The Conversation

'Stand your ground' laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed

Written by Caroline Light, Senior Lecturer on Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard University

The door Ralph Yarl mistakenly rang, almost costing the teen his life.AP Photo/Charlie Riede

In one key respect, Ralph Yarl was fortunate. The wounds the 16-year-old suffered after being shot twice on April 13, 2023, by the owner of the house whose doorbell he rang, thinking it was where he was due to pick up his two younger brothers, did not prove...

Watch out for dangerous combinations of over-the-counter cold medicine and prescription drugs – two pharmacoepidemiology experts explain the risks

Written by Macarius Mwinisungee Donneyong, Assistant Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology, The Ohio State University

Over-the-counter medications, even though they sell by the millions, are not risk-free.dragana991/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When colds, flus and allergies hit, many people automatically turn to over-the-counter medications to push through and treat their symptoms. These include decongestants, painkillers, cough or allergy medicines and...

Boy Scouts of America can now create $2.4 billion fund to pay claims for Scouts who survived abuse – a bankruptcy expert explains what's next

Written by Marie T. Reilly, Professor of Law, Penn State

The alleged sexual abuse that led to this settlement occurred from 1944 through 2016. Newsday LLC via Getty Images

On April 19, 2023, the Boy Scouts of America declared that it has exited its bankruptcy case after clearing one of the last legal hurdles in its way. Some insurance companies and sex abuse claimants objected to the Boy Scouts’...

What's going on when the Virgin Mary appears and statues weep? The answers aren't just about science or the supernatural

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Mary is often depicted weeping, a reminder of the 'Seven Sorrows' the Bible recounts her suffering.pratan ounpitipong/Moment via Getty Images

Claims of appearances of the Virgin Mary and weeping statues have been common in Catholicism. And now they’re going to get a closer look – but on a worldwide scale.

The Pontificia Academia Mariana...

Keeping NBA players on the court is no small 'feet'

Written by Philip Anloague, Associate Provost; Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, University of Dayton

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III falls to the court after suffering a toe injury during a playoff game in May 2021.Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

The NBA playoffs provide a stage for some of the biggest and tallest athletes in the world. With an average height of 6 feet, 7 inches and an average weight of 225 pounds, players have a lot of...

Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension

Written by Mario Orospe Hernández, Ph.D. Candidate in Religious Studies, Arizona State University

A salt pyramid in Uyuni, Bolivia. The rainy season produces a mirror effect in the salt flat.Mario Orospe Hernandez, CC BY-NC-ND

Located in the heart of South America, Bolivia contains the largest lithium deposits in the world – an enviable position, in many countries’ eyes, as the market for electric vehicles takes off. Though EVs emit...

Fire danger in the high mountains is intensifying: That’s bad news for humans, treacherous for the environment

Written by Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Fires are increasing in high mountain areas that rarely burned in the past.John McColgan, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service

As wildfire risk rises in the West, wildland firefighters and officials are keeping a closer eye on the high mountains – regions once considered too wet to burn.

The growing fire risk in these areas became...

Emergency contraception is often confused with abortion pills – here's how Plan B and other generic versions work to prevent pregnancy

Written by Amie Ashcraft, Service Assistant Professor in Family Medicine, West Virginia University

Morning-after pills are most effective when taken within three days after sex.Ian Hooton/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and the end of constitutional protection for abortion, emergency contraception has become more difficult to obtain and – more than ever – shrouded in...

The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea – but naval rivalry with Beijing is very real and growing

Written by Krista Wiegand, Professor of Political Science, University of Tennessee

A Marine amphibious assault vehicle takes part in a 2019 joint U.S.-Philippines exercise.Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship on April 26, 2023, in the South China Sea.

The live-fire drill is not a response to increased tensions with China over...

US giving to Israeli nonprofits – how much Jews and Christians donate and where the money goes

Written by Jamie Levine Daniel, Associate Professor, Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University

Israeli political conflicts could change the giving patterns of U.S. Jews. Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judiciary overhauls and the continued erosion of Palestinian human rights for months.

It’s possible that...