The Conversation

A personal tale of intellectual humility – and the rewards of being open-minded

Written by Gemma Ware, Editor and Co-Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

Intellectual humility is about being open to changing your mind. tomertu/Shutterstock

With unlimited information at our fingertips and dozens of platforms on which to share our opinions, it can sometimes feel like we’re supposed to be experts in everything. It can be exhausting.

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we talk to a...

Can Trump be prosecuted? Supreme Court will take up precedent-setting case to define the limits of presidential immunity

Written by Claire Wofford, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media following his appearance at the District Court in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, 2024. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Feb. 28, 2024, that it will consider the momentous issue of whether Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution, delaying...

Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores

Written by Ziyad Al-Aly, Chief of Research and Development, VA St. Louis Health Care System. Clinical Epidemiologist, Washington University in St. Louis

Research shows that even mild COVID-19 can lead to the equivalent of seven years of brain aging.Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19.

Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of...

W.E.B. Du Bois’ study ‘The Philadelphia Negro’ at 125 still explains roots of the urban Black experience – sociologist Elijah Anderson tells why it should be on more reading lists

Written by Elijah Anderson, Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, Yale University

A mural dedicated to Du Bois and the Old Seventh Ward is painted on the corner of 6th and South streets in Philadelphia.Paul Marotta/Getty Images

W.E.B. Du Bois is widely known for his civil rights activism, but many sociologists argue that he has yet to receive due recognition as the founding father of American sociology. His groundbreaking study,...

More than 100K Michigan voters pick ‘uncommitted’ over Biden − does that matter for November?

Written by Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan

Joe Biden won the 2024 Michigan Democratic primary, but “uncommitted” ran a spirited campaign.

More than 100,000 Michiganders voted “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, 13% of the Democratic electorate.

Listen to Michigan organized the uncommitted campaign in Michigan, promoting it as a way to express...

Nigeria’s security problems deepen as Anglophone insurgency in Cameroon spills across border

Written by Augustine Aboh, Ph.D. candidate in Global Governance and Human Security, University of Massachusetts

Grieving for the 140 victims of a January 2024 attack in north-central Nigeria.AP Photo/Sunday Alamba

Over the past two decades, Nigeria has grappled with multiple and complex national security threats, each posing a significant challenge to its stability.

The nation finds itself fighting a violent militancy in the Niger Delta, conflicts between...

How educator Gloria Jean Merriex used dance, drills and devotion to turn around a failing elementary school in a year

Written by Boaz Dvir, Associate Professor of Journalism, Penn State

Movement was an essential part of Gloria Merriex's lessons at Duval Elementary School in Gainesville, Fla.Courtesy of Boaz Dvir

When Duval Elementary – a school that served mostly Black and poor students in East Gainesville, Florida – failed the state’s high-stakes standardized test in 2002, district leaders pressured the...

What’s next for $25B supermarket supermerger after FTC sues to block it, saying it could raise prices

Written by Christine P. Bartholomew, Professor of Law, University at Buffalo

Shoppers select items at a large Kroger supermarket in Atlanta in 2022.Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission announced on on Feb. 26, 2024, that it’s suing to prevent Kroger’s attempt to acquire Albertsons. The US$25 billion deal, first announced in 2022, would combine Cincinnati-based Kroger, already the lar...

Low-level blasts from heavy weapons can cause traumatic brain injury − 2 engineers explain the physics of invisible cell death

Written by Alice Lux Fawzi, PANTHER Engineering Project Manager and Associate Director of the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Low-level blasts can cause physical changes in the brain.Libkos/AP Photo

When the force of a blast shoots a round out of a large-caliber rifle, howitzer or M1 Abrams tank gun, the teams of people operating these weapons are exposed to low-level blasts that can cause traumatic brain injuries.

Low-level blasts do not cause visible trauma, such as...

Anyone can play Tetris, but architects, engineers and animators alike use the math concepts underlying the game

Written by Leah McCoy, Professor of Education, Wake Forest University

Tetris has hooked people for decades. AP Photo/Richard Drew

With its bright colors, easy-to-learn rules and familiar music, the video game Tetris has endured as a pop culture icon over the last 40 years. Many people, like me, have been playing the game for decades, and it has evolved to adapt to new technologies like game systems, phones and...