The Conversation

NASA's head warned that China may try to claim the Moon – two space scholars explain why that's unlikely to happen

Written by Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Assistant Professor of Space and International Relations, Air University

China and the U.S. both have big plans for the Moon, but there are a number of reasons why no country could actually claim ownership of any land there.3dScultor/iStock via Getty Images

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently expressed concerns over China’s aims in space, and in particular, that China would, in some way, claim ownership over...

Cassidy Hutchinson and Greek tragedy show that courage is rare and cowardice more common

Written by Rachel Hadas, Professor of English, Rutgers University - Newark

Cassidy Hutchinson is sworn in to testify before the House January 6th committee, on June 28, 2022.Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

Ever since former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s remarkable testimony in the recent January 6 committee hearing, I’ve been thinking – as I’m sure many people have – about courage....

Biopsies confirm a breast cancer diagnosis after an abnormal mammogram – but structural racism may lead to lengthy delays

Written by Marissa Lawson, Medical Fellow in Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

Black patients are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to have a biopsy delay of 90 days or more after an abnormal mammogram.Yellow Dog Productions/The Image Bank via Getty Images

While mammograms are often the first step to detecting breast cancer, patients need additional tests after an abnormal screening result. Further imaging can...

Roe v. rap: Hip-hop artists have long wrestled with reproductive rights

Written by A.D. Carson, Assistant Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia

Rap songs about abortion are rife with raw emotion.Tashi-Delek / Getty Images

Hip-hop culture is often recognized as being born on Aug. 11, 1973. That was about seven months after Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that protected the right to choose to have an abortion.

Accordingly, reproductive rights have long been part of the discourse in rap...

What is originalism? Did it underpin the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion and guns? Debunking the myths

Written by Ilan Wurman, Associate Professor of Law, Arizona State University

Is originalism now the dominant Supreme Court ideology?AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Recent Supreme Court decisions overturning Roe v. Wade and expanding gun rights in the U.S. have led some legal experts to declare the “triumph of originalism.”

The court’s opinions do, in fact, reflect originalist methodology to an important extent....

Cotton breeders are using genetic insights to make this global crop more sustainable

Written by Serina Taluja, Ph.D. Candidate in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University

A cotton field in Lubbock, TexasAP Photo/LM Otero

Products derived from the cotton plant show up in many items that people use daily, including blue jeans, bedsheets, paper, candles and peanut butter. In the United States cotton is a US$7 billion annual crop grown in 17 states from Virginia to Southern California. Today, however, it’s at risk....

There is no one Islamic interpretation on ethics of abortion, but the belief in God's mercy and compassion is a crucial part of any consideration

Written by Zahra Ayubi, Associate Professor of Religion, Dartmouth College

Islamic ethics allow for many views on abortion, depending on what kind of scriptural sources are considered and by whom.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

As a scholar of Islamic ethics, I’m often asked, “What does Islam say about abortion?” – a question that has become even more salient since the U.S. Supreme Court...

Boris Johnson's messy political legacy of lies, scandals and delivering Brexit to his base

Written by Garret Martin, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Co-Director Transatlantic Policy Center, American University School of International Service

Will Boris Johnson be back? The chances may be slim.Carl Court/Getty Images

Boris Johnson, the now outgoing prime minister of the United Kingdom, had wanted to follow in the footsteps of his idol Winston Churchill and be remembered as a leader of consequence. He aspired to greatness and desired to stay in office longer than the 11 years enjoyed by...

Scapegoating rap hits new low after July Fourth mass shooting

Written by A.D. Carson, Assistant Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia

Flowers are laid near the scene of a mass shooting during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill.Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

When local police named 22-year-old Robert E. Crimo III as “a person of interest” in the July 4 mass shootings in an affluent Chicago suburb, several news outlets described him in headlines as a...

No, submitting junk data to period tracking apps won't protect reproductive privacy

Written by Katie Siek, Professor and Chair of Informatics, Indiana University

Social media is flush with advice urging non-menstruating people to use period tracking apps in order to trip up the apps' algorithms.Westend61 via Getty Images

Social media users posted ideas about how to protect people’s reproductive privacy when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, including entering “junk” data into apps...