The Conversation

The history of the Taliban is crucial in understanding their success now – and also what might happen next

Written by Ali A. Olomi, Assistant Professor of History, Penn State

The Taliban came to the fore during Afghanistan's civil war that followed the Soviet pullout of 1989. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

The rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban left many surprised. To Ali Olomi, a historian of the Middle East and Islam at Penn State University, a key to understanding what is happening now – and what...

Scientists are using new satellite tech to find glow-in-the-dark milky seas of maritime lore

Written by Steven D. Miller, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University

For centuries, sailors have told tales of huge swaths of ocean glowing on dark nights. Steven D. Miller/NOAA

“The whole appearance of the ocean was like a plain covered with snow. There was scarce a cloud in the heavens, yet the sky … appeared as black as if a storm was raging. The scene was one of awful grandeur, the sea having turned...

Specialized cells maintain healthy pregnancy by teaching the mother's immune system not to attack developing fetus

Written by Eva Gillis-Buck, Resident Physician, University of California, San Francisco

During pregnancy, the body's specialized immune cells must learn to recognize the fetus as part of the self so that they don't attack it.Raja Segar via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

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

The big idea

During pregnancy, immune educator cells teach the mother’s immune system to recognize...

Russia's COVID-19 response slowed by population reluctant to take domestic vaccine

Written by Arik Burakovsky, Assistant Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

A man walks past a makeshift memorial for medical workers who died from COVID-19 in Saint Petersburg on May 11, 2020. Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

As Russia struggles with its third wave of COVID-19, the authorities have adopted new measures to contain the coronavirus. But pervasive vaccine hesitancy has put a massive strain on the...

Pregnant or worried about infertility? Get vaccinated against COVID-19

Written by Matthew Woodruff, Instructor of Human Immunology, Emory University

Despite rampant misinformation, studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for both the mom and baby. Marina Demidiuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

As the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 surges across the U.S., almost 1 in 5 Americans continue to resist getting shots that are widely available, safe and effective – particularly for preventing the...

Is climate change to blame for extreme weather events? Attribution science says yes, for some – here's how it works

Written by Xubin Zeng, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Director of the Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorolgy Center, University of Arizona

Climate change made the devastating flooding in Belgium, Germany and other European countries in July 2021 more likely.Anthony Dehez/Belga/AFP via Getty Images

Extreme rainfall and flooding left paths of destruction through communities around the world this summer. The latest was in Tennessee, where preliminary data shows a record-shattering 17...

Taliban's religious ideology – Deobandi Islam – has roots in colonial India

Written by Sohel Rana, PhD Student, Indiana University

Students on the campus of Darul Uloom, the Deoband school of Islam located in a small town, Deoband, in the northern Indian state of Uttar PradeshSajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Following the Taliban’s rapid taking of power in what it describes as a reestablished “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” fears of a certain kind of...

Can student loans be cleared through bankruptcy? 4 questions answered

Written by Brent Evans, Assistant Professor of Public Policy & Higher Education, Vanderbilt University

Proving that student loans are too hard to pay off is often a difficult burden to meet.Kameleon007

For decades, student loans have mostly been prohibited from being discharged through bankruptcy proceedings. That could change under the FRESH START through Bankruptcy Act. Here, public policy scholars Brent Evans and Matthew Patrick Shaw, both of...

Unverified reports of vaccine side effects in VAERS aren't the smoking guns portrayed by right-wing media outlets – they can offer insight into vaccine hesitancy

Written by Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University

Studying trends in public adverse event reporting could help researchers address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.Pict Rider/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Chances are you may not be not familiar with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. Co-managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug...

What's a major donor? A fundraising expert explains

Written by Renee Irvin, Associate Professor of Nonprofit Management, University of Oregon

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark donates millions of dollars to journalism schools as well as other causes.Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation

Major donors are the people who give the most money to a specific nonprofit. The amount they must donate to attain that status varies, depending on the nonprofit’s budget.

If...