The Conversation

How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago

Written by Kai James, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

The assumption was that the wheel evolved from wooden rollers.Tetra Images via Getty Images

Imagine you’re a copper miner in southeastern Europe in the year 3900 B.C.E. Day after day you haul copper ore through the mine’s sweltering tunnels.

You’ve resigned yourself to the grueling monotony of mining life. Then one afternoon, you...

We surveyed 1,500 Florida kids about cellphones and their mental health – what we learned suggests school phone bans may have important but limited effects

Written by Justin D. Martin, Associate Professor of Digital Communication and Journalism, University of South Florida

The debate over banning smartphones in schools rages as more students are bringing phones to schools.Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

In Florida, a bill that bans cellphone use in elementary and middle schools, from bell to bell, recently sailed through the state Legislature.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law on May 30, 2025. The...

You’re probably richer than you think because of the safety net – but you’d have more of that hidden wealth if you lived in Norway

Written by Robert Manduca, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan

You may be wealthier than you realize.Deagreez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

How wealthy are you?

Like most people, you probably would do some math before answering this question. You would add up the money in your bank accounts, the value of your investments and any equity in a home you own, then subtract your debts, such as mortgages and car loans.

B...

A field guide to ‘accelerationism’: White supremacist groups using violence to spur race war and create social chaos

Written by Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

Demonstrators clash with counterdemonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12, 2017. AP Photo/Steve Helber

A man named Regan Prater was charged with arson for the burning of Highlander Center in New Market, Tennessee, on May 7, 2025. The nonprofit has a long history of involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The...

World’s most powerful ex-New Yorker gets a DC military parade, not a ticker-tape celebration in Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes

Written by Lincoln Mitchell, Lecturer, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Heavy equipment and military vehicles arrive in Jessup, Md., for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade on June 14, 2025, which coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump’s plan for a military parade on June 14, 2025, officially to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army as...

Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows

Written by Katherine G. Hastings, PhD Candidate in Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Most households that own firearms have more than one − and owners often don't secure all of them.StockPlanets/E+ via Getty Images

More than half of U.S. teens living in households with firearms believe they can access and load a firearm at home. Even when their parents report storing all firearms locked and unloaded, more than one-third of...

LGBTQ+ patients stay up-to-date on preventive care when their doctors are supportive, saving money and lives throughout society

Written by Nathaniel M. Tran, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois Chicago

Getting cancer screenings, vaccinations and HIV tests is easier when you can trust your doctor.Hit Stop Media/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When LGBTQ+ patients are unsure if they can be open about their identity and related health needs, it becomes more difficult for them to access high-quality health care.

In our recently published research, my...

Where is the center of the universe?

Written by Rob Coyne, Teaching Professor of Physics, University of Rhode Island

In space, there are four dimensions: length, width, height and time.scaliger/iStock/NASA via Getty Images Plus

About a century ago, scientists were struggling to reconcile what seemed a contradiction in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Published in 1915, and already widely accepted worldwide by physicists and mathematicians,...

Do you know how to prepare for your digital life after death? CU Boulder’s student-run clinic has some advice

Written by Dylan Thomas Doyle, Information Science Researcher, University of Colorado Boulder

Older adults have large digital archives that can be hard to access after their deaths.picture alliance/Getty Images

From family photos in the cloud to email archives and social media accounts, the digital lives of Americans are extensive and growing.

According to recent studies by the password management companies NordPass and Dashlane, the...

How the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ positions US energy to be more costly for consumers and the climate

Written by Daniel Cohan, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University

Proposed revisions to U.S. energy policy would likely raise consumer prices and climate-warming emissions.zpagistock/Moment via Getty Images

When it comes to energy policy, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” – the official name of a massive federal tax-cut and spending bill that House Republicans passed in May 2025 – risks...