The Conversation

2026-10-25 · For the curious

40 Days to Arrive, 40 Days to Leave: How Armenian Culture Honors Life’s Most Important Moments

by Shushan Karapetian, Director of the Institute of Armenian Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Why might a new mother and a grieving family both need forty days away from ordinary life?

2026-10-24 · For the curious

100 Years Ago, Schrödinger’s Equation Shed Light on Quantum Physics – Scientists Use It Today to Fine-tune Chemical Reactions

by Sophya Garashchuk, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina

How do you design predictable materials out of atoms that behave like unpredictable waves?

2026-10-20 · For the curious

More Protein in Your Breakfast or Snacks Won’t Give You More Muscle Without More Work – a Biologist Separates the Science From the Marketing

by Linda M. Boland, Professor of Biology, University of Richmond

If muscles only grow when you lift something heavy, what is that protein bar actually doing?

2026-10-18 · For the curious

Why People Keep Looking for Noah’s Ark in a Natural Rock Formation in Turkey: a Scholar of Early Christianity Explains

by Eric Vanden Eykel, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Ferrum College

2026-10-17 · For the curious

Learning Without a Brain – How Bacteria Store Memories and Remember the Past Like Artificial Neural Networks

by Shiladitya Banerjee, Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

How exactly does a single cell hold onto a memory without a brain?

2026-10-13 · For the curious

Everyone Wants to Think They’re Open-minded – Here’s Why Most People Aren’t

by Daryl Van Tongeren, Professor of Psychology, Hope College

Why does admitting you might be wrong feel like losing your grip on the world?

2026-10-12 · For the curious

Physics Nobel Highlights Antarctica’s Role in Exploring the Cosmos

by Jean de Pomereu, Research Affiliate, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

2026-10-06 · For the curious

Physicists Who Uncovered the First Particle Accelerator Were Honored with a Nobel Prize 75 Years Ago – Their Work Shaped Physics, Medicine and Even Art Research

by Andrea Richard, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University

How did a machine built to smash atoms end up in hospitals and the Louvre?

2026-10-02 · For the curious

Mosquitoes Are Picky Eaters – We Studied 3 Common South Florida Species to Learn Why They Like Some People More Than Others

by Matthew DeGennaro, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University

What makes your skin smell like a perfect meal to one mosquito, but not another?

2026-09-27 · For the curious

Why AI Has Trouble Predicting the Fury of Hurricane Intensity

by Chanh Kieu, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, Indiana University

If a hurricane is naturally chaotic, can a machine ever predict how strong it will get?

2026-09-25 · For the curious

How Red Went From the Color of Revolution to the Color of Republicans in US Politics

by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

How did an accidental choice of map colors convince Americans they live in two different countries?

2026-09-23 · For the curious

How ‘To Catch a Predator’ Indulged America’s Appetite for Humiliation and Punishment

by Paul Kaplan, Professor of Criminal Justice, San Diego State University

2026-09-21 · For the curious

At an Old Steel Site in Pittsburgh, Bacteria Evolved to Survive – and Eat – Industrial Pollution

by Catherine Armbruster, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University

When industrial waste sits in the soil for a century, what evolves to eat it?

2026-09-20 · For the curious

Professional Gaming is Brutal on the Body – Inside the Growing Field of Treating Esports Injuries

by Erica D. Henn, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Temple University

Why do the injuries of professional gamers look so much like those of concert pianists?

2026-09-17 · For the curious

The Importance of Teaching Students What AI Can’t Do

by Billy J. Stratton, Professor of English and Literary Arts, University of Denver

If a machine has never had a body, can it really understand a novel?

2026-09-11 · For the curious

You Can’t Shield Kids From Scary News – Here’s What ‘Sesame Street’ and Other Children’s Shows Did After 9/11

by Julie Dobrow, Teaching Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University

How do you explain a tragedy to a child who already knows you are afraid?

2026-09-11 · For the curious

The Moral Paradox of Extreme Wealth: Why People Oppose It yet Are Reluctant to Take Steps to Reduce It

by Jen Cole Wright, Professor of Psychology, College of Charleston

Why does taking a billionaire's money feel like a bigger injustice than extreme poverty?

2026-09-07 · For the curious

Everyone Experiences Loss and Grief – but That Doesn’t Make It Any Easier to Talk with Kids About It

by Keisha M. Wint, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Binghamton University, State University of New York

When adults say someone went to sleep, what does a grieving child actually hear?

