The Conversation

Ancient Americans made art deep within the dark zones of caves throughout the Southeast

Written by Jan Simek, Professor of Anthropology, University of Tennessee

The author examining pictographs in 60th Unnamed Cave, Tennessee.Alan Cressler

On a cold winter’s day in 1980, a group of recreational cavers entered a narrow, wet stream passage south of Knoxville, Tennessee. They navigated a slippery mud slope and a tight keyhole through the cave wall, trudged through the stream itself, ducked through...

Avoiding water bankruptcy in the drought-troubled Southwest: What the US and Iran can learn from each other

Written by Mojtaba Sadegh, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University

In some drought-stricken parts of the Southwest, water arrives by truck.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The 2021 water year ends on Sept. 30, and it was another hot, dry year in the western U.S., with almost the entire region in drought. Reservoirs vital for farms, communities and hydropower have fallen to dangerous lows.

The biggest blow came in August,...

An autonomous robot may have already killed people – here's how the weapons could be more destabilizing than nukes

Written by James Dawes, Professor of English, Macalester College

The term 'killer robot' often conjures images of Terminator-like humanoid robots. Militaries around the world are working on autonomous machines that are less scary looking but no less lethal.John F. Williams/U.S. Navy

Autonomous weapon systems – commonly known as killer robots – may have killed human beings for the first time ever last...

New NCAA endorsement rules could benefit women more than men

Written by Lindsey Darvin, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, State University of New York College at Cortland

College basketball player Paige Bueckers, right, of the Connecticut Huskies, has over 900,000 followers on Instagram as of September 2021. Elsa/Getty Images

Only one week after the NCAA changed its endorsement rules on July 1, 2021, women college athletes found themselves on billboards in Times Square in New York, launching a clothing line...

Francis Scott Key: One of the anti-slavery movement's great villains

Written by Bennett Parten, Ph.D. Candidate in History, Yale University

A painting depicting Francis Scott Key aboard the British ship HMS Tonnant viewing Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore on Sept. 14, 1814. Ed Vebell/Getty Images

The history wars – the battle over how we teach our country’s past – are raging.

The United States is confronting the legacies of slavery as never before. This...

Walt Disney's radical vision for a new kind of city

Written by Alex Krieger, Research Professor in Practice of Urban Design, Harvard University

The Epcot theme park that was eventually built diverged from Walt Disney's plans for his 'community of tomorrow.'Chip Hires/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Since Epcot’s inception, millions of tourists have descended upon the theme park famous for its Spaceship Earth geodesic sphere and its celebration of international cultures.

But the version...

Why Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg may be in hot water with the SEC

Written by Jena Martin, Professor of Law, West Virginia University

Mark Zuckerberg's public comments contradict some of the information reported by The Wall Street Journal. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that Facebook treats users’ posts differently depending on their wealth, privilege and status.

That and other findings based on internal Facebook documents may be troubling...

The Supreme Court's immense power may pose a danger to its legitimacy

Written by Richard L. Pacelle, Jr., Professor of Political Science, University of Tennessee

The Supreme Court has no army to enforce its decisions; its authority rests solely on its legitimacy.Win McNamee/Getty Images

The first Monday in October is the traditional day that the U.S. Supreme Court convenes for its new term. Analysts and soothsayers carefully read the signals and forecast the direction the court will take. This year the...

R. Kelly was aided by a network of complicity – common in workplace abuse – that enabled crimes to go on for decades

Written by Peggy Cunningham, Professor of Business, Dalhousie University

A lengthy spell in prison awaits the convicted sexual predator.Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images via AFP

R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges on Sept 27, 2021, having been exposed as the ringleader of a decades-long scheme to recruit girls, boys and women to have sex with.

During the six-week long trial,...

Trillions in infrastructure spending could mean hundreds of billions in fraud

Written by Jetson Leder-Luis, Assistant Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge was part of Boston's Big Dig, which was infamous for its cost overruns.AP Photo/Steven Senne

The U.S. government may be on the verge of spending as much as US$4.5 trillion in what could be one of the biggest investments in infrastructure and the social safety net in decades.

The House plans to vote on a $1...