The Conversation

Police traffic stops can alienate communities and lead to violent deaths like Tyre Nichols' -- is it time to rethink them?

Written by Derek Epp, Assistant professor in the Department of Government, The University of Texas at Austin

The fatal beating of Tyre Nichols started after he was pulled over by cops.City of Memphis via AP

The killing of Tyre Nichols has raised questions about the use and risks of a routine part of U.S. policing: the traffic stop.

Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2022, from injuries sustained in a beating by five officers three days earlier. The...

Civil rights legislation sparked powerful backlash that's still shaping American politics

Written by Julian Maxwell Hayter, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

A group of voters lining up outside the polling station, a small Sugar Shack store, on May 3, 1966, in Peachtree, Ala., after the Voting Rights Act was passed the previous year. MPI/Getty Images

For nearly 60 years, conservatives have been trying to gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. As a...

40 years of legal sports betting in Australia points to risks for US gamblers – and tips for regulators

Written by Alex Russell, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, CQUniversity Australia

The country's history of state-sanctioned gambling goes back to the early 19th century.William West/AFP via Getty Images

Australians love to gamble. It’s often said that if they could, they would bet on two flies crawling up a wall. The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge were funded, in part, by government lotteries.

It’s only...

The ethical dilemmas behind plans for involuntary treatment to target homelessness, mental illness and addiction

Written by Katherine Drabiak, Associate Professor of Health Law, Public Health Law and Medical Ethics, University of South Florida

Involuntary treatment for homeless people aims to help – but also raises ethical debates.Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Over the past year, cities across the United States have unveiled new policy plans to address homelessness amid rising concerns about health and crime – for homeless people themselves, as well as for surrounding...

Guinea worm: A nasty parasite is nearly eradicated, but the push for zero cases will require patience

Written by Kimberly Paul, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Clemson University

Guinea worms are long, white parasites that emerge from the legs of infected people through painful blisters.CDC/Wikimedia Commons

A painful, parasitic disease that once infected 3.5 million people per year is tantalizingly close to being eradicated.

On Jan. 24, 2023, The Carter Center, a nonprofit founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter,...

New Advanced Placement African American Studies course is a watered down version of itself

Written by Suneal Kolluri, Assistant Professor of Education, University of California, Riverside

Black students are underrepresented in Advanced Placement courses.Hill Street Studios / Getty Images

On February 1, 2023– the first day of Black History Month – the College Board released the framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has criticized the pilot...

5 facts about John Witherspoon, a slaveholder and the only university president to sign the Declaration of Independence

Written by Joseph Yannielli, Lecturer in History, Aston University

A statue of John Witherspoon overlooks a common area at Princeton University.Oliver Morris via Getty Images

Since 2001, a bronze statue of the Rev. John Witherspoon has loomed over a busy pedestrian plaza at Princeton University, where he served as president from 1768 to 1794. During his tenure at Princeton, Witherspoon made history by signing the...

How legalized sports betting has transformed the fan experience

Written by John Affleck, Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society, Penn State

DraftKings is one of a handful of sportsbooks that have been advertising during live sporting events.Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

A couple of days before Christmas, I went to see the NHL’s Nashville Predators play on their home ice against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Amid all the silliness of a modern pro sports...

How the ancient Jewish 'new year for trees' became an Israeli celebration of nature

Written by Shay Rabineau, Associate Professor of Israel Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York

The cultural significance of Tu BiShvat has taken on new meaning in modern Israel.Teddy Brauner/National Photo Collection, Government Press Office (Israel)

As a professor who researches Israel’s extensive network of hiking trails, I’ve spent many days and nights in the field, walking long-distance routes and sleeping under the stars....

ChatGPT is great – you're just using it wrong

Written by Jonathan May, Research Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Southern California

ChatGPT is better used for playacting than playing at finding facts.EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock via Getty Images

It doesn’t take much to get ChatGPT to make a factual mistake. My son is doing a report on U.S. presidents, so I figured I’d help him out by looking up a few biographies. I tried asking for a list of books about Abraham Lincoln...