The Conversation

What is ISIS-K? Two terrorism experts on the group behind the deadly Kabul airport attack and its rivalry with the Taliban

Written by Amira Jadoon, Assistant Professor at the Combating Terrorism Center, United States Military Academy West Point

ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Islamic State group, has claimed responsibility for the Kabul terrorist attack.Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

An attack on a crowd gathered outside Kabul’s airport on Aug. 26, 2021, has left at least 100 people dead, including at least 13 U.S. troops. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the coordinated suicide bomb...

Racial income and wealth gaps are huge – but the Fed doesn't have the right tools to fix them

Written by Paul Wachtel, Emeritus Professor of Economics, New York University

Does Fed Chair Jerome Powell have the tools to tackle racial disparities?AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Central bankers and economists from around the world are convening remotely for the annual Jackson Hole symposium on Aug. 27, 2021, to discuss the future of monetary policy.

For the second year in a row, the annual conference will be virtual and the...

American religious groups have a history of resettling refugees – including Afghans

Written by Stephanie J. Nawyn, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Gender in Global Context, Michigan State University

Many of the organizations helping refugees resettle are faith-based groups.AP Photo/Airman 1st Class Kylie Barrow

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Aug. 15, 2021, there has been a frenetic evacuation of foreigners and Afghan nationals. Thousands of these Afghans assisted the United States government, which now...

Do star athletes who want to play for the NBA really need college? What LaMelo Ball got right – and wrong – about why they don't

Written by John Holden, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies, Oklahoma State University

NBA star LaMelo Ball stirred controversy recently with comments that school doesn't hold much value for superstar athletes.Kevin Mazur

In a recent interview published in GQ, NBA star LaMelo Ball downplayed the importance of college for athletes who aspire to play professional basketball. When asked about his decision to forgo college and play...

Why students learn better when they move their bodies – instead of sitting still at their desks

Written by Katie Headrick Taylor, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Human Development, University of Washington

When our bodies are moving, our minds are more open to learning. Petri Oeschger/Moment Collection via Getty Images

My son’s kindergarten teachers, holding class on Zoom last year, instructed: “Eyes watching, ears listening, voices quiet, bodies still.” However, I noticed my 6-year-old’s hands would stay busy with items found...

These 3 energy storage technologies can help solve the challenge of moving to 100% renewable electricity

Written by Kerry Rippy, Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Energy storage can make facilities like this solar farm in Oxford, Maine, more profitable by letting them store power for cloudy days.AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

In recent decades the cost of wind and solar power generation has dropped dramatically. This is one reason that the U.S. Department of Energy projects that renewable energy will be the fastes...

7 tips for LGBTQ parents to help schools fight stigma and ignorance

Written by Abbie E. Goldberg, Professor of Psychology, Clark University

Parents may want to talk to teachers about their family structure, and what their child calls each parent, before the start of the school year. Attila Csaszar/Moment Collection via Getty Images

Many parents want to ensure that their kids are in classrooms where they and their families are respected and embraced. However, as a psychologist and...

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...