The Conversation

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...

Trans people have a long history in Appalachia -- but politicians prefer to ignore it

Written by G. Samantha Rosenthal, Associate Professor of History, Roanoke College

Parents and activists who support transgender rights rally before a school board meeting on Aug. 10, 2021, in Ashburn, Virginia.Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In recent public debate throughout the South, transness – the fact of being transgender – is framed as a kind of new social contagion.

Count me among the...

4 Ph.D. neuroscience students from other countries share the challenges of studying in the US

Written by Thiago Arzua, Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience, Medical College of Wisconsin

International students in the U.S. often face restrictions that make it hard to advance their research careers at the graduate level and beyond.Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

International students make important contributions to the U.S. They can enrich scientific research through diversity of thought. They pay taxes, support...

How Cup Noodles became one of the biggest transpacific business success stories of all time

Written by Alisa Freedman, Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies and Gender, University of Oregon

The original Japanese packaging emphasized English characters over Japanese ones.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

See a container of Cup Noodles at a convenience store and you might think of dorm rooms and cheap calories.

But there was a time when eating from the product’s iconic packaging exuded cosmopolitanism, when the on-the-go meal symbolized...

Nuns against nuclear weapons – Plowshares protesters have fought for disarmament for over 40 years, going to prison for peace

Written by Carole Sargent, Literary Historian, Georgetown University

Sister Megan Rice answers questions from members of a church group at a home in Maryville, Tennessee, in 2013.Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty Images

In July 2012 Sister Megan Rice, an 82-year-old Catholic nun, and two men walked past multiple broken security cameras and into the heart of a high-security nuclear complex. Y-12 in Oak...

Women lead religious groups in many ways – besides the growing number who have been ordained

Written by Deborah Whitehead, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Rabbi Diana Villa, center, with colleagues at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, in Jerusalem, in 2013.AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

What constitutes women’s leadership in religious communities is open to many interpretations. In the U.S., more attention has been given to women’s ordination because of the highly public and visible...

Why Biden's threat to slap Russia with more sanctions is unlikely to deter Putin in Ukraine

Written by David Cortright, Director of Policy Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

Biden and Putin held a virtual summit on Dec. 7, 2021, to talk about Ukraine. Mandel Ngan, Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration is threatening harsh, “high impact” sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine.

U.S. intelligence officials say Russia has been preparing for a potential invasion by...

Michigan school shooting shows how violence can transition from online threats to real-world tragedy

Written by Mia Bloom, Professor and fellow at Evidence Based Cyber Security Program, GSU, Georgia State University

Ethan Crumbley being arraigned on charges including murder.AP Photo/Paul Sancya

The warning signs were there.

In the days leading up to the deadliest school shooting of 2021 in the U.S., 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley made a series of disturbing comments and messages – both online and in a drawing. He had been caught at school searching online for...