The Conversation

For enslaved people, the holiday season was a time for revelry – and a brief window to fight back

Written by Ana Lucia Araujo, Professor of History, Howard University

Adolphe Duperly's painting depicting the destruction of the Roehampton Estate in Jamaica during the Baptist War in January 1832.Wikimedia Commons

During the era of slavery in the Americas, enslaved men, women and children also enjoyed the holidays. Slave owners usually gave them bigger portions of food, gifted them alcohol and provided extra days...

The Moon might be older than scientists previously thought − a new study shines light on its history

Written by Francis Nimmo, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Rock samples from the lunar surface are important tools for scientists studying how old the Moon is. AP Photo/NASA

A physicist, a chemist and a mathematician walk into a bar. It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but in my case, it was the start of an idea that could reshape how scientists think about the history of the Moon.

The three of us...

Yes, Philadelphia is a sanctuary city − but that offers undocumented immigrants little protection from mass deportations

Written by Jennifer J. Lee, Associate Professor of Law, Temple University

Immigrant rights advocates call on Philadelphia officials to strengthen the city's sanctuary policies at a rally on Dec. 10, 2024. Manuel Vasquez/Juntos, CC BY-NC-ND

Philadelphia is what’s known as a sanctuary city. While the term has no fixed definition, it usually refers to a city that has declared its refusal to cooperate – or even...

Rules against insider trading also boost innovation, research finds

Written by D. Brian Blank, Associate Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

Strong enforcement of insider trading laws doesn’t just protect investors – it encourages businesses to be more innovative, according to our new peer-reviewed research.

In fact, we found that after a company is hit with an insider-trading indictment, it generally produces more patents – which in turn are cited more by other...

Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities

Written by Ramazan Kılınç, Professor of Political Science, Kennesaw State University

Syrian Christians at the Mariamiya Greek Orthodox Church in old Damascus on Dec. 15, 2024, attend Sunday Mass for the first time since Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster.AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Tens of thousands of minorities fearing persecution have fled Syria since its takeover by the Sunni Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on Dec. 8,...

What is an AI agent? A computer scientist explains the next wave of artificial intelligence tools

Written by Brian O'Neill, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Quinnipiac University

AI companies offer a vision of AI agents handling ever more complicated tasks for you.VichanChairat/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Interacting with AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be fun and sometimes useful, but the next level of everyday AI goes beyond answering questions: AI agents carry out tasks for you.

Major technology companies,...

Trust in U.S. media hit an all-time low in 2024 − a new survey shows Black midwesterners have found other trusted messengers of news

Written by Danielle K. Brown, Professor of Journalism, Michigan State University

Black Detroiters mentioned Fox 2 anchor Maurielle Lue as a trusted messenger.Screenshot from Fox 2 Detroit

In 2024, Gallup reported Americans’ trust in media was at an all-time low.

In 1972, only about 6% of Americans said they had no trust at all in mass media. Between 2020 and 2024, that number teetered between 33% and 39%.

The issue is...

Luigi Mangione isn’t the first alleged criminal to capture many people’s imaginations – and hearts

Written by Kimberly Przeszlowski, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Quinnipiac University

Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into a Hollidaysburg, Pa., courthouse for an extradition hearing on Dec. 10, 2024. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, on Dec. 4, 2024, in New York City, immediately captured national attention. But many people immediately fixated mostly on...

Assault on DEI: Critics use simplistic terms to attack the programs, but they are key to uprooting workplace bias

Written by M. Cristina Alcalde, Vice President for Transformational and Inclusive Excellence, Miami University

Research shows a clear connection between employees' sense of satisfaction and how much their employer prioritizes DEI.Just_Super/Getty Images

Prominent politicians have recently increased their attacks on workplace programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. They claim that initiatives that seek to be inclusive are divisive and l...

Nixon’s official acts against his enemies list led to a bipartisan impeachment effort

Written by Ken Hughes, Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia

President Richard Nixon used the government as a weapon against his perceived enemies.Wally McNamee/Corbis Historical

The Nixon administration’s enemies list inspired bipartisan revulsion. Its purpose was, in the immortal words of President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, to “use the available federal machinery to screw our...