The Conversation

Islamic State’s genocide was not limited to killing and enslaving Yazidis, Christians and other communities − it also erased their heritage

Written by Alda Benjamen, Assistant Professor of Middle East History, University of Dayton

Iraqi Yazidi women cry as they hold pictures of victims and missing relatives during a ceremony in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, marking the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide. Ismael Adnan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

August 2024 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Islamic State group’s genocide, in which thousands of...

How to get your kids ready to go back to school without stress − 5 tips from an experienced school counselor

Written by Shannon Pickett, Professor of Psychology and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Purdue University

Having backpacks ready to go the night before can help students get their school day off to a good start.Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision via Getty Images

The shift from summer vacation to going back to school can be tough for children and their families. Beyond adjusting to new routines, the transition requires handling a mix of emotions. While...

Qatari mediation was already producing diminishing returns – assassination of Hamas negotiator further erodes Gulf state’s role

Written by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University

Then-Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, left, and slain Hamas negotiator Ismail Haniyehin 2012. AP Photo/Mohammed Salem

When the longtime political chief of Hamas was assassinated in late July 2024, it didn’t just leave the entire Middle East on edge. It also created a political headache in Qatar.

That’s because the...

White men who have been mistreated at work are more likely to notice and report harassment − new research

Written by Erin A. Cech, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan

About 1 in 3 white men were bullied, intimidated or otherwise harassed in a two-year period.Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

White men who have personally experienced mistreatment at work, such as bullying, are more likely to realize that their organization does not always operate fairly. And that makes them more likely to recognize...

Remembering the longest journey to Auschwitz – the deportation of Rhodes’ Jews decimated a small but vibrant community with centuries of Mediterranean history

Written by Devin Naar, Assciate Professor of History and Jewish Studies and Chair of the Sephardic Studies Program, University of Washington

A postcard from the turn of the century showing the Jewish neighborhood of Rhodes.History & Art Images via Getty Images

In the Old Town of Rhodes, a picturesque tourist destination in the Aegean Sea, stands a monument to a dark period in the island’s past. In the former “Djuderia,” the Jewish quarter, a marble obelisk...

Imane Khelif controversy at Paris Olympics shows how sex testing in women’s sports puts regulators in an impossible bind

Written by Jaime Schultz, Professor of Kinesiology, Penn State

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif celebrates her victory in the women's boxing 66-kilogram quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.Richard Pelham/Getty Images

In their preliminary 2024 Olympic women’s boxing match, Algeria’s Imane Khelif delivered a painful blow to the face of Italy’s Angela Carini, who abandoned the...

Imane Khelif’s gold medal run shows how sex testing in women’s sports puts regulators in an impossible bind

Written by Jaime Schultz, Professor of Kinesiology, Penn State

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif celebrates her victory in the women's boxing 66-kilogram quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.Richard Pelham/Getty Images

With the judges unanimously declaring her the victor over China’s Yang Liu, Algeria’s Imane Khelif secured the gold medal in the women’s boxing 66-kilogram...

Shortage of Black doctors is rooted in racist history − a $600M gift will help historically Black medical schools address the gap

Written by Benjamin Chrisinger, Assistant Professor of Community Health, Tufts University

A view of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

Fueled by the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that bans affirmative action in higher education, conservative lawmakers across the country have advanced their own state bans on diversity initiatives, especially those that might make students feel shame or guilt...

For Black Americans, higher police pay doesn’t always mean fewer violent confrontations as it does for other racial groups

Written by Thaddeus L. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University

California police officers on their way to patrol a pro-Palestinian demonstration.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

Police unions have come under fire following recent police killings of Black Americans. For the most part, the unions work to improve pay and job conditions for police. But some critics say these police union contracts cost cities...

Ancient grains of dust from space can be found on Earth − and provide clues about the life cycle of stars

Written by Sachiko Amari, Research Professor of Physics, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

The dark areas in this image of the Carina Nebula are molecular clouds.NASA, ESA, N. Smith (U. California, Berkeley) et al., and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

In space, there are clouds that contain gas and dust ejected from stars. Our solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago from such a molecular cloud. Most of these dust grains were...