The Conversation

How history textbooks will deal with the US Capitol attack

Written by: Wendy Wall, Associate Professor of 20th Century American History, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Rioters clash with police as they try to enter the Capitol building. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Editor’s note: The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol represented an event unlike any other in American history. But how will it be portrayed in history textbooks used in America’s K-12 schools and colleges? Here,...

Strange costumes of Capitol rioters echo the early days of the Ku Klux Klan - before the white sheets

Written by: Kenneth Ladenburg, Instructor of English, Arizona State University

Fringe groups have long understood that capturing the public's attention is the best way to spread their views.Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images

After the riots at the Capitol, images of Jacob Chansley, who’s been dubbed the “QAnon Shaman,” were splashed across news outlets.

Chansley’s outlandish costume –...

Why does it take longer to fly from east to west on an airplane?

Written by: Skip Bailey, Aviation Institute Flight Training Coordinator and Instructor, University of Nebraska Omaha

The jet stream can have a big impact on how long a plane ride will last.Aeroprints via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

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 does it take longer to fly from east to west on an airplane? – Henry...

What does the economy need now? 4 suggestions for Biden's coronavirus relief bill

Written by: Steven Pressman, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University

Biden has made fixing the economy one of his top priorities. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Editor’s note: The Biden administration has made it clear it wants to inject more money into the U.S. economy and provide more aid for priorities like vaccines, reopening schools and state governments. We asked four economists to share what’s on the top of...

Capitol mob wasn't just angry men – there were angry women as well

Written by: Jakana Thomas, Associate Professor, Michigan State University

There were women among the crowd that marched to the Capitol and stormed the building.Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The terror inflicted on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 laid bare America’s problem with violent extremism.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have begun to piece together the events of that day, while attempting to...

Far-right groups move to messaging apps as tech companies crack down on extremist social media

Written by: Kevin Grisham, Professor of Global Studies, California State University San Bernardino

Far-right groups like the Proud Boys, seen here marching in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, are increasingly organizing their activities on messaging services like Telegram.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Right-wing extremists called for open revolt against the U.S. government for months on social media following the election in November. Behind the...

'The US is falling apart': How Russian media is portraying the US Capitol siege

Written by: Lena Surzhko Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Penn State

A news host reports on former President Donald Trump during a broadcast on RT, formerly known as Russia Today, a state-funded TV network.Misha Friedman/Getty Images

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which was Christmas Eve for Eastern Orthodox Christians, was a perfect holiday gift for Russian politicians and state-controlled Russian...

A healthy microbiome builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19

Written by: Ana Maldonado-Contreras, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School

The microbes living in the gut are key to good health.Dr_Microbe/iStock/Getty Images Plus

You may not know it, but you have an army of microbes living inside of you that are essential for fighting off threats, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

In the past two decades scientists have learned our bodies are home to more bacterial cells than...

Why the US rejoining the Paris climate accord matters at home and abroad — 5 scholars explain

Written by: Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines

Through the Paris Agreement, the world's countries agreed to work to keep global warming well under 2 degrees Celsius.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The United States helped bring the world into the Paris climate accord, the groundbreaking global agreement reached in 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to slow climate change....

Will Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's pick for attorney general, be independent in that role? History says it's unlikely

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

Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland speaks during an event with President-elect Joe Biden.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Five years after he was nominated to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is President-elect Biden’s choice to lead the Justice Department as the...