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Religious minorities around the world face an uncertain future: 5 essential reads

  • Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor
Relatives light candles for victims who died during a bomb blast at St. Sebastian Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, on April 22, 2019. AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe

Around the world, religious minorities are facing violence because of their beliefs.

Noting that attacks on places of worship had increased, this year the United Nations declared Aug. 22 as...

Read more: Religious minorities around the world face an uncertain future: 5 essential reads

Where does beach sand come from?

  • Written by David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington
This started as a mountain range.Bas Meelker/Shutterstock.com

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.

Where does beach sand come from? – Sly M., age 6, Cambridge, Massachusetts

There’s more to beach sand than meets the...

Read more: Where does beach sand come from?

Confederate Christmas ornaments are smaller than statues – but they send the same racist message

  • Written by Nicole Maurantonio, Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Communication Studies and American Studies, University of Richmond
Decorated with ornaments purchased, created and inherited for years, even generations, Christmas trees are a reflection of a family's history and tastes.John Morgan/flickr, CC BY-SA

As Christmas approaches, many families undertake a familiar ritual: an annual sojourn to the attic, basement or closet to pull out a box of treasured ornaments bought,...

Read more: Confederate Christmas ornaments are smaller than statues – but they send the same racist message

Why bad customer service won't improve anytime soon

  • Written by Anthony Dukes, Professor of Marketing, University of Southern California
Bad customer service is increasingly good for companies who use it.Sichon/Shutterstock.com

Some of the most hated companies in the U.S. are also the most profitable.

Much of this consumer resentment may stem from poor customer service. In fact, most Americans have fought with phone menus, desperately seeking a live service agent to seek a refund.

In...

Read more: Why bad customer service won't improve anytime soon

How old would you want to be in heaven?

  • Written by Margaret Morganroth Gullette, Resident Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University
Our cult of youth continues into the afterlife.Denis Simonov/Shutterstock.com

Many religious faiths propose different versions of heaven as a location: There are walled gardens with streams, flowers, pleasing scents, pretty angels, rapturous music or delicious accessible food.

But what about us – the once-mortal – who will go on to...

Read more: How old would you want to be in heaven?

Giving pregnant women antibiotics could harm the lungs of preemies, according to study in mice

  • Written by Kent Willis, Assistant Professor of Neonatology, University of Tennessee
Premature infants are at higher risk for lung diseases.Sarahbean/Shutterstock.com

Born after just 23 of the normal 40 weeks of pregnancy, the extremely preterm baby is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and weighs just one and a quarter pounds. I am a neonatologist, a physician that cares for these preterm babies in intensive care. Most of...

Read more: Giving pregnant women antibiotics could harm the lungs of preemies, according to study in mice

Should you avoid meat for good health? How to slice off the facts from the fiction

  • Written by Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
Meat is a very popular food for most Americans. Its nutritional value is a topic of much debate.puhhha/Shutterstock.com

More than half of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions resolve to “eat healthier.” If you’re one, you might be confused about the role meat should play in your health.

It’s no wonder...

Read more: Should you avoid meat for good health? How to slice off the facts from the fiction

Nonprofits that empower leaders of color are more apt to do something about racial inequality

  • Written by Brad R. Fulton, Assistant Professor, O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
Nonprofit leaders aren't particularly diverse.Djomas/Shutterstock.com

The U.S. is becoming more racially diverse. Since 2010, 96% of all U.S. counties registered an increase in their percentage of nonwhite residents. Yet the people who lead nonprofits in the U.S. remain disproportionately white.

This mismatch can make it difficult for such...

Read more: Nonprofits that empower leaders of color are more apt to do something about racial inequality

A real-life deluminator for spotting exoplanets by reflected starlight

  • Written by Supriya Chakrabarti, Professor of Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell
An artist's conception of WASP-18b, a giant exoplanet that orbits very close to its star.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/I.Pillitteri et al; Optical: DSS

Perhaps you remember the opening scene of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” that took place on Privet Drive. A bearded man pulled a mysterious device, called a deluminator, from his...

Read more: A real-life deluminator for spotting exoplanets by reflected starlight

The holidays remind us that grief cannot be wished away

  • Written by Heather Servaty-Seib, Professor and Associate Dean of Counseling Psychology, Purdue University
The holidays for many are not always about joy. Grief is a significant part of the holidays for those who have lost loved ones in the past year.Smileus/Shutterstock.com

The year-end holidays are a time of social gatherings, traditions and celebrations. They can also be a time of revisiting and reflection.

According to the Centers for Disease...

Read more: The holidays remind us that grief cannot be wished away

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