2026-09-04 · For the curious

Worms Navigate Narrow Paths Faster Than Wide Ones – These Findings Could Inform Robot Design

by K. R. Prathyusha, Research Associate, BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder

2026-09-02 · For the curious

How Students at Colorado State Helped Teach Their Community to Stop Talking Past Each Other and Manage Complex Problems

by Martin Carcasson, Director, Center for Public Deliberation, Colorado State University

2026-08-26 · For the curious

From Ancient Texts to Modern Practices, Daoism Provides a Profound Framework for Understanding the World Not as Broken but as Naturally Seeking Balance

by Michael Naparstek, Associate Teaching Professor Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

What kind of religion begins with the idea that the world doesn't need saving?

2026-08-24 · For the curious

Radio Telescopes Help Scientists Map Molecules in Space and Uncover Where and How Stars Form

by Olivia Harper Wilkins, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dickinson College

How do you map the chemistry of a star that hasn't even been born yet?

2026-08-20 · For the curious

Students Are Anxious – and It’s No Surprise, Since We Are Teaching Them to Be That Way

by Erin Clabough, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia

If children are naturally curious, why do so many classrooms run on stress?

2026-08-17 · For the curious

How to Be Grateful to Someone – Even When You Really Don’t Want To

by Mark Schroeder, Professor of Philosophy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

When someone does you a favor, does it matter if they are also helping themselves?

2026-08-13 · For the curious

Emerging Anti-immigration Sentiment in Japan Obscures a Surprising History of Strategic Engagement with Islam

by Mimi Hanaoka, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Richmond

2026-08-11 · For the curious

What is Emotional Regulation? A Child Psychologist Explains

by Jessica Griffin, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Peditrics, UMass Chan Medical School

2026-08-08 · For the curious

How Out-of-work Fishermen Saved the American Revolution

by Christopher Magra, Professor of American History, University of Tennessee

How do you fight a naval war when your only ships are wooden fishing boats?

2026-08-07 · For the curious

Taxi Drivers Rarely Die of Alzheimer’s – How Complex Mental Maps and Spatial Reasoning Protect Your Brain

by Hatim Sharif, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio

2026-07-31 · For the curious

The Enduring Legacy of Kashmir’s Poet-saints Who Built Bridges Between Faiths

by Peter Dziedzic, Ph.D. Candidate in Religious Studies, Harvard University

Why are the verses of a Hindu mystic still recited at Muslim shrines in Kashmir?

2026-07-19 · For the curious

Why You Let Down Your Guard on Ads When Scrolling on Social Media

by Matthew Pittman, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Tennessee

Why does a pushy advertisement start to feel like a relief after a few minutes of scrolling?

2026-07-11 · For the curious

Far Removed From Today’s Global Juggernaut, Soccer Was Born in the Well-heeled Boarding Schools of 19th-century England

by Thomas Adam, Professor of Political Science, University of Arkansas

How did a game meant to exhaust rowdy schoolboys turn into the world’s most popular sport?

2026-07-08 · For the curious

We Analyzed Paper Money Printed by Ben Franklin to Uncover His Anti‑counterfeiting Techniques and Materials Innovations

by Khachatur Manukyan, Associate Research Professor of Physics & Astronomy, University of Notre Dame

Why did Benjamin Franklin turn to chemistry and botany to make paper money feel real?

2026-06-24 · For the curious

How Alan Greenspan’s Stint as President Ford’s Top Economic Adviser Cemented His Passion for Public Service and Prepared Him to Lead the Fed

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

2026-06-21 · For the curious

A Shared Mourning Ritual Helped an American Soldier and an Iraqi Interpreter Find Common Ground

by Steve S. Medeiros, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of Connecticut

What happens when a soldier and an Iraqi interpreter discover they mourn in the same way?

2026-06-18 · For the curious

What We Misunderstand About Absent Fathers

by Matthew Alemu, Special Advisor, Poverty Solutions, University of Michigan; Northeastern University

If a father is gone, does the specific shape of his absence change the person left behind?

2026-06-11 · For the curious

Is My Brain Wired to Never See a Ghost? A Psychologist on Three Factors That Make a Paranormal Experience More Likely

by Melissa Maffeo, Teaching Professor of Psychology, Wake Forest University

What makes a brain turn a strange sensation into a ghost sighting?

2026-06-01 · For the curious

Your Phone Screen Doesn’t Have the Same Color Range as the Human Eye – and AI Widens the Gap Between Digital Images and the Real Thing

by Douglas Goodwin, Lecturer in Design and Media Arts, University of California, Los Angeles; California Institute of the Arts

What truly happens to a wild color when it reaches your screen?