The Conversation

We study pandemics, and the resurgence of measles is a grim sign of what’s coming

Written by Jennifer B. Nuzzo, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Pandemic Center, Brown University

The U.S. eliminated measles in 2000, but the disease is once again circulating around the country. Marina Demidiuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In the three decades between 1993 and 2024, measles in the U.S. was relatively rare – a few hundred cases each year, at most. But suddenly, the disease has become so entrenched in American life that...

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

Written by SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Politics, University of Virginia

What power does the U.S. Congress have over the president's war in Iran?Douglas Rissing, iStock/Getty Images Plus

Despite the scale of its military assault on Iran, the Trump administration’s reasons for entering into war have been inconsistent and vague, from regime change to the destruction of nuclear weapons, preempting military action by...

Patriots and loyalists both rallied around St. Patrick’s Day during the Revolutionary War

Written by Cian T. McMahon, Professor of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

At the end of a bitter winter at Valley Forge, George Washington ordered an extra glass of grog on St. Patrick’s Day for every man, 'and thus all made merry and were good friends.'iStock/Getty Images Plus

The Continental Army’s winter encampment at Valley Forge, between December 1777 and June 1778, is the stuff of legend. Chased out of...

Fat cells burn energy to make heat – making them the next frontier of weight loss therapies

Written by Claudio Villanueva, Professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles

There is more to fat than meets the eye.Thom Leach/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Over the past few years, a new class of medications has transformed the treatment of obesity. Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro work primarily by reducing appetite, helping people eat less and feel full sooner. Their success has demonstrated something...

Indie coffee shops are meant to counter corporate behemoths like Starbucks – so why do they all look the same?

Written by Conrad Kickert, Associate Professor of Architecture, University at Buffalo

Many coffee shops today seem to be aesthetically divorced from time and place.stomy/iStock via Getty Images

Like many young, urban professionals, we run on coffee. We especially enjoy frequenting independently owned cafes that pride themselves on ethically sourced beverages, strong local ties and a hip aesthetic.

They’re the kinds of places...

AI doesn’t ‘see’ the way that you do, and that could be a problem when it categorizes objects and scenes

Written by Arryn Robbins, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond

An AI and a human might classify this mammal with gray, wrinkled skin as very different animals.Richard Bailey/Corbis via Getty Images

Even with no fur in frame, you can easily see that a photo of a hairless Sphynx cat depicts a cat. You wouldn’t mistake it for an elephant.

But many artificial intelligence vision systems would. Why? Because...

Oil isn’t just fuel: Iran conflict could disrupt markets for everything from plastics to fertilizers

Written by André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology

Disruptions to crude oil transport could affect more than fuel supply chains. AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File

Tensions in the Middle East often trigger concerns about rising gasoline prices. But disruptions to oil supplies could affect much more than the cost of filling up a car. That’s because crude oil is not only burned as fuel. It is also the...

Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were not so simple

Written by Brett Whalen, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A painting in Rome's San Silvestro Chapel depicts Pope Sylvester I and Constantine the Great.Wikimedia Commons

During the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, 2026, Paula White-Cain, senior adviser to the White House Office of Faith, introduced President Donald Trump as “the greatest champion of faith that we have ever had in the executive...

US military leans into AI for attack on Iran, but the tech doesn’t lessen the need for human judgment in war

Written by Jon R. Lindsay, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity and Privacy and of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology

AI is helping U.S. forces find and choose targets in Iran, like this airfield.U.S. Central Command via AP

The U.S. military was able “to strike a blistering 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours of its attack on Iran” thanks in part to its use of artificial intelligence, according to The Washington Post. The military has used Claude, the...

Universities survived Trump’s 2025 funding freeze, but the money still isn’t flowing to researchers

Written by Brendan Cantwell, Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University

Columbia University, seen in June 2025, is one of the schools that made a deal with the Trump administration last year in order to avoid losing funding. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Several prominent universities, including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, made headlines in 2025 in a dizzying back-and-forth with the federal...