The Conversation

Building ‘beloved community’: Remembering the friendship between Martin Luther King Jr. and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh

Written by Jeremy David Engels, Liberal Arts Endowed Professor of Communication, Penn State

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., left, appears at a Chicago news conference with Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh on May 31, 1966.AP Photo/Edward Kitch, File

Before Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, he asked several of his friends to continue his life’s work building what he called “beloved community.” One of the people he invited...

US military has a long history in Greenland, from mining during WWII to a nuclear-powered Army base built into the ice

Written by Paul Bierman, Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Vermont

Rusting fuel drums and vehicles remain at an abandoned U.S. World War II base in Greenland. Posnov/Moment via Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s insistence that the U.S. will acquire Greenland “whether they like it or not” is just the latest chapter in a co-dependent and often complicated relationship between America and the...

Could ChatGPT convince you to buy something? Threat of manipulation looms as AI companies gear up to sell ads

Written by Bruce Schneier, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

AI advertising could be hard to resist – or even recognize.showcake/iStock via Getty Images

Eighteen months ago, it was plausible that artificial intelligence might take a different path than social media. Back then, AI’s development hadn’t consolidated under a small number of big tech firms. Nor had it capitalized on consumer...

From a new flagship space telescope to lunar exploration, global cooperation – and competition – will make 2026 an exciting year for space

Written by Grant Tremblay, Federal Astrophysicist and External Relations Lead at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Institution

The U.S. is planning a crewed flight around the Moon in 2026. AP Photo

In 2026, astronauts will travel around the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era, powerful new space telescopes will prepare to survey billions of galaxies, and multiple nations will launch missions aimed at finding habitable worlds, water on the Moon and clues to how our...

The ‘drug threat’ that justified the US ouster of Maduro won’t be fixed by his arrest

Written by Eduardo Gamarra, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

This isn't going to stop in the U.S. just because Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested.Floris Leeuwenberg, Corbis Documentary/Getty Images

Donald Trump has flagged Venezuelan drug trafficking as a key reason for the U.S. military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, that captured President Nicolás Maduro and whisked him to New York...

South Florida’s Brightline has highlighted an old problem – every year for the past decade, 900 pedestrians were killed by trains

Written by Ian Savage, Professor of Economics, Northwestern University

High-speed passenger trains like Florida's Brightline travel through dense neighborhoods, increasing the likelihood of accidents involving pedestrians.Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

In 2018, high-speed passenger trains branded as Brightline started running along the formerly freight-only Florida East Coast Railway. Initial service from Miami to...

Iran’s protests have spread across provinces, despite skepticism and concern among ethnic groups

Written by Shukriya Bradost, Ph.D. Researcher, International Security and Foreign Policy, Virginia Tech

Protester in Punak, Tehran on Jan. 10, 2026.Author-obtained image., CC BY

When Iran’s ongoing protests began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on Dec. 28 2025, the government initially treated them as manageable and temporary.

Bazaar merchants have historically been among the most conservative social groups in Iran, deeply embedded in the...

Why unlocking Venezuelan oil won’t mean much for US energy prices

Written by Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, and Research Professor, New York University; Tufts University

A sculpture of a hand holding an oil rig stands outside the headquarters of Venezuela's national oil company. Pedro Mattey/AFP via Getty Images

In the wake of U.S. forces’ arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is taking over Venezuelan oil production.

In addition, the U.S. has...

Martin Luther King Jr. was ahead of his time in pushing for universal basic income

Written by Tarah Williams, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Allegheny College

Martin Luther King Jr. became involved not just in fights over racial equality but also economic hardship.Ted S. Warren/AP

Each year on the holiday that bears his name, Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered for his immense contributions to the struggle for racial equality. What is less often remembered but equally important is that King saw the...

Rural areas have darker skies but fewer resources for students interested in astronomy – telescopes in schools can help

Written by Emma Marcucci, Executive Director of STARS, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Institution

Observing the night sky can get kids interested in astronomy and STEM careers. Jeremy Thomas/Unsplash

The night sky has long sparked wonder and curiosity. Early civilizations studied the stars and tracked celestial events, predicted eclipses and used their observations to construct calendars, develop maps and formulate religious rituals.

Scholars...