The Conversation

W.E.B. Du Bois, Black History Month and the importance of African American studies

Written by Chad Williams, Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University

Scholar-activist W.E.B. DuBois in 1946.Underwood Archives/Getty Images

The opening days of Black History Month 2023 have coincided with controversy about the teaching and broader meaning of African American studies.

On Feb. 1, 2023, the College Board released a revised curriculum for its newly developed Advanced Placement African American studies...

Atmospheric rivers are hitting the Arctic more often, and increasingly melting its sea ice

Written by Pengfei Zhang, Assistant Research Professor of Atmospheric Science, Penn State

Rain and warm air make it harder for sea ice to grow.Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Atmospheric rivers, those long, powerful streams of moisture in the sky, are becoming more frequent in the Arctic, and they’re helping to drive dramatic shrinking of the Arctic’s sea ice cover.

While less ice might have some benefits...

Chocolate chemistry – a food scientist explains how the beloved treat gets its flavor, texture and tricky reputation as an ingredient

Written by Sheryl Barringer, Professor of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University

In what form do you eat your annual share of the approximately 5 million tons of cocoa produced worldwide?Tracey Kusiewicz/Foodie Photography/Moment via Getty Images

Whether it is enjoyed as creamy milk chocolate truffles, baked in a devilishly dark chocolate cake or even poured as hot cocoa, Americans on average consume almost 20 pounds (9...

How did birds survive while dinosaurs went extinct?

Written by Chris Lituma, Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, West Virginia University

It wasn't flying that gave birds the advantage.Corey Ford/Stocktrek Images 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.

If dinosaurs died, how come there are birds? Caiden S., age 9, Wylie, Texas

Everyone knows what a bird...

Rights of transgender students and their parents are a challenge for schools, courts

Written by Charles J. Russo, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education in the School of Education and Health Sciences and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton

The rights of transgender people are often in dispute, including in schools.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

As an increasing number of elementary, middle and high school students in the U.S. have begun to identify as transgender, school leaders have struggled to figure out how to respond, and how – and whether – to communicate about their actions...

The future of flight in a net-zero-carbon world: 9 scenarios, lots of sustainable biofuel

Written by Candelaria Bergero, Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine

Some airlines are already experimenting with sustainable aviation fuel.Michael H/Stone Collection/Getty Images

Several major airlines have pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury to fight climate change. It’s an ambitious goal that will require an enormous ramp-up in sustainable aviation fuels, but that alone won’t be...

Sports betting apps' notifications and leaderboards encourage more and more wagers – a psychologist who treats gambling addictions explains why some people get hooked

Written by Meredith K. Ginley, Assistant Professor of Psychology, East Tennessee State University

You can keep placing new bets throughout the whole game.svetikd/E+ via Getty Images

Joe is a full-time college student who also works some nights as a security guard. He played basketball all through high school and loves to follow the sport. Tonight one of his favorite teams is playing and he’s placed a US$100 bet for them to win.

As he sits...

More lunar missions means more space junk around the Moon – two scientists are building a catalog to track the trash

Written by Vishnu Reddy, Professor of Planetary Science, University of Arizona

There are more than 100 missions to the Moon planned in the coming years, including the next Artemis missions.NASA

Scientists and government agencies have been worried about the space junk surrounding Earth for decades. But humanity’s starry ambitions are farther reaching than the space just around Earth. Ever since the 1960s with the launch...

Is the gruesome fun in Netflix's 'Wednesday' realistic? What science says about getting eaten by piranhas and poisoned by nightshade

Written by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University

Piranhas do bite, but can they kill you?Netflix

Editor’s note: This article contains minor spoilers for the Netflix series “Wednesday.”

The popular Netflix series “Wednesday” chronicles the adventures of the Addams family’s teen daughter. After her parents send her to Nevermore Academy, a school for...

The politics of blasphemy: Why Pakistan and some other Muslim countries are passing new blasphemy laws

Written by Ahmet T. Kuru, Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University

People gather around the body of a man who was killed when an enraged mob stoned him to death for allegedly desecrating the Quran, in eastern Pakistan in February 2022.AP Photo/Asim Tanveer

On Jan. 17, 2023, Pakistan’s National Assembly unanimously voted to expand the country’s laws on blasphemy, which carries the death penalty for...