The Conversation

How the next pope will be elected – what goes on at the conclave

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Cardinals attend Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, before they enter the conclave to decide who the next pope will be, on March 12, 2013, in Vatican City.Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Image

With the death of Pope Francis, attention now turns to the selection of his successor. The next pope will be chosen in what is called a “conclave,” a...

Scientists found a potential sign of life on a distant planet – an astronomer explains why many are still skeptical

Written by Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona

An illustration of the exoplanet K2-18b, which some research suggests may be covered by deep oceans. NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

A team of astronomers announced on April 16, 2025, that in the process of studying a planet around another star, they had found evidence for an unexpected atmospheric gas. On Earth, that gas – called...

‘I never issued a criminal contempt citation in 19 ½ years on the bench’ – a former federal judge looks at the ‘relentless bad behavior’ of the Trump administration in court

Written by John E. Jones III, President, Dickinson College

'You just didn't mess around with federal judges,' says a former federal judge. 'It was a good way to get your head handed to you.'sesame, DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images

Legal battles between the Trump administration and advocates for deportees flown to prison in El Salvador have turned into conflicts between the government and the judges overse...

As views on spanking shift worldwide, most US adults support it, and 19 states allow physical punishment in schools

Written by Christina Erickson, Associate Dean in the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota

Spanking in the U.S. generally ends around age 12, when children become big enough to resist or fight back. Sandro Di Carlo Darsa/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images

Nearly a half-century after the Supreme Court ruled that school spankings are permissible and not “cruel and unusual punishment”, many U.S. states allow physical punishment...

Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides

Written by Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Neither party – Democrats nor Republicans – is doing a better job at fixing crime.Carl Ballou - iStock/Getty Images Plus

Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis in 2020, the U.S. has undergone a national reckoning over crime prevention and police reform.

Across the country, calls went out from activists...

With federal funding in question, artists can navigate a perilous future by looking to the past

Written by Johanna K. Taylor, Associate Professor, The Design School, Arizona State University

Keith Haring paints a mural in New York City on Aug. 20, 1987.Mark Hinjosa/Newsday RM via Getty Images

In a February 2025 Truth Social post, President Donald Trump declared a “Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”

So far, this “golden age” has entailed an executive order calling for the federal agency that funds local museums and...

Lawsuits seeking to address climate change have promise but face uncertain future

Written by Hannah Wiseman, Professor of Law, Penn State

Kelsey Juliana, a lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit over responsibility for climate change, speaks at a 2019 rally in Oregon.AP Photo/Steve Dipaola

The U.S. Supreme Court in March 2025 ended a decade-old lawsuit filed by a group of children who sought to hold the federal government responsible for some of the consequences of climate change. But...

All models are wrong − a computational modeling expert explains how engineers make them useful

Written by Zachary del Rosario, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Olin College of Engineering

When engineers design things, they use models to predict how the things will work in the natural world. But all models have limitations. MTStock Studio/E+ via Getty Images

Nicknamed “Galloping Gertie” for its tendency to bend and undulate, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge had just opened to traffic on July 1, 1940. In a now infamous failure,...

Trump’s attacks on central bank threaten its independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

Written by Cristina Bodea, Professor of Political Science, Michigan State University

Nearly every country in the world has a central bank – a public institution that manages a country’s currency and its monetary policy. And these banks have an extraordinary amount of power. By controlling the flow of money and credit in a country, they can affect economic growth, inflation, employment and financial stability.

These are...

Claims of ‘anti-Christian bias’ sound to some voters like a message about race, not just religion

Written by Rosemary (Marah) Al-Kire, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Washington

A 2024 study examined how voters perceive claims that Christians experience widespread discrimination.JTSorrell/iStock via Getty Images Plus

President Donald Trump and members of his administration have long used allegations of anti-Christian discrimination as a rallying cry for supporters, arguing that policies and laws on issues like school prayer...