The Conversation

Our Homo sapiens ancestors shared the world with Neanderthals, Denisovans and other types of humans whose DNA lives on in our genes

Written by Joshua Akey, Professor at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, our *Homo sapiens* ancestors shared the landscape with multiple other hominins.The Washington Post via Getty Images

When the first modern humans arose in East Africa sometime between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago, the world was very different compared to today. Perhaps the biggest difference was that we –...

A Pennsylvania prison gets a Scandinavian-style makeover – and shows how the US penal system could become more humane

Written by Jordan Hyatt, Associate Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, Drexel University

Prisoners and staff share responsibility for taking care of the fish tank at the 'Little Scandinavia' housing unit in a Pennsylvania prison. Commonwealth Media Services

The United States has the largest number of people incarcerated in the world – about 25% of all people imprisoned worldwide are in American prisons and jails.

Overcrowding, v...

Investing in indoor air quality improvements in schools will reduce COVID transmission and help students learn

Written by Patricia Fabian, Associate Professor of Environmental Health, Boston University

An air scrubber in a classroom at the E.N. White School in Holyoke, Mass.AP Photo/Charles Krupa

As fall temperatures cool across the U.S., many schools will struggle to ventilate classrooms while also keeping students and teachers comfortable and healthy. Children and teachers spend over six hours a day in classrooms during the school year, often...

Census data hides racial diversity of US 'Hispanics' – to the country's detriment

Written by Ramona L. Pérez, Professor of Anthropology, San Diego State University

President Biden Joe Biden speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month 2022 reception at the White House. Just who counts as 'Hispanic' in the U.S. is an open question.Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

As I opened a recent email from my local grocery store chain advertising Hispanic Heritage Month – it runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each...

Hijab rules have nothing to do with Islamic tenets and everything to do with repressing women

Written by Deina Abdelkader, Associate Professor of Political Science, UMass Lowell

Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini.AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was held by Iran’s morality police for not complying with the country’s hijab rules has drawn global attention to the repression of women in Iran. Neighboring Saudi Arabia, a Sunni...

What is a bodhisattva? A scholar of Buddhism explains

Written by Pierce Salguero, Associate Professor of Asian History & Religious Studies, Penn State

Boddhisatva Avalokiteśvara, considered to be a compassionate protector, is believed to regularly visit Earth.taikrixel/ via iStock Getty Images Plus

“Bodhisattva” is a key idea in Buddhism. The word is constructed from the Sanskrit root bodhi, meaning “awakening” or “enlightenment,” and sattva, meaning...

Nobel Prize: How click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry are transforming the pharmaceutical and material industries

Written by Heyang (Peter) Zhang, PhD Candidate in Chemistry, University at Buffalo

Click chemistry joins molecules together by reacting an azide with a cyclooctyne.Boris Zhitkov/Moment via Getty Images

The 2022 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to scientists Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for their development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

These techniques have been used in a number...

What is quantum entanglement? A physicist explains the science of Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’

Written by Andreas Muller, Associate Professor of Physics, University of South Florida

When two particles are entangled, the state of one is tied to the state of the other. Victor de Schwanberg/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

The 2022 Nobel Prize in physics recognized three scientists who made groundbreaking contributions in understanding one of the most mysterious of all natural phenomena: quantum entanglement.

In the simplest...

Abuse in women's professional soccer was an 'open secret' – the 'bystander effect' and structural barriers prevented more players from speaking out

Written by Heather Hensman Kettrey, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Clemson University

Fans of the Portland Thorns hold protest signs during a game in 2021.AP Photo/Steve Dipaola

An investigation has found that widespread abuse of players in U.S. women’s professional soccer existed despite some of the behavior of coaches being “an open secret.”

Based on more than 200 interviews, the report – led by former...

Affirmative action bans make selective colleges less diverse – a national ban will do the same

Written by Natasha Warikoo, Lenore Stern Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Tufts University

Graduation is less likely for students at less selective schools.Andy Sacks via Getty Images

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in two lawsuits on Oct. 31, 2022, brought by a group that opposes affirmative action in college admissions. Here, Natasha Warikoo, a sociology professor at Tufts University and author of the newly released...