The Conversation

More penises are appearing on TV and in film – but why are nearly all of them prosthetic?

Written by Peter Lehman, Emeritus Professor, Film and Media Studies in English, Arizona State University

'Euphoria' is one of many premium cable TV shows to feature an abundance of prosthetic penises.HBO

If you’ve noticed an uptick of male frontal nudity in TV and in movies in recent years, you’re onto something.

In 1993, I studied patterns of male nudity in my book “Running Scared: Masculinity and the Representation of the Male Body.&...

PFAS 'forever chemicals' are widespread and threaten human health – here's a strategy for protecting the public

Written by Carol Kwiatkowski, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University

Firefighting foam left after a fire in Pennsylvania. These foams often contain PFAS chemicals that can contaminate water supplies.Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Like many inventions, the discovery of Teflon happened by accident. In 1938, chemists from Dupont (now Chemours) were studying refrigerant gases when, much to their surprise,...

'Namaste' es el saludo perfecto para la pandemia

Written by Jeremy David Engels, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Pennsylvania State University

El Príncipe Carlos, acompañado por Camila de Cornualles, con el Presidente francés Emmanuel Macron, en Londres, 18 de junio, 2020. Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Entrega el corazón en pose de oración. Una pequeña inclinación de cabeza. Un gesto de respeto. Un reconocimiento de nuestra...

Americans aren't worried about white nationalism in the military – because they don't know it's there

Written by Jennifer Spindel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of New Hampshire

There is a long history of links between white nationalist movements and the U.S. military.Bo Zaunders/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images

White nationalist groups, who make up some of the most serious terror threats in the country, find new members and support in the U.S. military. These groups believe that white people are under attack in...

An autoimmune-like antibody response is linked with severe COVID-19

Written by Matthew Woodruff, Instructor, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory University

Are patients with severe COVID-19 victims of their own immune response?JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/Getty Images

In the earliest days of the pandemic, many immunologists, including me, assumed that patients who produced high quantities of antibodies early in infection would be free from disease. We were wrong.

Several months into studying COVID-19, like other...

Being outdoors doesn’t mean you're safe from COVID-19 – a White House event showed what not to do

Written by Thomas A. Russo, Professor and Chief, Infectious Disease, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, hugging another guest, along with Kellyanne Conway (left) and Notre Dame University President Rev. John Jenkins (right) tested positive for COVID-19.The Washington Post via Getty Images

If you think you’re safe from the coronavirus just because you’re outdoors, think again.

While the wind and the...

There's nothing unusual about early voting – it's been done since the founding of the republic

Written by Terri Bimes, Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

An early voter waits in line outside the Athens County Board of Elections Office on Oct. 6, 2020 in Athens, Ohio. Ty Wright/Getty Images

With voting in key states having begun more than six weeks before Election Day, early voting has emerged as a contentious issue. Observing that the country now has more of an election season than an election day,...

Celebrating Sister Ardeth Platte, anti-nuclear activist and 'peacemaker in a hostile world'

Written by Carole Sargent, Faculty Director, Office of Scholarly Publications, Georgetown University

Sister Ardeth Platte, wearing black to honor the international Women in Black movement, being hugged by a supporter ahead of being sentenced in 2003.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

To Sister Ardeth Platte, who died on Sept. 30 at 84, antinuclear activism was a form of public worship.

Explaining to a federal judge in 2002 how she – alongside protest...

Experiencing physical pain can cause you to overspend

Written by Eugene Y. Chan, Associate Professor, Purdue University

Spending money can seem a bit easier when you're in physical pain.Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash, CC BY-SA

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Suffering from pain causes consumers to spend more money than they otherwise would – perhaps 20% more – according to new research I conducted. This is based on...

Trump and McConnell's mostly white male judges buck 30-year trend of increasing diversity on the courts

Written by Rorie Solberg, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oregon State University

Amy Coney Barrett, Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, is one of relatively few women appointed to the federal judiciary by the current administration. Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

In nominating Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump fulfilled his pledge to put another woman on the U.S. Supreme...