The Conversation

When are book bans unconstitutional? A First Amendment scholar explains

Written by Erica Goldberg, Associate Professor of Law, University of Dayton

There was a surge in book banning in 2021.valmas/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

The United States has become a nation divided over important issues in K-12 education, including which books students should be able to read in public school.

Efforts to ban books from school curricula, remove books from libraries and keep lists of books that some find...

Conservatives feel blamed, shamed and ostracized by the media

Written by Doron Taussig, Assistant Professor in Journalism, Ursinus College

Some conservatives view media as biased and take it personally.John Rowley/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Tune in to a conservative podcast or scroll through conservative Facebook feeds and there is a decent chance you’ll encounter the terms “mainstream media,” “liberal media” or just “the media,” used in...

Redwood trees have two types of leaves, scientists find – a trait that could help them survive in a changing climate

Written by Alana Chin, Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Coastal redwoods in Felton, California.Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Coast redwoods are amazing trees that scientists have studied for generations. We know they are the tallest living trees and have survived for millennia, resisting fire and pests. Because redwoods are long-lived, large and decay-resistant, the forests...

How math – and eating while running – can help you complete your best marathon

Written by Cameron Cook, PhD graduate, researcher, University of Tennessee

Long-distance running requires planning, from pacing to stoking the body's engines.Nick Morgan, Author provided

Whether standing at the starting line for a high school cross-country competition or, years later, at the cold rainy 2018 Boston Marathon, I have always been nervous before races.

In November 2021, I was again at the starting line, this...

Why 'bad' ads appear on 'good' websites – a computer scientist explains

Written by Eric Zeng, PhD Candidate in Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington

Examples of 'bad ads' found on the web: clickbait articles, potentially unwanted programs, miracle weight loss supplements, gross-out images, and investment pitches.Screenshot by Eric Zeng

Sketchy ads, like those for miracle weight loss pills and suspicious-looking software, sometimes appear on legitimate, well-regarded websites. It turns out that...

ALS is only 50% genetic – identifying DNA regions affected by lifestyle and environmental risk factors could help pinpoint avenues for treatment

Written by Ramona Zwamborn, PhD candidate in Neurogenetics, Utrecht University

Epigenetics is how behavior and environment affect gene expression.Iryna Dobytchina/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects about 1 in 50,000 people. Well-known people who suffered from ALS include baseball player Lou Gehrig, who lived two years after he was diagnosed, and...

Russia isn't likely to use chemical weapons in Ukraine – unless Putin grows desperate

Written by Jeffrey William Knopf, Professor and Program Chair Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Ukrainians walk in the besieged city of Mariupol, where there are reports of a possible chemical attack. Victor/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Reports emerged from Ukraine on April 11, 2022, alleging that Russia had used a drone to drop an unknown chemical agent in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.

There has been no official confirmation of these...

Russian ruble's recovery masks disruptive impact of West's sanctions – but it won't make Putin seek peace

Written by Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University

People bought the last remaining groceries at a Finnish PRISMA store that was closing down in in St. Petersburg in March.AP Photo

Six weeks into the war with Ukraine, Russia’s economy seems to be holding up better than initially expected.

Despite unprecedented sanctions and an exodus of Western companies, the Russian ruble – a widely...

Soaring energy costs fuel fastest inflation in 40 years: 3 essential reads

Written by Bryan Keogh, Senior Editor, Economy + Business

California is seeing some of the highest gas prices in the U.S.AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Inflation continues to surge at the fastest pace since the early 1980s, placing more pressure on the Federal Reserve to lift interest rates.

The consumer price index, a broad measure of prices of goods and services in the U.S. economy, climbed 8.5% in March 2022 from...

Archaeological site along the Nile opens a window on the Nubian civilization that flourished in ancient Sudan

Written by Michele R. Buzon, Professor of Anthropology, Purdue University

Thousands of years ago, people in this part of Sudan used underground tombs to bury their dead.Michele R. Buzon, CC BY-ND

Circular mounds of rocks dot the desert landscape at the archaeological site of Tombos in northern Sudan. They reveal tumuli – the underground burial tombs used at least as far back as 2500 B.C. by ancient inhabitants who...