The Conversation

Holiday foods can be toxic to pets – a veterinarian explains which, and what to do if Rover or Kitty eats them

Written by Leticia Fanucchi, Clinical Assistant Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Oklahoma State University

Treat Kitty to a new box or pet-safe treat, but not scraps from holiday meals.Cyndi Monaghan/Moment via Getty Images

During the holidays, it’s typical for people to indulge in special foods. Being a pet owner myself, I know that many pet parents want to give their fur babies special treats as well.

As a veterinarian and clinical veterinary...

'Vaccinating' frogs may or may not protect them against a pandemic – but it does provide another option for conservation

Written by Andrea Adams, Researcher in Ecology, University of California, Santa Barbara

California red-legged frogs are threatened with extinction.KQED QUEST/Flickr, CC BY-NC

When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged, many wildlife disease researchers like me were not too surprised. Some were intrigued it hadn’t happened sooner; after all, it is our job to observe, describe and study pandemic dynamics in animals.

Amphibians, for...

'Untraditional' Hanukkah celebrations are often full of traditions for Jews of color

Written by Samira Mehta, Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Hanukkah creates opportunities for families to celebrate their heritage – especially in the kitchen.zilber42/iStock via Getty Images

Hanukkah, the Jewish “festival of lights,” commemorates a story of a miracle, when oil meant to last for one day lasted for eight. Today, Jews light the menorah, a candelabra with eight candles...

Wealthy individuals are giving billions to solve the climate crisis – is it working?

Written by Beth Daley, Executive Editor and General Manager

How should millions being pledged by individuals help solve the climate crisis?John Werner, CC BY-ND

One of the best parts about being The Conversation is when we actually have a conversation in real life. And finally, we did just that recently with a fascinating event, co-sponsored by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Associated Press and GBH....

Video of college student arrest raises questions about use of police on campus

Written by Jarell Skinner-Roy, Doctoral Student in Higher Education, University of Michigan

Students of color report negative encounters with campus police.mrdoomits via Getty Images

When a video emerged of a 20-year-old Black student being arrested at Winston-Salem State University on Dec. 14, 2022, after she got into a verbal argument with her professor, it brought renewed attention to the often controversial role of campus police....

Over the holidays, try talking to your relatives like an anthropologist

Written by Elizabeth Keating, Professor of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

Many people go their entire lives knowing little about their relatives' childhoods and formative experiences.Westend61/Getty Images

How is it possible to spend so much time with your parents and grandparents and not really know them?

This question has puzzled me as an anthropologist. It’s especially relevant for the holiday season, when...

1918 flu pandemic upended long-standing social inequalities – at least for a time, new study finds

Written by Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota

In this November 1918 photo, a nurse tends to a patient in the influenza ward of the Walter Reed hospital in Bethesda, Md. AP Photo/Harris & Ewing via Library of Congress

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Racial disparities in influenza deaths shrunk by 74% in U.S. cities during the 1918 flu pandemic...

Why Istanbul's mayor was sentenced to jail – and what it means for Turkey's 2023 presidential race

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

Ekrem Imamoglu -- heading to jail or the presidency. Onur Dogman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A Turkish court’s decision on Dec. 14, 2022, to jail Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu for two years and seven months for insulting public officials hung on comments he made three years ago. But its impact will be felt on an event taking...

Anti-cancer CAR-T therapy reengineers T cells to kill tumors – and researchers are expanding the limited types of cancer it can target

Written by Gregory Allen, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Killer T cells (green and red), or cytotoxic T cells, surround a cancer cell (blue, center).NICHD/J. Lippincott-Schwartz, CC BY-NC-ND

Teaching the body’s immune cells to recognize and fight cancer is one of the holy grails in medicine. Over the past two decades, researchers have developed new immunotherapy drugs that stimulate a...

A Trump-era law used to restrict immigration is nearing its end despite GOP warnings of a looming crisis at the Southern border

Written by Ernesto Castañeda, Associate Professor of Sociology, American University

Hundreds of asylum-seekers gather on the banks of the Rio Grande to enter the U.S. on Dec. 12, 2022.Jose Zamora/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A key component of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies is currently set to expire on Dec. 21, 2022.

Officially called Title 42 of the U.S. Code, the little-known law was established...