The Conversation

Found dead in the snow − how microbes can help pinpoint time of death for forensic investigations in frigid conditions

Written by Noemi Procopio, Senior Research Fellow, School of Law and Policing, University of Central Lancashire

Extreme weather conditions can make reconstructing the scene of a crime more difficult.Nick Thompson/iStock via Getty Images Plus

What happens to a dead body in an extremely cold environment? Does it decompose? How do these conditions affect how forensic scientists understand when the person died?

Estimating time of death, also called the post-mortem...

Neutral news sources could exploit today’s polarized mediascape to boost revenue − here’s why they may choose not to

Written by Abhishek Ray, Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management, George Mason University

Increasingly, Americans are interested only in news that confirms their political beliefs.Stock/Getty

Even news outlets perceived as politically neutral can benefit from today’s polarized media environment.

The past decade has seen a surge in partisan online news sites that patently skew toward one side of the American political spectrum, from...

How Russia employs ‘hard soft power’ to influence overseas media and sow dissent and fear among foreign populations

Written by Catherine Luther, Professor of Journalism & Media, University of Tennessee

Inside the studio during an RT broadcast.Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Public diplomacy – the art of rallying a foreign audience behind a nation’s interests – used to be about attracting support through charm, values and cultural exports. It is what political scientist Joseph Nye first referred to as “soft power.”

But our...

FDA’s new regulations underscore the complexity around screening for women with dense breasts

Written by Nancy Kressin, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Boston University

Breast density raises the risk of breast cancer and can also make it more difficult for breast cancer to be detected.picture alliance/Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration implemented a rule to go into effect on Sept. 10, 2024, requiring mammography facilities to notify women about their breast density. The goal is to ensure that women...

Under both Trump and Biden-Harris, US oil and gas production surged to record highs, despite very different energy goals

Written by Valerie Thomas, Professor of Industrial Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Both administrations supported banning some offshore drilling, but also saw rises in oil and gas production.Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The United States is producing more oil and natural gas today than ever before, and far more than any other country. So, what roles did the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations...

Is it time to retire the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’? Hostilities now extend beyond those boundaries

Written by Nader Habibi, Henry J. Leir Professor of Practice in Economics of the Middle East, Brandeis University

The current phase of fighting in the Middle East began almost a year ago, with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and the subsequent pummeling of Gaza by Israel. But to many academics, foreign policy experts and international observers, what is taking place is also the latest episode in the decadeslong conflict commonly referred to as the “Ara...

Breast density and mammograms: New FDA rule will ensure all women have more information after cancer screenings

Written by Nancy Kressin, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Boston University

Breast density raises the risk of breast cancer and can also make it more difficult for breast cancer to be detected.picture alliance/Getty Images

Can schools stop students from praying?

Written by Frank S. Ravitch, Professor of Law & Walter H. Stowers Chair of Law and Religion, Michigan State University

Students may have to rely on state laws for religious accommodations.Prostock-Studio via Getty Images

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.

Can a school ban a child from praying, or do schools have to provide accommodations for...

Putting a spiritual spin on my love affair with vinyl

Written by Brock Ruggles, Assistant Teaching Professor of History, Arizona State University

Vinyl records are becoming the music industry's highest-grossing physical format.eclipse_images/Collection E+ via Getty images

I am a vinyl record aficionado. My father, also a musician, recently gave me his vinyl collection, and it made me reflect: Why, despite limited use of my arms due to disability, do I still go to the effort of playing vinyl...

The Boeing Starliner has returned to Earth without its crew – a former astronaut details what that means for NASA, Boeing and the astronauts still up in space

Written by Michael E. Fossum, Vice President, Texas A&M University

The Boeing Starliner, shown as it approached the International Space Station.NASA via AP

Boeing’s crew transport space capsule, the Starliner, returned to Earth without its two-person crew right after midnight Eastern time on Sept. 7, 2024. Its remotely piloted return marked the end of a fraught test flight to the International Space Station...