The Conversation

Federal power meets local resistance in Minneapolis – a case study in how federalism staves off authoritarianism

Written by Nicholas Jacobs, Goldfarb Family Distinguished Chair in American Government, Colby College; Institute for Humane Studies

Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement march through Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 25, 2026. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

An unusually large majority of Americans agree that the recent scenes of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis are disturbing.

Federal immigration agents have deployed with weapons...

Data centers told to pitch in as storms and cold weather boost power demand

Written by Nikki Luke, Assistant Professor of Human Geography, University of Tennessee

During winter storms, physical damage to wires and high demand for heating put pressure on the electrical grid.Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

As Winter Storm Fern swept across the United States in late January 2026, bringing ice, snow and freezing temperatures, it left more than a million people without power, mostly in the Southeast.

Scrambling to...

Clergy protests against ICE turned to a classic – and powerful – American playlist

Written by David W. Stowe, Professor of Religious Studies, Michigan State University

Clergy and community leaders demonstrate outside Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Jan. 23, 2026, amid a surge by federal immigration agents.Brandon Bell/Getty Images

On Jan. 28, 2026, Bruce Springsteen released “Streets of Minneapolis,” a hard-hitting protest against the immigration enforcement surge in the city, including t...

NASA’s Artemis II plans to send a crew around the Moon to test equipment and lay the groundwork for a future landing

Written by Margaret Landis, Assistant Professor of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University

A banner signed by NASA employees and contractors outside Launch Complex 39B, where NASA’s Artemis II rocket is visible in the background.NASA/Joel Kowsky, CC BY-NC-ND

Almost as tall as a football field, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and capsule stack traveled slowly – just under 1 mile per hour – out to the Artemis II...

A human tendency to value expertise, not just sheer power, explains how some social hierarchies form

Written by Thomas Morgan, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University

Leaders can seem to emerge from the group naturally, based on their skill and expertise.Hiraman/E+ via Getty Images

Born on the same day, Bill and Ben both grew up to have high status. But in every other way they were polar opposites.

As children, Bill was well-liked, with many friends, while Ben was a bully, picking on smaller kids. During...

Certain brain injuries may be linked to violent crime – identifying them could help reveal how people make moral choices

Written by Christopher M. Filley, Professor Emeritus of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Neurological evidence is widely used in murder trials, but it’s often unclear how to interpret it. gorodenkoff/iStock via Getty Images Plus

On Oct. 25, 2023, a 40-year old man named Robert Card opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at a bowling alley and nearby bar in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others. Card was found...

Building with air – how nature’s hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Written by Anne Schmitz, Associate Professor of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Engineers use structures found in nature – like the honeycomb – to create lightweight, sturdy materials. Matthew T. Rader, CC BY-NC-SA

If you break open a chicken bone, you won’t find a solid mass of white material inside. Instead, you will see a complex, spongelike network of tiny struts and pillars, and a lot of empty space.

It...

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show is part of long play drawn up by NFL to score with Latin America

Written by Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Bad Bunny performs on stage on Dec. 11, 2025, in Mexico City, Mexico. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Donald Trump, it is fair to assume, will be switching channels during this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.

The U.S. president has already said that he won’t be attending Super Bowl LX in person, suggesting that the venue, Levi’s...

Whether it’s Valentine’s Day notes or emails to loved ones, using AI to write leaves people feeling crummy about themselves

Written by Julian Givi, Assistant Professor of Marketing, West Virginia University

People seem to intuitively understand something meaningful should require doing more than pushing a button or writing a prompt.design master/iStock via Getty Images

As Valentine’s Day approaches, finding the perfect words to express your feelings for that special someone can seem like a daunting task – so much so that you may feel...

Stroke survivors can counterintuitively improve recovery by strengthening their stronger arm – new research

Written by Candice Maenza, Research Project Manager, Associate Director of the Center for Translational Neuromechanics in Rehabilitation, Penn State

Treating your 'good' arm after a stroke could help you better tackle everyday activities.MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Stroke survivors often face substantial and long-lasting problems with their arms. Both arms often decline together: When one arm is more severely affected by the stroke, the other becomes more difficult to use as...