The Conversation

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

Written by Doug Cowen, Professor of Physics and Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Penn State

IceCube sits on tons of clear ice, allowing scientists to make out neutrino interactions. Cmichel67/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these “relic” neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they can’t harm you. In fact,...

Celebrities routinely drop in on this Florida university’s hospitality course

Written by Michael Cheng, Dean of hospitality management, Florida International University

Rap mogul Rick Ross, right, speaks in a hospitality class hosted by entrepreneur David Grutman. Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Florida International University (FIU)

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“The David Grutman...

When the Supreme Court said it’s important to move quickly in key presidential cases like Trump’s immunity claim

Written by Donald Nieman, Professor of History and Provost Emeritus, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Judges can move with speed, but don't always.Aitor Diago/Moment via Getty Images

When former President Donald Trump’s attorneys argue before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, they will claim he is immune from criminal prosecution for official actions taken during his time in the Oval Office. The claim arises from his federal charges...

From shrimp Jesus to fake self-portraits, AI-generated images have become the latest form of social media spam

Written by Renee DiResta, Research Manager of the Stanford Internet Observatory, Stanford University

Many of the AI images generated by spammers and scammers have religious themes.immortal70/iStock via Getty Images

If you’ve spent time on Facebook over the past six months, you may have noticed photorealistic images that are too good to be true: children holding paintings that look like the work of professional artists, or majestic log cabin...

What is ‘techno-optimism’? 2 technology scholars explain the ideology that says technology is the answer to every problem

Written by Seyram Avle, Associate Professor of Global Digital Media, UMass Amherst

When venture capitalist and techno-optimist Marc Andreessen speaks, many people listen.Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen penned a 5,000-word manifesto in 2023 that gave a full-throated call for unrestricted technological progress to boost markets, broaden energy production, improve...

How trains linked rival port cities along the US East Coast into a cultural and economic megalopolis

Written by David Alff, Associate Professor of English, University at Buffalo

An Acela, the flagship train of the Northeast corridor, moves through Connecticut.AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

The Northeast corridor is America’s busiest rail line. Each day, its trains deliver 800,000 passengers to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington and points in between.

The Northeast corridor is also a name for the place those trains...

Do implicit bias trainings on race improve health care? Not yet – but incorporating the latest science can help hospitals treat all patients equitably

Written by Nao Hagiwara, Professor of Public Health Sciences, Director of the Program on Health Disparities and Community Engagement Research, University of Virginia

Prejudice and stereotyping can negatively affect patient-provider communication.FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

There is increasing evidence that implicit bias – non-conscious attitudes toward specific groups – is a source of racial inequities in certain aspects of health care, and lawmakers are taking note.

Since the tragic murder of...

Nearsightedness is at epidemic levels – and the problem begins in childhood

Written by Andrew Herbert, Professor of Psychology, Visual Perception, Rochester Institute of Technology

Nearsightedness is also known as myopia.Witthaya Prasongsin/Moment via Getty Images

Myopia, or the need for corrected vision to focus or see objects at a distance, has become a lot more common in recent decades. Some even consider myopia, also known as nearsightedness, an epidemic.

Optometry researchers estimate that about half of the global...

Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele

Written by Tina Chronopoulos, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A relief showing a Gallus making sacrifices to the goddess Cybele and Attis.Saiko via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

A Vatican declaration, the “Infinite Dignity,” has brought renewed attention to how religions define and interpret gender and gender roles.

Approved by the pope on March 25, 2024, the Vatican declaration asserts the...

For millions of Americans, high-speed internet is unavailable or unaffordable − a telecommunications expert explains how to bring broadband to the places that need it the most

Written by Christopher Ali, Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications & Professor of Telecommunications, Penn State

Broadband is noticeably missing in rural, remote or Indigenous areas.Grant Faint/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Millions of Americans still don’t have access to high-speed internet. Christopher Ali, a professor of telecommunications at Penn State University, discusses who lacks access to broadband and how the federal government – with...