The Conversation

Nearly 20% of the cultural differences between societies boil down to ecological factors – new research

Written by Alexandra Wormley, Ph.D. Student in Social Psychology, Arizona State University

How much of a culture could be due to things like the grain it traditionally grew?Visoot Uthairam/Moment via Getty Images

In some parts of the world, the rules are strict; in others they are far more lax. In some places, people are likely to plan for the future, while in others people are more likely to live in the moment. In some societies people...

Kakhovka dam breach: 3 essential reads on what it means for Ukraine's infrastructure, beleaguered nuclear plant and future war plans

Written by Matt Williams, Senior Breaking News and International Editor

The breach of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could have lasting ecological and health impacts.Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP

A dam that supplies drinking water to thousands of Ukrainians as well as cooling water for reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station was ruptured on June 6, 2023.

Kyiv blamed the destruction on Moscow, with Presiden...

UK PM Sunak visits Washington to strengthen ties, watch baseball – having already struck out on trade deal

Written by Garret Martin, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Co-Director Transatlantic Policy Center, American University School of International Service

'I don't drink coffee, I take tea' -- the quintessential Englishman in, well, D.C.Paul Faith/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Alongside meetings with President Joe Biden, U.S. business leaders and members of Congress, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will take in a baseball game during a Washington trip that starts June 7, 2023. He may be given the honor of thr...

US, Chinese warships' near miss in Taiwan Strait hints at ongoing troubled diplomatic waters, despite chatter about talks

Written by Meredith Oyen, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship cross into its path.Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP

An encounter in which a Chinese naval ship cut across the path of a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, 2023, has both Beijing and Washington pointing fingers at each other.

It was the second near...

Changing wild animals' behavior could help save them – but is it ethical?

Written by Daniel T. Blumstein, Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles

Cane toads: very large, very invasive and very poisonous.reptiles4all/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When large and warty cane toads were first brought to Australia nearly 100 years ago, they had a simple mission: to gobble up beetles and other pests in the sugarcane fields.

Today, though, the toads have become an infamous example of a global problem:...

Political compromises – like the debt-limit deal – have never been substitutes for lasting solutions

Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

Will the debt ceiling bill negotiated by President Joe Biden, left, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy be a lasting solution?AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The compromise to avoid default on the U.S. debt passed muster, eventually. President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy pulled it off.

The nation can breathe, at least for the next...

Scientists' political donations reflect polarization in academia – with implications for the public's trust in science

Written by Alexander Kaurov, Research Associate in History of Science, Harvard University

Under 10% of political donations from academic scholars go to Republican causes.Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus

People who lean left politically reported an increase in trust in scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic, while those who lean right politically reported much lower levels of trust in scientists. This polarization around...

Supreme Court is poised to dismantle an integral part of LBJ's Great Society – affirmative action

Written by Travis Knoll, Adjunct Professor of History, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

President Lyndon Johnson delivers the commencement address at Howard University on June 4, 1965.

Of all the civil rights policies enacted by U.S President Lyndon Johnson, affirmative action is arguably one of the most enduring – and most challenged.

Johnson made it clear during a commencement address at Howard University on June 4, 1965,...

Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people

Written by Laurie Marhoefer, Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor of History, University of Washington

Patrons at the Eldorado, a popular LGBTQ cabaret in Berlin during the Weimar years.Herbert Hoffmann/ullstein bild via Getty Images

In the fall of 2022, a German court heard an unusual case.

It was a civil lawsuit that grew out of a feud on Twitter about whether transgender people were victims of the Holocaust. Though there is no longer much debate...

Blockchain is a key technology – a computer scientist explains why the post-crypto-crash future is bright

Written by Yu Chen, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Blockchain technology has many uses beyond cryptocurrency.Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images

People hear a lot about blockchain technology in relation to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, which rely on blockchain systems to keep records of financial transactions between people and businesses. But a crash in public trust in cryptocurrencies like Ter...