The Conversation

When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data

Written by Nicole M. Bennett, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography and Assistant Director at the Center for Refugee Studies, Indiana University

Palantir's technology allows government agencies to connect the dots about individuals.Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images

When the U.S. government signs contracts with private technology companies, the fine print rarely reaches the public. Palantir Technologies, however, has attracted more and more attention over the past decade because of the...

Pregnancy brings unique challenges for people with autoimmune diseases – but with early planning, pregnancy outcomes can be greatly improved

Written by Kristen Demoruelle, Associate Professor of Rheumatology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Early discussions and proactive planning for pregnancy are critically important for those with autoimmune diseases.d3sign/Moment via Getty Images

Only a few decades ago, a diagnosis of lupus could mean giving up the dream of having children. Women with systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus were warned that pregnancy was too risky – both for...

How stripping diversity, equity and inclusion from health care may make Americans sicker

Written by Abigail Folberg, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha

The Trump administration has rescinded more than $1 billion in medical research funding, with one major target being research relating to diversity, equity and inclusion. Alina Kotliar/iStock via Getty Images Plus

President Donald Trump’s administration has dramatically reshaped health and medical research by rolling back federal funding from...

Why religious groups are pushing for psychedelics as sacrament

Written by Pardis Mahdavi, Professor of Anthropology, University of La Verne

Congregants at Colorado's first psychedelic church, in Colorado Springs, on Feb. 18, 2025.Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images

Texas passed a landmark law in June 2025, supported by former Gov. Rick Perry, that allocates US$50 million to support research on ibogaine, one of the most powerful psychedelics, for treating opioid addiction and...

Trump’s firing of Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

Written by Ana Carolina Garriga, Professor. Department of Government, University of Essex

The fate of Lisa Cook, who is fighting attempts by President Donald Trump to remove her from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, has huge implications for a keystone of good economic policy: central bank independence.

At the heart of her firing attempt – and other moves to undermine the Fed by the Trump administration – is a...

Trump’s push to fire Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

Written by Ana Carolina Garriga, Professor. Department of Government, University of Essex

At the heart of her firing attempt – and other moves to undermine the Fed by the Trump administration – is a...

The US really is unlike other rich countries when it comes to job insecurity – and AI could make it even more ‘exceptional’

Written by Jeffrey C. Dixon, Professor of Sociology, College of the Holy Cross

How will AI affect American workers? There are two major narratives floating around. The “techno-optimist” view is that AI will free humans from boring tasks and create new jobs, while the “techno-pessimist” view is that AI will lead to widespread unemployment.

As a sociologist who studies job insecurity, I’m among the...

Active Clubs are white supremacy’s new, dangerous frontier

Written by Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

What looks like a fitness group could actually be a white supremacist training cell.starush/iStock via Getty Images

Small local organizations called Active Clubs have spread widely across the U.S. and internationally, using fitness as a cover for a much more alarming mission. These groups are a new and harder-to-detect form of white supremacist...

Squash has been played in Philly for 125 years − a sports psychologist explains why it’s one of the city’s best-kept secrets

Written by Eric Zillmer, Professor of Neuropsychology, Drexel University

Olivia Weaver, in foreground, is an American professional squash player from Philadelphia who is ranked No. 4 in the world.Courtesy US Squash

What sport combines the intensity of a high-wire circus act with the strategic thinking of a grand master chess match?

I’d say the sport of squash, for the first time an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los...

College students are bombarded by misinformation, so this professor taught them fact-checking 101 − here’s what happened

Written by Sam Wineburg, Emeritus Professor of Education, Stanford University

Smartphones are a window into a world of misinformation.Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images

Mike Evans knew something had to change.

As the lead instructor for American Government 1101 at Georgia State University in 2021, Evans had watched his students over the years show up with fewer facts and more conspiracy theories. Gone were the days...