The Conversation

How apartheid, European racism and Pelé helped cultivate a culture of diversity in US soccer that endures into the MLS

Written by John M Sloop, Professor of Communication Studies, Vanderbilt University

Patrick 'Ace' Ntsoelengoe in action for the Toronto Blizzard.Tony Bock/Toronto Star via Getty Images

North America’s most diverse professional league kicks off on Feb. 25, 2023, as Major League Soccer returns after a winter break.

The league, commonly known as the MLS, has long prided itself as a standard-bearer for racial and national...

Epigenetic and social factors both predict aging and health – but new research suggests one might be stronger

Written by Eileen Crimmins, Professor of Gerontology, University of Southern California

Epigenetics is but one of many factors that influence aging, health and disease.bestdesigns/iStock via Getty Images

Can we objectively tell how fast we are aging? With a good measure, scientists might be able to change our rate of aging to live longer and healthier lives. Researchers know that some people age faster than others and have been trying...

First ladies from Martha Washington to Jill Biden have gotten outsized attention for their clothing instead of their views

Written by Nichola D. Gutgold, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State

First lady Jill Biden presents her Inauguration Day clothing at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in January 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

First ladies’ fashion choices tend to attract a lot of attention and often, quite literally, go down in history.

Now, with their new home at the Smithsonian Museum’s popular...

Research on teen social media use has a racial bias – studies of white kids are widely taken to be universal

Written by Linda Charmaraman, Director of Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab, Wellesley College

White teens and teens of color do not have identical online experiences.JGI/Jamie Grill/Tetra images via Getty Images

Most research on teen social media use has been conducted on white teens and college students. As a result, it is unclear to what extent overlooked populations such as racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities and...

Were viruses around on Earth before living cells emerged? A microbiologist explains

Written by Kenneth Noll, Professor Emeritus of Microbiology, University of Connecticut

Maybe the first life on Earth was part of an 'RNA world.'Artur Plawgo/Science Photo Library 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.

Were there already viruses on Earth when the first living cells appeared billions of...

3 things the pandemic taught us about inequality in college — and why they matter today

Written by Elena G. van Stee, Doctoral candidate in sociology, University of Pennsylvania

Low-income college students often face financial pressures and family obligations that their instructors cannot see. SDI Productions/E+ Collection/Getty Images

Elise, a nursing student at an elite U.S. university in the Northeast, found herself back home and sleeping on the floor of her parents’ one-bedroom apartment after the COVID-19...

Presidential greatness is rarely fixed in stone – changing attitudes on racial injustice and leadership qualities lead to dramatic shifts

Written by George R. Goethals, Professor in Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

A statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, sits in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Historians consistently have given Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, their highest rating because of his leadership during the Civil War. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Every American president has landed in the history books....

Turkish President Erdoğan's grip on power threatened by devastating earthquake

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

Erdoğan is facing criticism over his handling of the disaster.Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

The earthquake that struck Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023, is first and foremost a human tragedy, one that has taken the lives of at least 45,000 people to date.

The disaster also has major implications for the country’s economy – the financial...

Do we need political parties? In theory, they're the sort of organization that could bring Americans together in larger purpose

Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

During President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech, many Congressional Democrats stood and clapped, but the GOP did not.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

The 27 million people who watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Feb. 7, 2023, witnessed the spectacle of a family divided, with boos and cheers perfectly arranged along...

Ukraine war has exposed the folly – and unintended consequences – of 'armed missionaries'

Written by Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan

Putin's decision to go to war has seen great geopolitical ripples.Getty Images

The evening before Russia invaded Ukraine, it seemed to many observers – me included – nearly unimaginable that Putin would carry through with weeks of a threatened military attack. As I wrote at the time, Putin is not as erratic or rash as he is sometimes...