The Conversation

'West Side Story' may be timeless – but life in gangs today differs drastically from when the Jets and Sharks ruled the streets

Written by David Pyrooz, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder

Dancing with danger.West Side Story/Amblin

The songs are timeless, the casting contemporary and dance routines still daring.

But for social scientists like us, Steven Spielberg’s remake of the 1961 hit musical “West Side Story” – a film about two rival street gangs – is more than a 21st-century face-lift of a Broadway...

Tropical forests can recover surprisingly quickly on deforested lands – and letting them regrow naturally is an effective and low-cost way to slow climate change

Written by Robin Chazdon, Professor Emerita of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

A 32-year-old forest on former pastureland in northeastern Costa Rica.Robin Chazdon, CC BY-ND

Tropical forests are among the world’s best tools for fighting climate change and the loss of wild species. They store huge quantities of carbon, shelter thousands of plants and animals and are home to Indigenous peoples who sustain them....

Bosnia's endless crisis could be solved by letting it break apart peacefully

Written by Timothy William Waters, Professor of Law, Indiana University

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, president of the Serb-run entity in Bosnia, answers questions during an interview on April 18, 2018. Elvis Barukcic/AFP via Getty Images

Bosnia is lurching toward crisis, once again. Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, is threatening to withdraw the Serb-majority half of the...

How Elon Musk can save big on taxes by giving away a ton of his Tesla stock

Written by Eric James Allen, Assistant Professor of Accounting, University of California, Riverside

The Tesla CEO began to sell stock worth billions of dollars in late 2021.AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is liquidating lots of Tesla shares. His transactions, which began in November 2021, could total US$20 billion or more. He has not said whether he plans to donate to charity the proceeds from selling those shares. But this move, which...

Colorful sweets may look tasty, but some researchers question whether synthetic dyes may pose health risks to your colon and rectum

Written by Lorne J. Hofseth, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina

Early-onset colorectal cancer rates have been increasing since the 1990s.kajakiki/E+ via Getty Images

Early-onset colorectal cancer incidence among the young, defined as those under age 50, has been rising globally since the early 1990s. Rates for colon and rectal cancers are expected to increase by 90% and 124%, respectively, by 2030.

One suspected...

Medical examiners and coroners have borne a heavy burden during the COVID-19 pandemic and have often felt invisible and unsupported

Written by Staci Zavattaro, Professor of Public Administration, University of Central Florida

While doctors and nurses have received well-deserved praise for their service on the frontlines, medical examiners and coroners perform dangerous work in the shadows.fstop123/E+ via Getty Images

“We stopped doing heads.”

It was the second time I’d heard a medical examiner say this while I was studying how the roles of medical...

Buddhist nuns and female scholars are gaining new leadership roles, in a tradition that began with the ordination of Buddha's foster mother

Written by Jue Liang, Visiting Assistant Professor, Denison University

Nuns from Taiwan pray in Taipei on May 8, 2011, in celebration of the Buddha's birth anniversary. Patrick Lin/AFP via Getty Images

In recent years, many Buddhist nuns have taken on leadership roles that require either ordination status or academic degrees, all of which was quite unheard of in Buddhist monastic traditions in the past.

However, this...

Figuring out omicron – here's what scientists are doing right now to understand the new coronavirus variant

Written by Peter Kasson, Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia

A researcher works with COVID-19 samples from patients.Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

Scientists around the world have been racing to learn more about the new omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2, first declared a “variant of concern” on Nov. 26, 2021 by the World Health Organization. Officials cautioned that it would take several weeks...

A century of tragedy: How the car and gas industry knew about the health risks of leaded fuel but sold it for 100 years anyway

Written by Bill Kovarik, Professor of Communication, Radford University

For decades, most gas sold in the U.S. contained a lead additive. Per Magnus Persson via Getty Images

On the frosty morning of Dec. 9, 1921, in Dayton, Ohio, researchers at a General Motors lab poured a new fuel blend into one of their test engines. Immediately, the engine began running more quietly and putting out more power.

The new fuel was...

Many global charities refrain from 'poverty porn' imagery to raise money from donors, but stereotypes still distort their pictures

Written by Abhishek Bhati, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Bowling Green State University

Charity fundraising materials often include stereotypical images of life in low-income countries.Mlenny/E+ via Getty Images

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

The big idea

International nongovernmental organizations, often called NGOs, and other charities often use photos that distort the everyday realities of the...