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Harry Belafonte leveraged stardom for social change, his powerful voice always singing a song for justice

  • Written by Aram Goudsouzian, Bizot Family Professor of History, University of Memphis
imageHarry Belafonte died at the age of 96.AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

In May 1963, as civil rights demonstrations rocked the city of Birmingham, Alabama, Harry Belafonte was at a cocktail party in Manhattan, scolding the then-attorney general of the United States.

“You may think you’re doing enough,” he recalled telling Robert F. Kennedy,...

Read more: Harry Belafonte leveraged stardom for social change, his powerful voice always singing a song for...

Leprosy-causing bacteria found in armadillo specimens highlight value of museum collections for tracking pathogens

  • Written by Daniel Romero-Alvarez, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Kansas
imageMuseum specimens are like time capsules from where and when the organisms and their pathogens lived.Ed Maker/The Denver Post via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Years-old tissue samples from armadillos in museum collections may harbor Mycobacterium leprae, the bacteria that causes...

Read more: Leprosy-causing bacteria found in armadillo specimens highlight value of museum collections for...

Arctic sea ice loss and fierce storms leave Kivalina Search and Rescue fighting to protect their island from climate disasters

  • Written by P. Joshua Griffin, Assistant Professor of Marine and Environmental Affairs and American Indian Studies, University of Washington
imageKivalina sits on a narrow barrier island on the Chukchi Sea.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

As winds and waves from Typhoon Merbok devastated communities along the coast of Western Alaska in 2022, Reppi Swan Sr.’s phone began to ring at Kivalina, a barrier island 80 miles above the Arctic Circle.

A neighboring family had lost 3 feet of land to the...

Read more: Arctic sea ice loss and fierce storms leave Kivalina Search and Rescue fighting to protect their...

A tweak to the University of Nebraska's logo shows how the once benign 'OK' sign has entered a 'purgatory of meaning'

  • Written by Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis
imageNebraska Cornhuskers mascot Herbie Husker pumps up the crowd during a 2015 football game.Michael Hickey/Getty Images

On April 17, 2023, the Nebraska Cornhuskers unveiled the latest version of their beloved mascot, Herbie Husker.

Herbie’s left hand no longer forms the “OK” symbol. Instead, an index finger is raised to indicate that...

Read more: A tweak to the University of Nebraska's logo shows how the once benign 'OK' sign has entered a...

Mifepristone is under scrutiny in the courts, but it has been used safely and effectively around the world for decades

  • Written by Grace Shih, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington
imageMifepristone is used together with another pill, misoprostol, in medication abortions.AP Photo/Allen G. Breed

A flurry of court rulings in April 2023 has left the future of the abortion pill mifepristone in question. For now, a U.S. Supreme Court decision on April 21 allows the drug to remain accessiblewithout additional restrictions as the merits...

Read more: Mifepristone is under scrutiny in the courts, but it has been used safely and effectively around...

Challenging the FDA's authority isn't new – the agency's history shows what's at stake when drug regulation is in limbo

  • Written by Christine Coughlin, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University
imageIn addition to evaluating new drug applications, the FDA also inspects drug manufacturing facilities.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration/Flickr

Political pressure is nothing new for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency has frequently come under fire for its drug approval decisions, but attacks on its decision-making process and...

Read more: Challenging the FDA's authority isn't new – the agency's history shows what's at stake when drug...

The invasion of Iraq defined US' foreign relations – but in popular Iraqi literature, the war is just a piece of the country's complex history

  • Written by Renee Ragin Randall, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Middle East Studies, University of Michigan
imageIraqis shop in Baghdad's famous book market in July 2022. Sabah Arar/AFP via Getty Images

It’s been just over 20 years since the United States invaded Iraq. Some Americans have largely forgotten about the invasion, despite the fact the Sept. 11 attacks that precipitated it still loom large in U.S. national memory. Even during the heart of the...

Read more: The invasion of Iraq defined US' foreign relations – but in popular Iraqi literature, the war is...

In protecting land for wildlife, size matters – here's what it takes to conserve very large areas

  • Written by David Jachowski, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Clemson University
imageA bison herd on the America Prairie reserve in Montana.Amy Toensing/Getty Images

Driving north on state Highway 66 through the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in central Montana, it’s easy to miss a small herd of bison lounging just off the road behind an 8-foot fence. Each winter, heavy snows drive bison out of Wyoming’s Yellowstone...

Read more: In protecting land for wildlife, size matters – here's what it takes to conserve very large areas

Willie Nelson at 90: Country music's elder statesman still on the road again

  • Written by Jason Mellard, Director of the Center for Texas Music History, Texas State University
imageWillie Nelson's face is as iconic as his voice, his songs and his beat-up old guitar.Gary Miller/Getty Images

Willie Nelson’s unofficial theme song, “On the Road Again,” remains accurate as he turns 90 on April 29, 2023. The country music legend is on tour, with dates scheduled into October 2023.

