The Conversation

Smells like witch spirit: How the ancient world’s scented sorceresses influence ideas about magic today

Written by Britta Ager, Assistant Professor of Classics, Arizona State University

Perfumes, potions and witches have been entwined for centuries.Frederick Stuart Church/Smithsonian American Art Museum/Wikimedia Commons

Most perfume ads suggest that the right scent can make you sexy, alluring and successful. A blend by Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, meanwhile, offers to make you smell like Hecate, the three-faced Greek goddess of...

Biden calls for a big expansion of offshore wind – here's how officials decide where the turbines may go

Written by David Cash, Distinguished Fellow, Sustainable Solutions Lab, University of Massachusetts Boston

Coming to U.S. waters? Here's an aerial view of the Burbo Bank offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay, England.Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration has announced ambitious plans to scale up leasing for offshore wind energy projects along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts. In an announcement released on Oct. 13, 2021, the U.S....

Viruses are both the villains and heroes of life as we know it

Written by Ivan Erill, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and play a potential role in the evolution of life. NANOCLUSTERING/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Viruses have a bad reputation. They are responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and a long list of maladies that have plagued humanity since time immemorial. Is there anything...

A century after partition, Ireland’s churches are cooperating more closely than ever

Written by Ger FitzGerald, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, George Mason University

Leaders from Ireland’s main Christian traditions will host a “Service of Reflection and Hope” in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Oct. 21, 2021, marking 100 years since “the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland.”

But the churches’ service has become controversial, underscoring tensions that...

Simple safety tips for trick-or-treating after Fauci greenlighted Halloween 2021

Written by Meg Sorg, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

Experts give trick-or-treating the green light this year.Anchiy/E+ Collection via Getty Images

The air is getting chillier, pumpkins are perched on porches and kids across the country are planning their spooky costumes. As a professor of pediatric nursing and a mom to four young children, I know the excitement and anxiety that pandemic holidays...

What's behind the magic of live music?

Written by Mariusz Kozak, Associate Professor of Music and Music Theory, Columbia University

After taking a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, Lollapalooza returned to Chicago in summer 2021.Michael Hickey/Getty Images

For months, fans were relegated to watching their favorite singers and musicians over Zoom or via webcasts. Now, live shows – from festivals like Lollapalooza to Broadway musicals – are officially back.

The songs...

Yes, we should be keeping the healthier hand-washing habits we developed at the start of the pandemic

Written by Melissa Hawkins, Professor of Public Health, American University

Washing your hands is an easy and effective way to reduce the spread of illness. Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Moment via Getty Images

People were washing their hands so much early in the pandemic that sensitive skin and soap shortages were common problems in 2020.

All this focus on hand-washing was for good reason. The science uniformly demonstrates tha...

Having COVID-19 or being close to others who get it may make you more charitable

Written by Nancy R. Buchan, Associate Professor of International Business, University of South Carolina

A volunteer distributes face masks in a rural California community in February 2021.Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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

The big idea

People who got COVID-19 or were directly affected by the disease, either by losing loved ones or having close friends or relatives become...

As a patriot and Black man, Colin Powell embodied the 'two-ness' of the African American experience

Written by Chad Williams, Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University

A complex legacy.AP Photo/Vincent Michel

Colin Powell knew where he fit in American history.

The former secretary of state – who died on Oct. 18, 2021 at 84 as a result of COVID-19 complications – was a pioneer: the first Black national security advisor in U.S. history, the first Black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and also the...

Cellphone data shows that people navigate by keeping their destinations in front of them – even when that's not the most efficient route

Written by Carlo Ratti, Professor of Urban Technologies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

People navigate cities in much the same way animals navigate their environments.Max Böhme/Unsplash

Think of your morning walk to work, school or your favorite coffee shop. Are you taking the shortest possible route to your destination? According to big data research that my colleagues and I conducted, the answer is no: People’s brains...