The Conversation

‘Don’t Say Gay’ rules and book bans might have felt familiar in medieval Europe − but queer themes in literature survived nonetheless

Written by Jessica Hines, Visiting Assistant Professor of English, Whitman College

Books whose ideas ran afoul of official church doctrine were sometimes cast into the flames -- and literature with queer themes was no stranger to scrutiny.Pedro Berruguete/Museo del Prado/Wikimedia Commons

Americans have been challenging books at an unprecedented rate. According to the American Library Association, people requested that more than...

Humans have been altering nature for thousands of years – to shape a sustainable future, it’s important to understand that deep history

Written by Todd Braje, Executive Director, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon

An archaeologist takes bog samples in Germany for analysis of past civilizations and what they cultivated. Stefan Puchner/picture alliance via Getty Images

In July 2024, all eyes will turn to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games. Spectators from around the globe will converge on the City of Light to watch athletes compete and to soak in the culture,...

Plant-based meat alternatives are trying to exit the culture wars – an impossible task?

Written by S. Marek Muller, Assistant Professor: Communication Studies, Texas State University

A person holds an Impossible brand meatless burger in California in 2021.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Increasingly, vegans, vegetarians and others looking for meat alternatives are seeing a new option on the menu: patties that look, taste and even appear to bleed like beef hamburgers, but are actually made of soy, pea protein and other...

Preying on white fears worked for Georgia’s Lester Maddox in the ’60s − and is working there for Donald Trump today

Written by David Cason, Associate Professor in Honors, University of North Dakota

Lester Maddox is sworn in as governor of Georgia on Jan. 11, 1967.Bettmann/Getty Images

In January 1967, after a gubernatorial election that saw neither candidate gain enough votes to win, the Georgia Legislature was faced with a vital decision: the selection of the state’s 75th governor during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Legislat...

College students in Austin, Texas, have dwelled in windowless rooms for years − here’s why the city finally decided to ban them

Written by Juan Miró, Professor, Dick Clark Chair in Architecture, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin

Thousands of windowless rooms like this one have been built near the University of Texas at Austin.Juan Miro

In the past few years, the city of Austin, Texas, has approved the construction of thousands of windowless rooms in new apartment buildings next to The University of Texas at Austin.

Most of these rooms are being leased to UT students,...

Latest inflation figures are good news – even if they give a lot of people heartburn

Written by Christopher Decker, Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska Omaha

Headline inflation is cooling, too.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The U.S. economy is slowing, but not crashing. In the dismal science, this is what counts as good news.

That’s the message I took away from the latest inflation data, released May 15, 2024, which showed U.S. consumer prices rising 3.4% in the 12 months to April 2024. This is...

5 thoughts for new college grads seeking to find the right balance between meaningful work and making money

Written by Christopher Wong Michaelson, Professor of Ethics and Business Law, University of St. Thomas

The Class of 2024 had a college experience like no other, starting its first year during peak pandemic and graduating amid protests of the war in Gaza. Many of its graduates will be joining a working world that holds their future in its hands and that was transformed by technological advancements and changing attitudes about work while they were...

It’s OK to mow in May − the best way to help pollinators is by adding native plants

Written by Christina Grozinger, Professor of Entomology and Director, Center for Pollinator Research, Penn State

It’s a simple idea: Stop mowing your lawn in the month of May to let flowers in the lawn, such as dandelions and clover, grow and support bees and other pollinators.

“No Mow May” was started in 2019 by Plantlife, a conservation charity based in the United Kingdom, in response to a well-documented loss of meadows and an alarming...

Florence Nightingale overcame the limits set on proper Victorian women – and brought modern science and statistics to nursing

Written by Melissa Pritchard, Professor Emeritus of English and Women’s Studies, Arizona State University

Florence Nightingale experienced her personal call to nursing at age 16 and ultimately became known as the "Lady with the Lamp."Photos.com/Getty Images

For nearly 200 years, Florence Nightingale’s name has been synonymous with gentle compassion and mercy.

In the mid-19th century, Nightingale became perhaps the most celebrated woman of her era...

An obscure provision of Ohio law could keep Biden off the ballot there in November

Written by Jonathan Entin, Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University

The William McKinley Monument, silhouetted on the west side of the Ohio Statehouse, on April 15, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

President Joe Biden might not appear on the November 2024 presidential ballot in Ohio. Ohio law requires that presidential candidates be certified – that is, the state must be notified that...