phillips speaks during the press conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 18, 2025. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

Congress on Nov. 18, 2025, passed legislation that calls on the Justice Department to release records related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex...

College students are now slightly less likely to experience severe depression, research shows – but the mental health crisis is far from over

Written by Ryan Travia, Associate Vice President for Student Success, Babson College

Some schools have started experimenting with preventive strategies to promote the mental health of their student body.Flashvector/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Many high school seniors across the country are in the throes of college applications – often a high-stakes, anxiety-ridden process.

But the stress doesn’t necessarily stop once...

50 years after Franco’s death, giving a voice to Spanish dictator’s imprisoned mothers

Written by Zaya Rustamova, Associate Professor of Spanish, Kennesaw State University

A protester holds a banner with pictures of people who went missing during the Spanish dictatorship of Francisco Franco.John Milner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

In the run-up to the 50th anniversary of Francisco Franco’s death on Nov. 20, 2025, the left-leaning Spanish government led a vigil honoring the many victims of the...

Beyond the habitable zone: Exoplanet atmospheres are the next clue to finding life on planets orbiting distant stars

Written by Morgan Underwood, Ph.D. Candidate in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Rice University

Some exoplanets, like the one shown in this illustration, may have atmospheres that could make them potentially suitable for life. NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP

When astronomers search for planets that could host liquid water on their surface, they start by looking at a star’s habitable zone. Water is a key ingredient for life, and on a planet too...