The Conversation

What is behind belief in weeping Virgin Mary statues

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Associate Professor of Religion, College of the Holy Cross

In 2014, in, a small town in northern Israel, Christian worshippers gathered next to a statue of the Virgin Mary, that they said 'weeps' oil.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

In a Catholic parish in Hobbs, New Mexico, a statue of the Virgin Mary has been “weeping.”

Onlookers have gathered out of curiosity, and also for prayer and healing. The...

A brief history of ketchup

Written by Ken Albala, Professor of History, University of the Pacific

Heinz is why ketchup seemed to become distinctly American.Reuters/Mike Blake

Trade wars have an interesting way of revealing cultural stereotypes.

Countries often propose tariffs not on the most valuable items in their trading relationships – since that would be painful to them as well – but rather products iconic of national...

How free should speech on campus be?

Written by Ana Mari Cauce, President, University of Washington

A crowd gathers around speakers during a rally for free speech near the University of California, Berkeley campus.Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

From the editors: Of all the places to put forth a controversial idea, perhaps none is more attractive than an American college campus. Similarly, perhaps no issue has vexed campus leaders more in recent times...

How old is my pet in dog years or cat years? A veterinarian explains

Written by Jesse Grady, Clinical Instructor of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University

Did anyone check the number of candles on here?KikoStock/Shutterstock.com

“Just how old do you think my dog is in dog years?” is a question I hear on a regular basis. People love to anthropomorphize pets, attributing human characteristics to them. And most of us want to extend our animal friends’ healthy lives for as long as...

America is in the middle of a battle over the meaning of words like 'diversity'

Written by Jennifer Mercieca, Associate Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University

The culture war isn't just playing out on the streets. It's also a struggle over the dominant understanding of certain words.AP Photo/John Minchillo

You might think that the culture war over race and immigration primarily transpires in dramatic events, like the woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty to protest Trump’s child detention policy...

'Traveling while black' guidebooks may be out of print, but still resonate today

Written by Cotten Seiler, Associate Professor of American Studies, Dickinson College

In the summer of 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory for the state of Missouri.

Modeled after the international advisories issued by the U.S. State Department, the NAACP statement cautioned travelers of color about the “looming danger” of discrimination, harassment and violence at the hands of Missouri law enforcement, businesses...

Pathogens attack plants like hackers, so my lab thinks about crop protection like cybersecurity

Written by John Herlihy, Ph.D. Student in the School of Plant and Environmental Science, Virginia Tech

Plant hackers at work: microscopic oomycete spores infiltrating a plant root.John Herlihy, CC BY-ND

Plants feed us. Without them we’re goners. Through thousands of years of genetic modification by selective breeding, humans have developed the crops that keep us alive. We have large kernels of grains, plump fruits and nutritious, toxin-free...

Who owns the moon? A space lawyer answers

Written by Frans von der Dunk, Professor of Space Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag deployed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Neil A. Armstrong/NASA/AP Photo

Most likely, this is the best-known picture of a flag ever taken: Buzz Aldrin standing next to the first U.S. flag planted on the Moon. For those who knew their world history, it...

Support for the Endangered Species Act remains high as Trump administration and Congress try to gut it

Written by Jeremy T. Bruskotter, Associate Professor of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University

The endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.USFWS

The Endangered Species Act, or “the Act,” is arguably the most important law in the United States for conserving biodiversity and arresting the extinction of species.

Congress passed the ESA in 1973 with strong bipartisan support (the House voted 355-4 in favor of the law) at the behest...

Naloxone remains controversial to some, but here's why it shouldn't be

Written by Cyrus Ahalt, University of California, San Francisco

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams demonstrates the proper procedure for administering a nasal injection of naloxone on reporter Jennifer Lott, left, during a visit to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., May 17, 2018. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

The overdose-reversing drug naloxone saves thousands of lives each year and...