The Conversation

Brain organoids help neuroscientists understand brain development, but aren't perfect matches for real brains

Written by Madeline Andrews, Postdoctoral Scholar of Regeneration Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Just a few millimeters across, organoids are clumps of cells that resemble the brain. Madeline Andrews, Arnold Kriegstein's lab, UCSF, CC BY-ND

What was going on with our brain organoids?

As neuroscientists, we use these three-dimensional clusters of cells grown in petri dishes to learn more about how the human brain works. Researchers culture...

I track murder cases that use the 'gay panic defense,' a controversial practice banned in 9 states

Written by W. Carsten Andresen, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Edward's University

The ABA has called for states to curtail 'gay panic' and 'trans panic' defenses.icedmocha/Shutterstock.com

On January 21, New Jersey became the ninth state in the nation to ban the gay panic defense, a strategy that the governor said is “rooted in homophobia.” W. Carsten Andresen, a criminal justice scholar, has been building a database...

Britain is about to leave the EU – what's next?

Written by Luke Reader, Teaching Fellow, History Department, Case Western Reserve University

As the U.K. leaves the European Union, what awaits Prime Minister Boris Johnson?Isabel Infantes/AFP via Getty Images

Britain will shortly leave the European Union. So that’s it. Brexit is over, right?

Wrong. To channel former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill – as every leading Brexit supporter seems to want to do – “Th...

Islamophobia in the US did not start with Trump, but his tweets perpetuate a long history of equating Muslims with terrorism

Written by Evelyn Alsultany, Associate Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A protest against Islamophobia in TImes Square in March 2019. Dev Chatterjee/Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump retweeted a doctored image of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wearing a hijab and Senator Chuck Schumer wearing a turban on Jan. 13. In the fake photo, both were seen standing in front of an Iranian flag with a caption saying: “The...

The meme endorsement you might have missed – and why it matters for 2020

Written by Heather Woods, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Technology, Kansas State University

Memes played a role in 2016 – and they're set to play an even bigger one in 2020.Bernie Sanders Dank Meme Stash

On Jan. 19, the New York Times editorial board made history when it endorsed two candidates, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, for president, concluding, “May the best woman win.”

This came on the heels on another key...

Hidden by a pleasant scent: The health consequences of flavor in e-cigarettes

Written by Weihong Lin, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A vape shop in New York City shows a line of flavorings on Jan. 2, 2020.Mary Altaffer/AP Photo, CC BY-SA

Millions of Americans are vaping, and some are getting sick. Since June 2019, 2,711 have been hospitalized and 60 have died due to EVALI (e-cigarette-associated lung injury), the devastating lung disease linked to e-cigarettes.

Five million users...

Beware the brokered convention that breaks up the party

Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

Brokered conventions are a cloak-and-dagger affair. Just ask Henry ClayAP Photo

Despite numerous polls and seemingly endless debates, the identity of the next Democratic presidential candidate is still far from clear.

If the upcoming Iowa caucuses and winter primaries fail to winnow a crowded field, the July Democratic National Convention in...

E-cig flavors may be more than alluring; they could cause damage themselves

Written by Weihong Lin, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A vape shop in New York City shows a line of flavorings on Jan. 2, 2020.Mary Altaffer/AP Photo, CC BY-SA

Five million users...

Teaching kids how to make guitars can get them hooked on engineering

Written by Mark French, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Purdue University

You can't make a guitar without some STEM know-how.James Cordero, CC BY-SA

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

The Big Idea:

I’m part of a team of professors and high school teachers around the country that encourages high schools to teach kids to build guitars as a way of making science, technology, engineering and...

Why legislation is needed to make Holocaust education more prominent in public schools: 5 questions answered

Written by Jennifer Rich, Assistant Professor; Director, Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Rowan University

Roll call at the Buchenwald concentration camp.Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: Jennifer Rich, an assistant professor of sociology at Rowan University in New Jersey, is a Holocaust scholar and director of the Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Here, Rich explains how the “Never Again Education Act,”...