The Conversation

From Biden's giant Bible to Christian flags waved by rioters, 'religion' means different things to different people and different eras

Written by Samuel L. Boyd, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Jill Biden holds the Bible as Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2021.Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP

The Bible featured prominently in the inauguration. In fact, three were used in the swearing-in ceremonies – Kamala Harris used both Thurgood Marshall’s and one belonging to a friend; Joseph Biden...

Joe Biden's inaugural address gives hope to the millions who stutter

Written by Rodney Gabel, Professor and Founding Director, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Joe Biden delivering his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021.Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Joe Biden called for American unity after four years of political divisiveness and the “raging fire” it provoked. He promised to be a president for all Americans. “I will fight as hard for those who...

Trump’s big gamble to gut US power plant emissions rules loses in court, opening a door for new climate rules

Written by Daniel Farber, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley

Fossil fuel power plants contribute to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases that trap heat near Earth's surface.AP Photo/J. David Ake

Joe Biden got a big judicial win for his climate agenda just hours before his inauguration as U.S. president. The case involved federal plans for cutting power plant emissions and a big gamble by the Trump...

I'm a First Amendment scholar – and I think Big Tech should be left alone

Written by Paul Levinson, Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University

Twitter's ban of Trump has concerned free speech advocates across the political spectrum.Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Twitter’s banning of Trump – an action also taken by other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat – has opened a fierce debate about freedom of expression and who, if...

Biden is inheriting a wrecked economy, but Democrats have a record of avoiding recession and reducing unemployment

Written by William Chittenden, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Presidential Fellow, Texas State University

Democrats control both the White House and Congress for the first time in 10 years.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

On day one, President Joe Biden will have to manage a devastated economy – much as he and former President Barack Obama did 12 years ago.

What can the country expect?

Forecasting how the economy will perform under a new president is...

They don't come as pills, but try these 6 underprescribed lifestyle medicines for a better, longer life

Written by Yoram Vodovotz, Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh

Families can prioritize learning more healthy ways to eat.Joe Raedle/ Getty Images News

The majority of Americans are stressed, sleep-deprived and overweight and suffer from largely preventable lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Being overweight or obese contributes to the 50% of adults who suffer high blood...

How law enforcement is using technology to track down people who attacked the US Capitol building

Written by Don Hummer, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn State

Many of the people who broke into the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 carried cellphones, which can be tracked, and posted photos of their activities on social media.Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

After rioters flooded the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, there was an immediate call for those who overran officers on the scene and swarmed...

Stickiness is a weapon some plants use to fend off hungry insects

Written by Eric LoPresti, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University

A coat of sand makes an effective armor.Eric LoPresti, CC BY-SA

Imagine the texture of a plant. Many may come to mind – the smooth rubberiness of many tropical houseplants, the impossibly soft lamb’s ear, the sharp spines of cacti, or the roughness of tree bark. But stickiness, in the flypaper-stick-to-your-fingers sense, probably...

Police, soldiers bring lethal skill to militia campaigns against US government

Written by Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Militia members associated with the Three Percenters movement conducting a military drill in Flovilla, Ga., in 2016, days after Trump's election. After his 2020 defeat, Three Percenters were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Image

Thousands of police and soldiers – people...

Armed groups from Capitol riot pose longer-term threat to Biden presidency

Written by Amy Cooter, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Vanderbilt University

Rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, but that may not be their last violent move.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Details continue to emerge about the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol incursion. Exactly what happened – including the degree of planning involved and rioters’ possible connections with Capitol police or even members of Congress – m...