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Why winter solstice matters around the world: 4 essential reads

  • Written by Molly Jackson, Religion and Ethics Editor
imageStonehenge has long been the site of some of the most famous solstice celebrations. Chris Gorman/Getty Images News

If you’ve already spend hours shoveling snow this year, you may be dismayed to realize that technically, it’s not yet winter. According to the astronomical definition, the season will officially begin in the Northern...

Read more: Why winter solstice matters around the world: 4 essential reads

How an American magazine helped launch one of Britain’s favorite Christmas carols

  • Written by Maura Ives, Professor of English, Texas A&M University
image'In the Bleak Midwinter' didn't begin life as a song, but being set to music helped it find fame.starryvoyage/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In 1906, a new carol appeared in “The English Hymnal,” an influential collection of British church music. With words by British poet Christina Rossetti, set to a tune by composer Gustav Holst, it...

Read more: How an American magazine helped launch one of Britain’s favorite Christmas carols

Disney's Black mermaid is no breakthrough – just look at the literary subgenre of Black mermaid fiction

  • Written by Jessica Pressman, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, San Diego State University
imageA coffin made to resemble a mermaid at a Ga funeral. The Ga people live along the southeast coast of Ghana.Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Mermaids have become a cultural phenomenon, and clashes about mermaids and race have spilled out into the open. This is most pointedly apparent in the backlash over Disney’s...

Read more: Disney's Black mermaid is no breakthrough – just look at the literary subgenre of Black mermaid...

Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk of stroke – new research identified a potential culprit

  • Written by Andrew Bubak, Assistant Research Professor of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
imageCells secrete exosomes carrying molecules that play a critical role in both health and disease.Meletios Verras/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Over 90% of the world population has the virus that causes chickenpox lying dormant in their nervous system. Most people contract the varicella zoster virus, or VZV, when they get chickenpox as children. For...

Read more: Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk...

The Jan. 6 committee makes its case against Trump, his allies and their conspiracy to commit an insurrection: Five essential reads

  • Written by Howard Manly, Race + Equity Editor, The Conversation US
imageRep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, is chairman of the House select committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

From its first public hearing on June 9, 2022, the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capital has offered hours of riveting testimony...

Read more: The Jan. 6 committee makes its case against Trump, his allies and their conspiracy to commit an...

2022's US climate disasters, from storms and floods to heat waves and droughts

  • Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton
imageRain and fast snowmelt sent the Yellowstone River and nearby streams raging beyond their banks in June 2022.AP Photo/David Goldman

The year 2022 will be remembered across the U.S. for its devastating flooding and storms – and also for its extreme heat waves and droughts.

By October, the U.S. had already seen 15 disasters causing more than US$1...

Read more: 2022's US climate disasters, from storms and floods to heat waves and droughts

China's lucrative orchid industry is a test for the nation's commitment to conservation

  • Written by Hong Liu, Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University
imageSorting collected _Dendrobium_ flowers in Guizhou province, China, June 28, 2020.Photo Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images

China is well known for its medicinal use of wild plants, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. These traditional Chinese medicines include many wild orchids, some quite showy.

Typically, orchids are consumed...

Read more: China's lucrative orchid industry is a test for the nation's commitment to conservation

A recipe for trustworthy journalism

  • Written by Joel Abrams, Director of Digital Strategy and Outreach, The Conversation U.S.
image

The Conversation feeds the minds of millions of people each week by following a brilliant recipe: We take the research of experts, add expert editing and serve up trustworthy journalism.

I could write at great length about it, but instead we’ve made a little cooking video to explain what we do.

Follow this recipe to get The Conversation.

We&rsqu...

Read more: A recipe for trustworthy journalism

What the criminal referral of Trump means – a constitutional law expert explains the Jan. 6 committee action

  • Written by Margaret M. Russell, Associate Professor of Law, Santa Clara University
imageThe Jan. 6 House Committee announced four recommended charges against Donald Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the US.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

After 18 months investigating, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol held its final public meeting on Dec. 19, 2022. The panel recommended that...

Read more: What the criminal referral of Trump means – a constitutional law expert explains the Jan. 6...

Even if Jan. 6 referrals turn into criminal charges – or convictions – Trump will still be able to run in 2024 and serve as president if elected

  • Written by Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University
imageLooming large over proceedings.Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images

The criminal referral of Donald Trump to the Department of Justice by a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack is largely symbolic – the panel itself has no power to prosecute any individual.

