The Conversation

Release of Alberto Fujimori in Peru rekindles fears of backsliding on human rights

Written by Ñusta Carranza Ko, Assistant Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Baltimore

A frail but free Alberto Fujimori.Renato Pajuelo/AFP via Getty Images

The release from prison of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori on Dec. 6, 2023, has sparked concern over Peru’s commitment to human rights.

The move came a a day after the Constitutional Tribunal of Peru ruled that the 85-year-old, who was serving a 25-year sentence...

When authoritative sources hold onto bad data: A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information

Written by Janet Freilich, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University

Government information sources like the U.S. patent database often file bad information without labeling it or providing a way to retract it.Thinglass/iStock via Getty Images

In 2004, Hwang Woo-suk was celebrated for his breakthrough discovery creating cloned human embryos, and his work was published in the prestigious journal Science. But the...

Winter brings more than just ugly sweaters – here's how the season can affect your mind and behavior

Written by Michael Varnum, Associate Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University

Short winter days can influence your brain chemistry.Schon/Moment via Getty Images

What comes to mind when you think about winter? Snowflakes? Mittens? Reindeer? In much of the Northern Hemisphere, winter means colder temperatures, shorter days and year-end holidays.

Along with these changes, a growing body of research in psychology and related...

Artificial light lures migrating birds into cities, where they face a gauntlet of threats

Written by Carolyn S. Burt, Convergence Research Coordinator, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University

The New York City borough of Manhattan at night, viewed from the Rockefeller Center observation deck.Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Light pollution has steadily intensified and expanded from urban areas, and with the advent of LED lighting, it is growing in North America by up to 10% per year, as measured by the...

Why federal efforts to protect schools from cybersecurity threats fall short

Written by Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro

The cost of safeguarding America's schools from cybercriminals could run as high as $5 billion.boonchai wedmakawand via Getty Images

In August 2023, the White House announced a plan to bolster cybersecurity in K-12 schools – and with good reason. Between 2018 and mid-September 2023, there were 386 recorded cyberattacks in the U.S. education...

4 business lessons from the Boston Tea Party

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Clinical Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University

December 2023 marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, one of the most famous events leading up to the Revolutionary War. On the night of Dec. 16, 1773, Colonists marched aboard three ships and threw more than 90,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. No one died, and the only things injured were the tea leaves, but this event helped...

In the worst of America's Jim Crow era, Black intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois found inspiration and hope in national parks

Written by Thomas S. Bremer, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and American Religious History, Rhodes College

A view of the Grand Canyon after a snowfall.Tom Stoddart/Getty Images

In his collection of essays and poems published in 1920 titled “Darkwater,” W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about his poignant encounter with the beauty of the Grand Canyon, the stupendous chasm in Arizona.

As he stood at the canyon’s rim, the towering intellectual and...

Is Hamas the same as ISIS, the Islamic State group? No − and yes

Written by Brian Glyn Williams, Professor of Islamic History, UMass Dartmouth

A Palestinian militant rides on the back of a motorcycle near a crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

In the aftermath of Hamas’ bloody raid into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, many Israelis and people around the world equated the newly ultraviolent and audacious...

CRISPR and other new technologies open doors for drug development, but which diseases get prioritized? It comes down to money and science

Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

So many diseases to treat, so little money and time.Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Prescription drugs and vaccines revolutionized health care, dramatically decreasing death from disease and improving quality of life across the globe. But how do researchers, universities and hospitals, and the pharmaceutical industry decide which...

Lighting a fire using friction requires an understanding of some physics principles − but there are ways to make the process easier

Written by Bradley Duncan, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton

Humans have been making fire by friction for centuries, but it's not easy.Cyndi Monaghan/Moment via Getty Images

Humans have been making fire using friction for thousands of years, with evidence of its use found in archaeological records across different cultures worldwide.

Fire by friction is a testament to human ingenuity, contributing to the...