The Conversation

Slavery’s brutal reality shocked Northerners before the Civil War − and is being whitewashed today by the White House

Written by Gerry Lanosga, Associate Professor of Journalism, Indiana University

The Trump administration is reviewing Smithsonian exhibits on slavery and other topics to reflect certain values. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Long before the first shots were fired in the Civil War, beginning early in the 19th century, Americans had been fighting a protracted war of words over slavery.

On one side, Southern planters and slavery...

Florida’s new open carry ruling combines with ‘stand your ground’ to create new freedoms – and new dangers

Written by Caroline Light, Senior Lecturer on Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard University

As of September 2025, Florida allows open carry and permitless carry, in addition to its stand your ground law.Joe Raedle/Getty Images News

Twenty years ago, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed the first “stand your ground” law, calling it a “good, common-sense, anti-crime issue.”

The law’s creators promised it would protect...

Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it

Written by Calum Lister Matheson, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Pittsburgh

Contrails have a simple explanation, but not everyone wants to believe it.AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Everyone has looked up at the clouds and seen faces, animals, objects. Human brains are hardwired for this kind of whimsy. But some people – perhaps a surprising number – look to the sky and see government plots and wicked deeds written...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket landed its booster on a barge at sea – an achievement that will broaden the commercial spaceflight market

Written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket lifted off for its second orbital flight on Nov. 13, 2025. AP Photo/John Raoux

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully made its way to orbit for the second time on Nov. 13, 2025. Although the second launch is never as flashy as the first, this mission is still significant in several ways.

For one, it launched...

Don’t let food poisoning crash your Thanksgiving dinner

Written by Lisa Cuchara, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Quinnipiac University

Undercooked turkey is a leading cause of foodborne illness on Thanksgiving.AlexRaths/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and feasting. However, amid the joy of gathering and indulging in delicious food, it is essential to keep food safety in mind. Foodborne illnesses can quickly put a damper on your celebrations....

Hybrid workers are putting in 90 fewer minutes of work on Fridays – and an overall shift toward custom schedules could be undercutting collaboration

Written by Christos Makridis, Associate Research Professor of Information Systems, Arizona State University; Institute for Humane Studies

It gets lonely if you stick around an office until late afternoon on Fridays.Dimitri Otis/Stone via Getty Images

Do your office, inbox and calendar feel like a ghost town on Friday afternoons? You’re not alone.

I’m a labor economist who studies how technology and organizational change affect productivity and well-being. In a study...

Why two tiny mountain peaks became one of the internet’s most famous images

Written by Christopher Schaberg, Director of Public Scholarship, Washington University in St. Louis

The icon has various iterations, but all convey the same meaning: an image should be here.Christopher Schaberg, CC BY-SA

It’s happened to you countless times: You’re waiting for a website to load, only to see a box with a little mountain range where an image should be. It’s the placeholder icon for a “missing image.”

Bu...

Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold

Written by Mary J. Scourboutakos, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Family and Community Medicine, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University

Nasal irrigation can help shorten the duration of the common cold.SimpleImages/Moment via Getty Images

It starts with a slight scratchiness at the back of your throat.

Then, a sneeze.

Then coughing, sniffling and full-on congestion, with or without fever, for a few insufferable days.

Viral upper respiratory tract infections – also known as the co...

SNAP benefits have been cut and disrupted – causing more kids to go without enough healthy food and harming child development

Written by Jenalee Doom, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Denver

Being able to buy nutritious groceries is essential for your family's health.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

About 4 in 10 of the more than 42 million Americans who get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are children under 18. This food aid helps their families buy groceries and boosts their health in many ways – both during...

Trump’s proposed cuts to work study threaten to upend a widely supported program that helps students offset college costs

Written by Samantha Hicks, Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Coastal Carolina University

Work-study students often still have unmet financial needs, even after their 15- to 20-hour-per-week jobs fill in some of the gaps. champpix/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Work study works, doesn’t it?

Federal work study is a government program that gives colleges and universities approximately US$1 billion in subsidies each year to help pay...