Assessing Nelson’s legacy is...

Read more: Willie Nelson at 90: Country music's elder statesman still on the road again

What Socrates' 'know nothing' wisdom can teach a polarized America

  • Written by J. W. Traphagan, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
imageThe most important part of knowledge, in Socrates' view? Knowing how much you don't know.Yoeml/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A common complaint in America today is that politics and even society as a whole are broken. Critics point out endless lists of what should be fixed: the complexity of the tax code, or immigration reform, or the inefficiency...

Read more: What Socrates' 'know nothing' wisdom can teach a polarized America

More Articles ...

  1. White power movements in US history have often relied on veterans -- and not on lone wolves
  2. In centennial year, Turkish voters will choose between Erdoğan’s conservative path and the founder’s modernist vision
  3. South Korea, US presidents to meet in Washington – amid wary glances in the direction of Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow
  4. Social media scatters your brain, and then you buy stuff you don't need
  5. 80 is different in 2023 than in 1776 – but even back then, a grizzled Franklin led alongside a young Hamilton
  6. Fast fashion still comes with deadly risks, 10 years after the Rana Plaza disaster – the industry's many moving pieces make it easy to cut corners
  7. The Supreme Court rules mifepristone can remain available – here's how 2 conflicting federal court decisions led to this point
  8. 'Stand your ground' laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed
  9. Watch out for dangerous combinations of over-the-counter cold medicine and prescription drugs – two pharmacoepidemiology experts explain the risks
  10. Boy Scouts of America can now create $2.4 billion fund to pay claims for Scouts who survived abuse – a bankruptcy expert explains what's next
  11. What's going on when the Virgin Mary appears and statues weep? The answers aren't just about science or the supernatural
  12. Keeping NBA players on the court is no small 'feet'
  13. Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension
  14. Fire danger in the high mountains is intensifying: That’s bad news for humans, treacherous for the environment
  15. Emergency contraception is often confused with abortion pills – here's how Plan B and other generic versions work to prevent pregnancy
  16. The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea – but naval rivalry with Beijing is very real and growing
  17. US giving to Israeli nonprofits – how much Jews and Christians donate and where the money goes
  18. Sudan crisis explained: What's behind the latest fighting and how it fits nation's troubled past
  19. The complex relationship between Black gamers and Hogwarts Legacy
  20. Plans for religious charter school, though rejected for now, are already pushing church-state debates into new territory
  21. Anti-mifepristone court decisions rely on medical misinformation about abortion and questionable legal reasoning
  22. 'Effective altruism' has caught on with billionaire donors – but is the world's most headline-making one on board?
  23. Low-cost, high-quality public transportation will serve the public better than free rides
  24. Parents tend to choose their children's schools based on their own educational experience
  25. Social Security may be failing well over a million people with disabilities – and COVID-19 is making the problem worse
  26. Why is Tax Day on April 18 this year? And how did early spring become tax season, anyhow?
  27. Wooded grasslands flourished in Africa 21 million years ago – new research forces a rethink of ape evolution
  28. What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge
  29. Boosting EV market share to 67% of US car sales is a huge leap – but automakers can meet EPA's tough new standards
  30. Arab Americans are a much more diverse group than many of their neighbors mistakenly assume
  31. Through role play and simulation, this course teaches strategic ways to strike business deals that do more than just make money
  32. Israel's judicial reform efforts could complicate its relationship with US – but the countries have faced other bumps along the road
  33. 4 ways that AI can help students
  34. Why more and more Americans are painting their lawns
  35. What causes motion sickness? Here's how to reconcile the mismatch in what your senses are telling your brain
  36. Anyone can claim to be a journalist or a news organization, and publish lies with almost total impunity
  37. Defying the Holocaust didn't just mean uprising and revolt: Remembering Jews' everyday resistance on Yom HaShoah and year-round
  38. Looming behind antibiotic resistance is another bacterial threat – antibiotic tolerance
  39. Jupiter's moons hide giant subsurface oceans – two missions are sending spacecraft to see if these moons could support life
  40. Hangry bacteria in your gut microbiome are linked to chronic disease – feeding them what they need could lead to happier cells and a healthier body
  41. For Black social workers, anxiety and depression are on the rise
  42. Ditching a friend who is not like you can deepen social inequality
  43. How direct admission is changing the process of applying for college
  44. A new femininity is starting to emerge in China
  45. How do trees die?
  46. I tried to pay my taxes in cash – here's what happened, and why the IRS should make it easier to do so
  47. Jobs report hints that Fed policy is paying off – and that a 'growth recession' awaits
  48. Efforts to ban critical race theory have been put forth in all but one state – and many threaten schools with a loss of funds
  49. Misuse of Adderall promotes stigma and mistrust for patients who need it – a neuroscientist explains the science behind the controversial ADHD drug
  50. The FDA's rule change requiring providers to inform women about breast density could lead to a flurry of questions