The Conversation

In the 1620s, Plymouth Plantation had its own #MeToo moment

Written by Carla Gardina Pestana, Professor and Joyce Appleby Endowed Chair of America in the World, University of California, Los Angeles

Maids, who invariably lived with their employers, were especially vulnerable.Brownie Harris/Corbis via Getty Images

In the many celebrations, reflections and histories of Plymouth colony, the settlement’s gender dynamics often get short shrift.

But not unlike today, men possessed power and privilege, women feared voicing their views and...

Ocho meses de confinamiento por COVID-19 y contando: ¿Qué podemos hacer cuando estamos aburridos?

Written by Erin C. Westgate, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Florida

El aburrimiento es una gran queja de la pandemia. PeopleImages E+ via Getty Images

En la mayor parte del mundo, gran parte de nosotros seguimos en casa para evitar la propagación del coronavirus. Pero quedarse atrapado en nuestro hogar puede llevar al aburrimiento.

El aburrimiento es una señal de que no estamos comprometidos de manera...

Why nursing home aides exposed to COVID-19 aren’t taking sick leave

Written by Shefali Milczarek-Desai, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Immigrant Workers' Rights Clinic, UA James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona

Nursing home aides have protested working conditions that can push them to work while sick.Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday via Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated America’s nursing homes, but the reasons aren’t as simple as people might think.

To understand how nursing homes became the source of over one-third of U.S....

China beat the coronavirus with science and strong public health measures, not just with authoritarianism

Written by Elanah Uretsky, Associate Professor of International and Global Studies, Brandeis University

One of the Wuhan train stations in fall 2020. The city reopened in April 2020 after a total shutdown.Liu Yan, CC BY-SA

I live in a democracy. But as Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself longing for the type of freedom I am seeing in China.

People in China are able to move around freely right now. Many Americans may believe that the Chinese are...

A brief history of Georgia's runoff voting – and its racist roots

Written by Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College

(R to L) Georgia GOP Sens. David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler at a rally with Sen. Tom Cotton on Nov. 19, 2020 in Perry, Ga. Loeffler and Purdue face runoff elections against Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock on Jan. 5, 2021. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Across the U.S., many states use different electoral systems....

Why do tigers have stripes?

Written by Andrew Cushing, Assistant Professor in Zoological Medicine, University of Tennessee

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.

Why do tigers have stripes? – Vidit M., age 8, New Delhi, India

When tigers stalk their prey, usually in the murky light of dusk or dawn, they are nearly invisible. Whether they live in...

Laughing is good for your mind and your body – here's what the research shows

Written by Janet M. Gibson, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Grinnell College

It's hard to beat a good laugh with a friend.Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Amusement and pleasant surprises – and the laughter they can trigger – add texture to the fabric of daily life.

Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways. But laughter, in response to funny events, actually takes a lot of work,...

The rise and fall of Tab – after surviving the sweetener scares, the iconic diet soda gets canned

Written by Jeffrey Miller, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, Colorado State University

Before there was Diet Coke, there was Tab.Ramin Talaie/Corbis via Getty Images

Tab, the Coca-Cola company’s original diet soda brand, is headed to the soda graveyard, joining retired brands such as Like, Leed and Limette.

Coca-Cola has announced that it is discontinuing Tab after 57 years on the market, and fans of the drink will have until...

Opportunities to practice real-life philanthropy bring academic benefits

Written by Kajsa Larson, Associate Professor of Spanish; Faculty Coordinator of Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project classes, Northern Kentucky University

College students participating in philanthropy-based courses are 38% more likely to graduate. master1305/Getty Images

A crisis shelter for battered women. A nonprofit that provides wigs and makeup for breast cancer patients. An organization that helps parents of children addicted to heroin.

All three of these groups have benefited from US$2,000...

Biden's ambitious energy plan faces headwinds, but can move the US forward

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Fast electric vehicle charging stations at a rest stop on Interstate 95 in Maryland.Earth and Main/Flickr, CC BY-SA

President-elect Joe Biden calls climate change an existential threat to America’s environment, health, national security and economy, and has promised a clean energy revolution to counter it. Biden has pledged that on his first...