The Conversation

In death penalty cases, the quest for justice is not America’s highest value

Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Between 1976 and 2015, 80% of Louisiana's capital sentences were later reversed.Bernd Obermann/Getty Images

Jimmie Christian Duncan learned in April 2025 that a Louisiana judge had dismissed his capital murder conviction and he would no longer face the prospect of execution. In 1998, a jury convicted Duncan of murdering his girlfriend’s...

When does a kid become an adult?

Written by Jonathan B. Santo, Professor of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha

They might not be grown-ups yet.Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

When does a kid become an adult? – Avery, age 8, Los Angeles

Not everyone grows up at the same pace, even...

As US doubles down on fossil fuels, communities will have to adapt to the consequences − yet climate adaptation funding is on the chopping block

Written by Bethany Bradley, Professor of Biogeography and Spatial Ecology, UMass Amherst

Salt marshes protect shorelines, but they're already struggling to survive sea-level rise.John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

It’s no secret that warming temperatures, wildfires and flash floods are increasingly affecting lives across the United States. With the U.S. government now planning to ramp up fossil fuel use, the risks of these...

As US ramps up fossil fuels, communities will have to adapt to the consequences − yet climate adaptation funding is on the chopping block

Written by Bethany Bradley, Professor of Biogeography and Spatial Ecology, UMass Amherst

Salt marshes protect shorelines, but they're already struggling to survive sea-level rise.John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

India-Pakistan ceasefire shouldn’t disguise fact that norms have changed in South Asia, making future de-escalation much harder

Written by Farah N. Jan, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Pennsylvania

A member of the Indian Border Security Force stands guard near the India-Pakistan border.Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images

India and Pakistan have seen the scenario play out before: a terror attack in which Indians are killed leads to a succession of escalatory tit-fot-tat measures that put South Asia on the brink of all-out war. And then there is...

From pulpit to pitch: Pope Francis used sport to get his message to a wider world − that could continue with baseball-loving Leo XIV

Written by Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, Professor of Hispanic Theology and Ministry, Catholic Theological Union

Players observe a minute of silence in memory of Pope Francis before the Spanish league soccer match between Real Madrid and RC Celta de Vigo at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on May 4, 2025.Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images

The world of sport is “a constellation of many stars,” Pope Francis told La Gazzetta dello Sport,...

Science requires ethical oversight – without federal dollars, society’s health and safety are at risk

Written by Christine Coughlin, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

Brain organoids, pictured here, raise both many medical possibilities and ethical questions.NIAID/Flickr, CC BY-SA

As the Trump administration continues to make significant cuts to NIH budgets and personnel and to freeze billions of dollars of funding to major research universities – citing ideological concerns – there’s more being...

I’m a business professor who asked dozens of former students how they define success. Here are their lessons for today’s grads

Written by Patrick Abouchalache, Lecturer in Strategy and Innovation, Boston University

As the Class of 2025 graduates into an uncertain and fast-changing working world, they face a crucial question: What does it mean to be successful?

Is it better to take a job that pays more, or one that’s more prestigious? Should you prioritize advancement, relationship building, community impact or even the opportunity to live somewhere...

I watched the Kremlin’s new Putin documentary (so you don’t have to) − here’s what it says about how the Russian leader views himself

Written by Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University

As the chances of President Donald Trump’s peace deal in Ukraine seemingly recede, attention turns back to the question of Vladimir Putin and his war aims. What does the Russian president want to achieve from the conflict? And when – and under what conditions – will he be willing to make peace? Thousands of lives and billions of...

Nitrous oxide recreational use is linked to brain damage and sudden death − but ‘laughing gas’ is still sold all over the US

Written by Andrew Yockey, Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of Mississippi

Nitrous oxide is often inhaled with a balloon.Matt Cardy/Getty Images News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning Americans about the ever-increasing and potentially deadly recreational use of nitrous oxide products, particularly among young people.

Marketed with names like “Galaxy Gas” and “Miami Magic,” and often...