The Conversation

How an American magazine helped launch one of Britain’s favorite Christmas carols

Written by Maura Ives, Professor of English, Texas A&M University

'In the Bleak Midwinter' didn't begin life as a song, but being set to music helped it find fame.starryvoyage/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In 1906, a new carol appeared in “The English Hymnal,” an influential collection of British church music. With words by British poet Christina Rossetti, set to a tune by composer Gustav Holst, it...

Disney's Black mermaid is no breakthrough – just look at the literary subgenre of Black mermaid fiction

Written by Jessica Pressman, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, San Diego State University

A coffin made to resemble a mermaid at a Ga funeral. The Ga people live along the southeast coast of Ghana.Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Mermaids have become a cultural phenomenon, and clashes about mermaids and race have spilled out into the open. This is most pointedly apparent in the backlash over Disney’s...

Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk of stroke – new research identified a potential culprit

Written by Andrew Bubak, Assistant Research Professor of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Cells secrete exosomes carrying molecules that play a critical role in both health and disease.Meletios Verras/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Over 90% of the world population has the virus that causes chickenpox lying dormant in their nervous system. Most people contract the varicella zoster virus, or VZV, when they get chickenpox as children. For...

The Jan. 6 committee makes its case against Trump, his allies and their conspiracy to commit an insurrection: Five essential reads

Written by Howard Manly, Race + Equity Editor, The Conversation US

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, is chairman of the House select committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

From its first public hearing on June 9, 2022, the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capital has offered hours of riveting testimony...

2022's US climate disasters, from storms and floods to heat waves and droughts

Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

Rain and fast snowmelt sent the Yellowstone River and nearby streams raging beyond their banks in June 2022.AP Photo/David Goldman

The year 2022 will be remembered across the U.S. for its devastating flooding and storms – and also for its extreme heat waves and droughts.

By October, the U.S. had already seen 15 disasters causing more than US$1...

China's lucrative orchid industry is a test for the nation's commitment to conservation

Written by Hong Liu, Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University

Sorting collected _Dendrobium_ flowers in Guizhou province, China, June 28, 2020.Photo Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images

China is well known for its medicinal use of wild plants, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. These traditional Chinese medicines include many wild orchids, some quite showy.

Typically, orchids are consumed...

A recipe for trustworthy journalism

Written by Joel Abrams, Director of Digital Strategy and Outreach, The Conversation U.S.

The Conversation feeds the minds of millions of people each week by following a brilliant recipe: We take the research of experts, add expert editing and serve up trustworthy journalism.

I could write at great length about it, but instead we’ve made a little cooking video to explain what we do.

Follow this recipe to get The Conversation.

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What the criminal referral of Trump means – a constitutional law expert explains the Jan. 6 committee action

Written by Margaret M. Russell, Associate Professor of Law, Santa Clara University

The Jan. 6 House Committee announced four recommended charges against Donald Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the US.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

After 18 months investigating, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol held its final public meeting on Dec. 19, 2022. The panel recommended that...

Even if Jan. 6 referrals turn into criminal charges – or convictions – Trump will still be able to run in 2024 and serve as president if elected

Written by Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University

Looming large over proceedings.Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images

The criminal referral of Donald Trump to the Department of Justice by a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack is largely symbolic – the panel itself has no power to prosecute any individual.

Nonetheless, the recommendation that Trump be investigated for four potential...

5 wintry books to read during long nights

Written by Liz Rosenberg, Professor of English, General Literature and Rhetoric, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Walden Pond was Thoreau's sometimes chilly muse.Lane Turner for The Boston Globe/via Getty Images

Winter solstice brings the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a great night to spend reading.

I’ve taught English and creative writing in snowy Binghamton, New York, for more than 40 years – read...