The Conversation

How palm oil became the world's most hated, most used fat source

Written by Jonathan E. Robins, Associate Professor of Global History, Michigan Technological University

Oil palm fruit in North Aceh, Indonesia.Fachrul Reza / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Palm oil is everywhere today: in food, soap, lipstick, even newspaper ink. It’s been called the world’s most hated crop because of its association with deforestation in Southeast Asia. But despite boycott campaigns, the world uses more palm oil than...

Why choosing the next dalai lama will be a religious – as well as a political – issue

Written by Brooke Schedneck, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Rhodes College

The current dalai lama was enthroned when he was about 4 years old.AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the spiritual leader of Tibet, is turning 86 on July 6, 2021. With his advancing age, the question of who will succeed him has become more pressing.

One of the most recognizable faces of Buddhism, the dalai lama is an...

How the billions MacKenzie Scott is giving to colleges attended by students of color will help everyone in America

Written by Ivory A. Toldson, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Howard University

Scott is giving dozens of predominantly nonwhite schools their biggest donations ever, including Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

When billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced her third round of charitable gifts in June 2021, she said she was giving US$2.7 billion to 286...

Gifted education programs don't benefit Black students like they do white students

Written by Christopher Redding, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Florida

Affluent students also benefited more from gifted programs compared to students from low-income backgrounds.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Participating in a gifted and talented program improved high-ability students’ reading and math achievement, on average,...

'Wrong number? Let's chat' Maasai herders in East Africa use misdials to make connections

Written by Timothy D. Baird, Associate Professor of Geography, Virginia Tech

A Maasai man receives a call on his mobile phone.Timothy D. Baird/Virginia Tech, CC BY-ND

Sometimes wrong numbers work. On the East African savanna, Maasai herders can form important new social connections when they misdial their mobile phones, our new study of these communities found. Maasai have traditionally lived in relatively independent,...

Yellowstone is losing its snow as the climate warms, and that means widespread problems for water and wildlife

Written by Bryan Shuman, Professor of Paleoclimatology and Paleoecology, University of Wyoming

Snow melts near the Continental Divide in the Bridger Wilderness Area in Wyoming, part of the Greater Yellowstone Area.Bryan Shuman/University of Wyoming, CC BY-ND

When you picture Yellowstone National Park and its neighbor, Grand Teton, the snowcapped peaks and Old Faithful Geyser almost certainly come to mind. Climate change threatens all of...

Despite outrage, new state voting laws don't spell democracy's end – but there are some threats

Written by Derek T. Muller, Professor of Law, University of Iowa

Will new election laws being proposed and passed in states limit people's opportunity to vote? Sean Rayford/Getty Images

The sky is falling – that’s what you may believe about a rash of new election laws being introduced, largely by the GOP, in statehouses across the country. Alternatively, you may think these laws are absolutely...

How gay neighborhoods used the traumas of HIV to help American cities fight coronavirus

Written by Daniel Baldwin Hess, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University at Buffalo

HIV health and support groups offered COVID-19 testing and other community services during the pandemic. iStock / Getty Images Plus

Throughout the pandemic, local neighborhoods have played a critical and well-documented role providing the health and social services necessary for American communities and businesses to survive and recover from the...

For flood-prone cities, seawalls raise as many questions as they answer

Written by Gary Griggs, Director, Institute of Marine Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Flooding caused by high tides in a Miami neighborhood on June 19, 2019.AP Photo/Ellis Rua

The oceans are rising at an accelerating rate, and millions of people are in the way. Rising tides are already affecting cities along low-lying shorelines, such as the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, where sunny-day flooding has become common during high tides....

Transgender medicine – what care looks like, who seeks it out and what's still unknown: 3 essential reads

Written by Daniel Merino, Assistant Editor: Science, Health, Environment; Co-Host: The Conversation Weekly Podcast

Access to transgender medical care has been under attack in many places in the U.S., and protesters, like those seen here in Texas, are pushing back. Erich Schlegel/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign

Transgender people continue to be the focus of political culture wars in the U.S. In the spring of 2021, lawmakers in many states sought to limit or b...