Nonetheless, the recommendation that Trump be investigated for four potential...

Read more: Even if Jan. 6 referrals turn into criminal charges – or convictions – Trump will still be able to...

More Articles ...

  1. 5 wintry books to read during long nights
  2. The lenses of fishes' eyes record their lifetime exposure to toxic mercury, new research finds
  3. What's program-related investment? A management scholar explains one way that foundations support charities without giving money away for good
  4. Why is astronomy a science but astrology is not?
  5. Inflation, unemployment, the housing crisis and a possible recession: Two economists forecast what's ahead in 2023
  6. What are mud volcanoes?
  7. A hat trick of essential reads to accompany the World Cup final
  8. Holiday foods can be toxic to pets – a veterinarian explains which, and what to do if Rover or Kitty eats them
  9. 'Vaccinating' frogs may or may not protect them against a pandemic – but it does provide another option for conservation
  10. 'Untraditional' Hanukkah celebrations are often full of traditions for Jews of color
  11. Wealthy individuals are giving billions to solve the climate crisis – is it working?
  12. Video of college student arrest raises questions about use of police on campus
  13. Over the holidays, try talking to your relatives like an anthropologist
  14. 1918 flu pandemic upended long-standing social inequalities – at least for a time, new study finds
  15. Why Istanbul's mayor was sentenced to jail – and what it means for Turkey's 2023 presidential race
  16. Anti-cancer CAR-T therapy reengineers T cells to kill tumors – and researchers are expanding the limited types of cancer it can target
  17. A Trump-era law used to restrict immigration is nearing its end despite GOP warnings of a looming crisis at the Southern border
  18. How the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a surprisingly bright, complex and element-filled early universe – Podcast
  19. Why early Christians wouldn't have found the Christmas story's virgin birth so surprising
  20. The Christmas tree is a tradition older than Christmas
  21. What social media regulation could look like: Think of pipelines, not utilities
  22. Record low water levels on the Mississippi River in 2022 show how climate change is altering large rivers
  23. Special counsels, like the one leading the Department of Justice's investigation of Trump, are intended to be independent – but they aren't entirely
  24. A tortured and deadly legacy: Kissinger and realpolitik in US foreign policy
  25. Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work
  26. Social media always remembers – which makes moving on from a breakup that much harder
  27. Mpox, AIDS and COVID-19 show the challenges of targeting public health messaging to specific groups without causing stigma
  28. As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe
  29. The Catholic view on indulgences and how they work today
  30. Why fusion ignition is being hailed as a major breakthrough in fusion – a nuclear physicist explains
  31. Federal Reserve just hiked interest rates for the 7th time this year – so why are mortgage rates coming down?
  32. Arctic Report Card 2022: The Arctic is getting rainier and seasons are shifting, with broad disturbances for people, ecosystems and wildlife
  33. Are snow days about to get buried by remote learning? Not quite -- but it depends on where you live
  34. Timing matters for medications – your circadian rhythm influences how well treatments work and how much they might harm you
  35. That annoying ringing, buzzing and hissing in the ear – a hearing specialist offers tips to turn down the tinnitus
  36. After 50 years, 'liberation theology' is still reshaping Catholicism and politics – but what is it?
  37. Iranian protesters turn to TikTok to get their message past government censors
  38. Congress aims to close off presidential election mischief and fraud with simple and bipartisan solutions
  39. Brittney Griner's case was difficult for US negotiators for one key reason: She was guilty
  40. Fed wants inflation to get down to 2% – but why not target 3%? Or 0%?
  41. Japan's Laughing Buddha Hotei is merging into Santa Claus -- both are roly-poly sacred figures with a bag of gifts
  42. Who were the 3 wise men who visited Jesus?
  43. Local nonprofits play a key role in recovery from disasters – while also having to get back on their own feet
  44. China's loosened COVID-19 policies – following years of aggressive lockdowns and quarantines – have left the country vulnerable
  45. Do accents disappear?
  46. How are books made?
  47. About one-third of the food Americans buy is wasted, hurting the climate and consumers' wallets
  48. Christmas trees can stay fresh for weeks – a well-timed cut and consistent watering are key
  49. Sinema out, Warnock in – Democrats narrowly control the Senate and Republicans the House, but gridlock won't be the biggest problem for the new Congress
  50. What is voluntary sterilization? A health communication expert unpacks how a legacy of forced sterilization shapes doctor-patient conversations today