The Conversation

Night skies are getting 9.6% brighter every year as light pollution erases stars for everyone

Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

All human development, from large cities to small towns, shines light into the night sky. Benny Ang/Flickr, CC BY

For most of human history, the stars blazed in an otherwise dark night sky. But starting around the Industrial Revolution, as artificial light increasingly lit cities and towns at night, the stars began to disappear.

We are two ast...

Sage, sacred to Native Americans, is being used in purification rituals, raising issues of cultural appropriation

Written by Helen A. Berger, Affliated Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University

White sage is being commonly used for purification rituals.Stevica Mrdja / EyeEm via Getty Images

White sage, which is sacred to a number of Native American tribes in the southwest United States, has been adopted by both some contemporary Pagans and New Age practitioners for purification rites. As Emily McFarlan Miller reported in a recent Religion...

Violent extremists are not lone wolves – dispelling this myth could help reduce violence

Written by Alexander Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University - Newark

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, view a memorial at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, in May 2022. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

On Feb. 15, 2023, a judge informed Payton Gendron – a white 19-year-old who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo Tops market in 2022 – that “You...

Drones over Ukraine: What the war means for the future of remotely piloted aircraft in combat

Written by Roberto J. González, Professor of Anthropology, San José State University

A Ukrainian soldier uses a commercial drone to monitor the front line in eastern Ukraine.Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Over the past year, images from Ukraine have often portrayed a war resembling other conflicts from the past half-century. Russian forces deploy tanks, fighter planes, warships, amphibious vehicles and attack...

In rural America, right-to-repair laws are the leading edge of a pushback against growing corporate power

Written by Leland Glenna, Professor of Rural Sociology and Science, Technology, and Society, Penn State

Waiting for repairs can cost farmers time and money.VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

As tractors became more sophisticated over the past two decades, the big manufacturers allowed farmers fewer options for repairs. Rather than hiring independent repair shops, farmers have increasingly had to wait for company-authorized dealers to...

How frontotemporal dementia, the syndrome affecting Bruce Willis, changes the brain – research is untangling its genetic causes

Written by Fen-Biao Gao, Professor of Neurology, Gov. Paul Cellucci Chair in Neuroscience Research, UMass Chan Medical School

Some of the same genetic mutations can lead to FTD, ALS or symptoms of both.antoniokhr/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Around 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, the actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, a rare type of dementia that typically affects people ages...

People produce endocannabinoids – similar to compounds found in marijuana – that are critical to many bodily functions

Written by Prakash Nagarkatti, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina

A healthy endocannabinoid system is critical to the human body’s immune functions.Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Digital Vision via Getty Images

Over the past two decades, a great deal of attention has been given to marijuana – also known as pot or weed. As of early 2023, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in 21 states and...

Globetrotting Black nutritionist Flemmie P. Kittrell revolutionized early childhood education and illuminated 'hidden hunger'

Written by Brandy Thomas Wells, Assistant Professor of History, Oklahoma State University

She traveled far and wide to support children and families around the world.Cornell University

Nutrition is among the most critical issues of our time. Diet-related illnesses are shortening life spans and the lack of conveniently located and affordable nutritious food makes it hard for many Americans to enjoy good health.

Physicians are also alarmed...

Lent is here – remind me what it's all about? 5 essential reads

Written by Molly Jackson, Religion and Ethics Editor

A Catholic Ash Wednesday service at St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica in Chennai, India, in 2022. Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

Foreheads smudged with the sign of the cross are the most visible sign of Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent in many Christian denominations. The 40-day period leads up to Holy Week, some of the most sacred days...

Lesson from a year at war: In contrast to the Russians, Ukrainians master a mix of high- and low-end technology on the battlefield

Written by Laura Jones, Doctoral Student in International Relations, Tufts University

In war, it's not the size or sophistication of the technology, but how it's used – especially in combinations.Elena Tita/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

In less than a year, Ukraine’s military has emerged as a modern, effective fighting force in large part due to an abundance of technology provided by the United States and its...