The Conversation

Far-right groups move to messaging apps as tech companies crack down on extremist social media

Written by Kevin Grisham, Professor of Global Studies, California State University San Bernardino

Far-right groups like the Proud Boys, seen here marching in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, are increasingly organizing their activities on messaging services like Telegram.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Right-wing extremists called for open revolt against the U.S. government for months on social media following the election in November. Behind the...

'The US is falling apart': How Russian media is portraying the US Capitol siege

Written by Lena Surzhko Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Penn State

A news host reports on former President Donald Trump during a broadcast on RT, formerly known as Russia Today, a state-funded TV network.Misha Friedman/Getty Images

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which was Christmas Eve for Eastern Orthodox Christians, was a perfect holiday gift for Russian politicians and state-controlled Russian...

A healthy microbiome builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19

Written by Ana Maldonado-Contreras, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School

The microbes living in the gut are key to good health.Dr_Microbe/iStock/Getty Images Plus

You may not know it, but you have an army of microbes living inside of you that are essential for fighting off threats, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

In the past two decades scientists have learned our bodies are home to more bacterial cells than...

Why the US rejoining the Paris climate accord matters at home and abroad — 5 scholars explain

Written by Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines

Through the Paris Agreement, the world's countries agreed to work to keep global warming well under 2 degrees Celsius.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The United States helped bring the world into the Paris climate accord, the groundbreaking global agreement reached in 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to slow climate change....

Will Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's pick for attorney general, be independent in that role? History says it's unlikely

Written by Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College

Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland speaks during an event with President-elect Joe Biden.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Five years after he was nominated to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is President-elect Biden’s choice to lead the Justice Department as the...

Huge numbers of the formerly incarcerated are unemployed, but there are some promising solutions

Written by Kymberly Byrd, Ph.D. Candidate, Community Research and Action, Vanderbilt University

Formerly incarcerated entrepreneur Coss Marte speaks at a conference in 2015.Brad Barket/Getty Images for WIRED

CC BY-NC-ND

People who have been incarcerated face major challenges finding work after their release. About 45% of formerly incarcerated Americans were unemployed one year after leaving prison, according to a multiyear study the Brookings...

The NRA declares bankruptcy: 5 questions answered

Written by Brian Mittendorf, Fisher Designated Professor of Accounting, The Ohio State University

Facing legal and financial challenges, the NRA wants to exit New York.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Editor’s note: Although the National Rifle Association is headquartered in Northern Virginia, it is incorporated in New York. The gun group recently announced a new “strategic plan” to restructure under bankruptcy and reincorporate in...

'Early warning' systems in schools can be dangerous in the hands of law enforcement

Written by F. Chris Curran, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Florida

School police officers walk in a hallway at a middle school.Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students are getting lower grades and inconsistently attending classes. For students in one Florida county, low grades and absenteeism may put them at risk of being labeled by law enforcement as potential...

Kratom: What science is discovering about the risks and benefits of a controversial herb

Written by Christopher R. McCurdy, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida College of Pharmacy, University of Florida

Kratom is native to Southeast Asia, where people make a tea from its leaves. Christopher R. McCurdy, CC BY-SA

Kratom, a traditional Southeast Asian herbal medicine from the leaves of the tropical tree Mitragyna speciosa, has gained favor in the U.S. as a legal high over the past decade. Almost two metric tons of kratom are imported from Southeast...

Sen. Ossoff was sworn in on pioneering Atlanta rabbi's Bible – a nod to historic role of American Jews in civil rights struggle

Written by Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Sen. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff on Capitol Hill in Washington. Senate Television via AP

The first Jewish senator in Georgia history, Jon Ossoff, was sworn in on Jan. 20, on what his office described in a tweet as a “Hebrew scripture that belonged to historic Atlanta Rabbi Jacob...