The Conversation

Squash has been played in Philly for 125 years − a sports psychologist explains why it’s one of the city’s best-kept secrets

Written by Eric Zillmer, Professor of Neuropsychology, Drexel University

Olivia Weaver, in foreground, is an American professional squash player from Philadelphia who is ranked No. 4 in the world.Courtesy US Squash

What sport combines the intensity of a high-wire circus act with the strategic thinking of a grand master chess match?

I’d say the sport of squash, for the first time an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los...

College students are bombarded by misinformation, so this professor taught them fact-checking 101 − here’s what happened

Written by Sam Wineburg, Emeritus Professor of Education, Stanford University

Smartphones are a window into a world of misinformation.Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images

Mike Evans knew something had to change.

As the lead instructor for American Government 1101 at Georgia State University in 2021, Evans had watched his students over the years show up with fewer facts and more conspiracy theories. Gone were the days...

Like Reagan, Trump is slashing US environment regulations, but his strategy may have a far deeper impact

Written by Barbara Kates-Garnick, Professor of Practice in Energy Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

When the Trump administration announced it was moving to eliminate dozens of U.S. climate policies, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said he was sending “a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.”

That drive – to both repeal environmental regulations and cast doubt on science –...

Like Reagan, Trump is slashing environment regulations, but his strategy may have a far deeper impact

Written by Barbara Kates-Garnick, Professor of Practice in Energy Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

That drive – to both repeal environmental regulations and cast doubt on science –...

Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967

Written by Maha Nassar, Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona

A funeral ceremony takes place in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in Gaza following the deaths of five journalists on Aug. 25, 2025.Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images

Five journalists were among the 22 people killed on Aug. 25, 2025, in Israeli strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip. Following global condemnation, the office of...

Hurricane Katrina: 3 painful lessons for emergency management are increasingly important 20 years later

Written by Eric Kevin Stern, Professor of Political Science, Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, University at Albany, State University of New York

National Guard trucks carry rescued residents through floodwaters to the Superdome on Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans.AP Photo/Eric Gay

Hurricane Katrina looms large in the history of American emergency management, both for what went wrong as the disaster unfolded and for the policy changes it triggered.

As the nation...

Orwell’s opposition to totalitarianism was rooted in his support for freeing workers from poverty and exploitation

Written by Mark Satta, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Law, Wayne State University

In writing he did before his most famous novels, Orwell focused primarily on other themes including work, poverty, anti-imperialism and democratic socialism.zoom-zoom, iStock/Getty Images Plus

George Orwell’s dystopian novels “Animal Farm” and “1984” have remained popular in the U.S. ever since their initial...

Why is the object of golf to play as little golf as possible?

Written by Patrick Tutka, Clinical Associate Professor of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University

Brooke M. Henderson hits a bunker shot during a tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich., on June 12, 2025.Michael Miller/ISI Photos via Getty Images

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 is the object of golf to play the least amount...

Rural women are at a higher risk of violence − and less likely to get help

Written by Walter S. DeKeseredy, Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University

Rural areas have higher rates of violence against women than suburban and urban places.pocketlight/E+ via Getty Images

I have been teaching a course on rural criminology since 2014, and most of my students are surprised by the information on violence against women presented to them.

Due to the lack of media attention to rural areas, my students come...

Forget the warm fuzzies of finding common ground – to beat polarization, try changing your expectations

Written by Sarah Pessin, Professor of Philosophy, University of Denver

Americans are increasingly polarized in their political views.John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images

More than 70% of voters in Colorado’s Douglas County, conservative and progressive alike, voted “no” on home rule in June 2025. The ballot measure would have granted the county increased control over certain local matters such as...