The Conversation

What is a bar mitzvah?

Written by Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

The Jewish ritual of bar mitzvah. which marks a 13-year-old young man’s assumption of religious and legal obligations under Jewish law.Israel_photo_gallery, CC BY-ND

It is a common scene on many a Saturday morning in cities and towns across the United States to see seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls, a few not Jewish at all, gather in...

I asked people why they don't vote, and this is what they told me

Written by Andrew Joseph Pegoda, Lecturer in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Religious Studies; and First Year Writing, University of Houston

People have different reasons for not showing up on Election Day. Burlingham/Shutterstock.com

At least 40% to 90% of American voters stay home during elections, evidence that low voter turnout for both national and local elections is a serious problem throughout the United States.

With the 2020 presidential election approaching, directives for...

A Navy scandal sheds light on the nature of bribery and the limits of free speech

Written by Marcus Hedahl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, United States Naval Academy

Numerous officers who served in the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet are caught up in a massive bribery scandal.Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Nicholas A. Galladora/U.S. Navy

It seems like everyone’s talking about bribery these days – but I, and anyone else who works for the federal government, have to limit what we can say about...

Black kids and suicide: Why are rates so high, and so ignored?

Written by Rheeda Walker, Professor of Psychology, University of Houston

Black youth may be less likely to share their thoughts of loneliness or depression than other youth, which could be a reason for higher rates of death by suicide among black youth.Motortion Films/Shutterstock.com

Teen suicide rates among black youth are increasing. In 2016 and again in 2018, national data revealed that among children age 5-11, blac...

The first step in managing plastic waste is measuring it – here's how we did it for one Caribbean country

Written by Clyde Eiríkur Hull, Professor of Management, Rochester Institute of Technology

Plastic waste that started as packaging clogs tropical landfills. apomares/Getty Images

Countries around the world throw away millions of tons of plastic trash every year. Finding ways to manage plastic waste is daunting even for wealthy nations, but for smaller and less-developed countries it can be overwhelming.

We recently carried out a study...

Why teen depression rates are rising faster for girls than boys

Written by Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University

One-fifth of U.S. teen girls reported experiencing major depression in 2017.Tgraphic/Shutterstock.com

We’re in the middle of a teen mental health crisis – and girls are at its epicenter.

Since 2010, depression, self-harm and suicide rates have increased among teen boys. But rates of major depression among teen girls in the U.S. increased...

US and Iran have a long, troubled history

Written by Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Benny Marty/Shutterstock.com

Relations between the United States and Iran have been fraught for decades – at least since the U.S. helped overthrow a democracy-minded prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, in August 1953. The U.S. then supported the long, repressive reign of the shah of Iran, whose security services brutalized Iranian citizens...

Why you need more Vitamin D in the winter

Written by Margherita T. Cantorna, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Immunology, Pennsylvania State University

Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin. FotoHelin/Shutterstock.com

Winter is upon us and so is the risk of vitamin D deficiency and infections. Vitamin D, which is made in our skin following sunlight exposure and also found in oily fish (mackerel, tuna and sardines), mushrooms and fortified dairy and nondairy substitutes, is essential...

Why do onions make you cry?

Written by Minda Daughtry, Extension Agency, Agriculture – Horticulture, North Carolina State University

Need a handkerchief?Num LP Photo/Shutterstock

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.

Why do onions make you cry? – Dana L., age 12, Belmont, Massachusetts

Onions are grown and used all over the world, and anyone who has cut...

What do we want? Unbiased reporting! When do we want it? During protests!

Written by Danielle K. Kilgo, Assistant Professor, Indiana University

Without reporters amplifying their message, Black Lives Matter protesters have to do the job themselves. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The new decade is just days old, but in one respect it is already shaping up like the last one: with mass protests around the world.

Rallies for democracy overseas and anti-war demonstrations in the U.S. come on the...