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The Thucydides Trap: Vital lessons from ancient Greece for China and the US … or a load of old claptrap?

  • Written by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College
imageRetreat of the Athenians from Syracuse during a battle of the Peloponnesian War, from Cassell's 'Universal History,' published in 1888. Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The so-called Thucydides Trap has become a staple of foreign policy commentary over the past decade or so, regularly invoked to frame the escalating...

Read more: The Thucydides Trap: Vital lessons from ancient Greece for China and the US … or a load of old...

On stage but out of the spotlight − the quiet struggle of being an opening act

  • Written by Jeff Apruzzese, Professor of Music Industry, Drexel University
imageGetting heard has never been easier. Being recognized and staying relevant is the real challenge.PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images

I grew up playing in a lot of different bands, and my bandmates and I always held onto the belief that if we could just open for a more established act, it would pave the way to more success.

When I started playing in the...

Read more: On stage but out of the spotlight − the quiet struggle of being an opening act

Why the meteorites that hit Earth have less water than the asteroid bits brought back by space probes – a planetary scientist explains new research

  • Written by Patrick M. Shober, Postdoctoral Fellow in Planetary Sciences, NASA
imageThis image overlays over 100 fireball images recorded between 2016 and 2020. The streaks are fireballs; the dots are star positions at different times.Desert Fireball Network

Much of what scientists know about the early solar system comes from meteorites – ancient rocks that travel through space and survive a fiery plunge through...

Read more: Why the meteorites that hit Earth have less water than the asteroid bits brought back by space...

Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large

  • Written by Sophal Ear, Associate Professor in the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University
imageKhmer Rouge forces collect weapons left behind by retreating soldiers as they enter Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

On April 17, 1975, tanks rolled into the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to cheering crowds who believed that the country’s long civil war might finally be over.

But what followed was one of...

Read more: Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large

Social Security’s trust fund could run out of money sooner than expected due to changes in taxes and benefits

  • Written by Dennis W. Jansen, Professor of Economics and Director of the Private Enterprise Research Center, Texas A&M University
imageA closed entrance to the Social Security Administration headquarters sits empty in Woodlawn, Md., on March 20, 2025. Wesley Lapointe/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Social Security is one of the federal government’s biggest programs.

Roughly 67 million Americans, most of whom are 65 or older, received Social Security benefits in 2023. An...

Read more: Social Security’s trust fund could run out of money sooner than expected due to changes in taxes...

401(k) plans and stock market volatility: What you need to know

  • Written by Dr. Ronald Premuroso, Accounting Instructor, Western Governors University School of Business
imageIt's been a wild ride.iStock/Getty Images Plus

With stock market charts resembling the contours of a roller-coaster ride in recent days, many Americans could be forgiven for eyeing their 401(k)s with a little concern.

Retirement savings are crucial to the financial well-being of millions of especially older people in the U.S., so the concern is...

Read more: 401(k) plans and stock market volatility: What you need to know

Perceived consensus drives moral intolerance in a time of identity-driven politics and online bubbles

  • Written by Jen Cole Wright, Professor of Psychology, College of Charleston
imageDifferences of opinion within your group signal for you to be tolerant around that issue.OsakaWayne Studios/Moment via Getty Images

To live together in social communities, people create and maintain expectations about what is normal and what is not. Sometimes things can fall outside the range of normal and people are OK with it. You might have a...

Read more: Perceived consensus drives moral intolerance in a time of identity-driven politics and online...

Getting AIs working toward human goals − study shows how to measure misalignment

  • Written by Aidan Kierans, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
imageSelf-driving cars are only one example where it's tricky but critical to align AI and human goals.AP Photo/Michael Liedtke

Ideally, artificial intelligence agents aim to help humans, but what does that mean when humans want conflicting things? My colleagues and I have come up with a way to measure the alignment of the goals of a group of humans and...

Read more: Getting AIs working toward human goals − study shows how to measure misalignment

Same-sex marriage is under attack by state lawmakers, emboldened by Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ measures and the Supreme Court’s willingness to overturn precedent

  • Written by Paul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst
imageJeff Sralla, left, and his partner of 28 years, Gerald Gafford, wed in 2015 in Texas.AP Photo/Eric Gay

Same-sex marriage, which the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 legalized nationwide in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, is facing resurgent hostility.

In the decade since the court’s decision, public support for same-sex marriage has increase...

Read more: Same-sex marriage is under attack by state lawmakers, emboldened by Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ measures...

Are twins allergic to the same things?

  • Written by Breanne Hayes Haney, Allergy and Immunology Fellow-in-Training, School of Medicine, West Virginia University
imageIf one has a reaction to a new food, is the other more likely to as well?BjelicaS/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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.

Are twins allergic to the same things? – Ella, age 7, Philadelphia

Allergies,...

Read more: Are twins allergic to the same things?

More Articles ...

  1. How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?
  2. ICE has broad power to detain and arrest noncitizens – but is still bound by constitutional limits
  3. How the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service protects public health at home and abroad
  4. Utilities choosing coal, solar, nuclear or other power sources have a lot to consider, beyond just cost
  5. Pennsylvania may be short 20,000 nurses by 2026
  6. In trade war with the US, China holds a lot more cards than Trump may think − in fact, it might have a winning hand
  7. Companies will still face pressure to manage for climate change, even as government rolls back US climate policy
  8. Pikachu protesters, Studio Ghibli memes and the subversive power of cuteness
  9. Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote
  10. AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them
  11. Tiny cut marks on animal bone fossils reveal that human ancestors were in Romania 1.95 million years ago
  12. A Roman governor ordered Jesus’ crucifixion – so why did many Christians blame Jews for centuries?
  13. White House plans for Alaskan oil and gas face some hurdles – including from Trump and the petroleum industry
  14. Pornography may be commonplace, but a growing body of research shows it causes lasting harm to the brain and relationships
  15. ICE can now enter K-12 schools − here’s what educators should know about student rights and privacy
  16. What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential authority and the rule of law
  17. Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering potential avenues for treatment
  18. Tax Day highlights the costs of single living – but demographics are forcing financial change
  19. Fill-in-the-blank training primes AI to interpret health data from smartwatches and fitness trackers
  20. Race isn’t a ‘biological reality,’ contrary to recent political claims − here’s how scientific consensus on race developed in the 20th century
  21. Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency
  22. Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management
  23. Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to express their faith in the workplace
  24. China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cables
  25. Will Africa’s young voters continue to punish incumbents at the ballot box in 2025? We are about to find out
  26. Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence
  27. Supreme Court’s decision on deportations gave both the Trump administration and ACLU reasons to claim a victory − but noncitizens clearly lost
  28. Why you should think twice before using shorthand like ‘thx’ and ‘k’ in your texts
  29. Colorado’s early childhood education workers face burnout and health disparities, but a wellness campaign could help
  30. Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe
  31. What would happen if Section 230 went away? A legal expert explains the consequences of repealing ‘the law that built the internet’
  32. Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision
  33. Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are happening more often
  34. Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening more often
  35. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe
  36. The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok
  37. Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep − a sleep researcher explains why screens alone aren’t the main culprit
  38. How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians
  39. Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research
  40. Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed
  41. The ‘courage to be’ in uncertain times − how one 20th-century philosopher defined bravery
  42. AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it
  43. What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog
  44. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today
  45. EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?
  46. The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength
  47. Alcohol causes cancer, and less than 1 drink can increase your risk − a cancer biologist explains how
  48. Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths
  49. Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations
  50. How the small autonomous region of Puntland found success in battling Islamic State in Somalia