The Conversation

In a future with more ‘mind reading,’ thanks to neurotech, we may need to rethink freedom of thought

Written by Parker Crutchfield, Professor of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law, Western Michigan University

Our minds are buffeted by all kinds of influences, though some seem more menacing than others.wenjin chen/DigitalVision Vectoria via Getty Images

Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, never wrote things down. He warned that writing undermines memory – that it is nothing but a reminder of some previous thought. Compared to people who...

Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history – a geologist excavates the Himalayas with a microscope

Written by Matthew J. Kohn, Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University

This image of a single crystal shows 30 million years of geological history of the Himalayas by tracing its thorium concentration and age.Matthew J. Kohn, CC BY-NC-ND

The Himalayas stand as Earth’s highest mountain range, possibly the highest ever. How did it form? Why is it so tall?

You might think understanding big mountain ranges requires...

Fossilized dinosaur eggshells can preserve amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, over millions of years

Written by Evan Thomas Saitta, Postdoctoral Scholar in Paleontology, University of Chicago

A dinosaur eggshell cross section, as imaged under fluorescence microscopy. Evan Saitta

As a scientist, lab work can sometimes get monotonous. But in 2017, while a Ph.D. student of paleobiology at the University of Bristol in the U.K., I heard a gleeful exclamation from across the room. Kirsty Penkman, head of the North East Amino Acid Racemization...

Why Sikhs celebrate the festival of Baisakhi

Written by Anshu Malhotra, Professor of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

On the festival of Baisakhi, celebrated usually on April 13, Sikhs the world over will joyously wear yellow saffron colors, symbolizing spring harvest and the solar new year, when the Sun enters the constellation Aries.

In gurdwaras, or Sikh temples, they will sing hymns in congregational singing, or “kirtan,” and eat communal meals,...

Rebuilding Gaza was seen as a ‘Herculean’ task before Oct. 7; six months of bombing has led to crises that will long outlive the war

Written by Dima Nazzal, Director of Professional Practice, Georgia Institute of Technology

Palestinians look for survivors after a Israeli strike in Gaza on Oct. 31, 2023.AP Photo/Doaa AlBaz

Over a decade ago, a United Nations report described the Gaza Strip as virtually unlivable, adding that it would require “Herculean efforts” to change that.

Today, after six months of bombardment, mass displacement and siege by Israel,...

Dali hit Key Bridge with the force of 66 heavy trucks at highway speed

Written by Amanda Bao, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety, Rochester Institute of Technology

The Baltimore bridge didn't stand a chance.AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson

CC BY-ND

The cargo ship Dali knocked down three main truss spans, constructed with connected steel elements forming triangles, on the Francis Scott Key Bridge just seconds after crashing into one of the bridge piers early on Tuesday morning, March 26, 2024.

The bridge collapse...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

Written by Hao Peng, Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Social Science, Northwestern University

Once their research comes out, who will be quoted in the news coverage?gorodenkoff/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news articles in top media...

Coastal wetlands can’t keep pace with sea-level rise, and infrastructure is leaving them nowhere to go

Written by Randall W. Parkinson, Research Associate Professor in Coastal Geology, Florida International University

Wetlands at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland shows signs of 'pitting,' where areas of cordgrass have converted to open water. Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program via Wikimedia, CC BY-NC

Wetlands have flourished along the world’s coastlines for thousands of years, playing valuable roles in the lives of people and wildlife. They...

A dramatic schism over social issues? The United Methodist Church has been here before – but this time, America’s religious landscape is far different

Written by Christopher H. Evans, Professor of the History of Christianity, Boston University

Debates over LGBTQ+ issues have divided Methodist congregations for years leading up to the current schism.AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File

The United Methodist Church’s General Conference will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 23 to May 4, 2024. Originally scheduled for 2020 and delayed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this...

Fetal personhood rulings could nullify a pregnant patient’s wishes for end-of-life care

Written by Jessica L. Waters, Assistant Professor of Justice, Law & Criminology, American University

People who are pregnant or planning to be should be as clear as possible about their wishes for end-of-life care during pregnancy.sturti/E+ via Getty Images

The Alabama Supreme Court handed down an unprecedented decision in February 2024, holding that stored frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, were “minor...