The Conversation

Why are buttons and zippers on different sides of men’s and women’s clothes?

Written by JuYoung Lee, Associate Professor of Fashion Design and Merchandising, Mississippi State University

Is the person wearing the clothes fastening their own buttons?kampee patisena/Moment via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why are zippers on different sides of male and female jackets? – Agrima, age 13,...

Nonprofit fraud: Amid high-profile prosecutions, an accountant explains what’s really going on

Written by Sarah Webber, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Dayton

Stefan Pildes was charged in April 2026, in New York, with wire fraud for allegedly taking money destined for charities.AP Photo/Larry Neumeister

Nonprofit fraud is in the news a lot these days.

Federal investigators in Minnesota prosecuted one of the largest alleged COVID-19 pandemic fraud schemes, in which several nonprofits and individuals are...

Soaring ticket prices could help FIFA pull in $15B this World Cup cycle — where does the money come from, where does it go?

Written by Richard Sheehan, Professor Emeritus of Business and Economics, University of Notre Dame

FIFA's secondary ticket market can be seen on a smartphone screen. Maximilian Haupt / picture alliance via Getty Images

At soccer’s World Cup, the top scorer gets the “golden boot,” and the best goalkeeper is handed the “golden gloves.” This year’s tournament will also provide organizer FIFA with a golden...

The US Constitution and laws do not protect oil companies from being sued over the harm they cause to the climate

Written by Alejandro E. Camacho, Professor of Law, University of California, Los Angeles

Across the U.S., people are calling for companies to pay for the damage they have done to the environment.Alex Kent/AFP via Getty Images

In recent years, at least two dozen local and state governments have sued petroleum companies to recover the billions in costs they have incurred responding to and rebuilding after flooding, storms and wildfires...

SpaceX is poised to go public and test the latest version of its massive Starship rocket amidst criticism about its environmental impact

Written by Scott Solomon, Teaching Professor of BioSciences, Rice University

An earlier version of SpaceX's Starship rocket launched from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas during a test in November 2024. AP Photo/Eric Gay

SpaceX is proceeding with two major milestones with consequences that could be, at a minimum, global. The company, owned by Elon Musk and valued at upwards of US$1.5 trillion, released its...

Long COVID will cost the US an estimated $8 billion over just 3 years due to healthcare burden, managing symptoms and loss to the workforce

Written by Bruce Y. Lee, Professor of Health Policy and Management, City University of New York

Losses in workplace productivity account for more than 90% of the estimate.aire images/Moment via Getty Images

The Conversation, CC-BY-ND.

Headlines on long COVID have become much more rare than during the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But that doesn’t mean the more than 44 million Americans who have at some point reported long...

Where will money for the ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ come from? This man has been warning of Judgment Fund abuse for years

Written by Paul Figley, Emeritus Professor of Legal Rhetoric, American University

A big pot of taxpayer money likely destined for Donald Trump's allies has created an uproar.Mensent Photography/Getty Images

The creation of an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” at the Department of Justice may have shocked a lot of people, but not Paul Figley, a legal scholar and former DOJ staffer who has spent years warning that taxpayer...

The ‘warrior ethos’ promises victory — history says it leads to defeat

Written by John Broich, Associate Professor of History, Case Western Reserve University

Hitler and Mussolini salute Nazi troops in 1937.Bettmann/Getty Images

At Marine Corps Base Quantico in September 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised assembled generals “maximum lethality” and no “stupid rules of engagement.” Under his leadership, the newly rebranded Department of War would “untie the hands of...

The war in Iran – again – points to the strategic shortcomings of assassination as policy of foreign affairs

Written by Brian O'Neill, Professor of Practice, International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology

Iranians hold their guns during a pro-government gathering near the residence where former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

The coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war in Iran killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with other key regime figures. In doing so, the United States and...

More universities are disinviting commencement speakers who might challenge students’ ideas, unraveling an apolitical tradition

Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

College commencement ceremonies celebrate students' achievements, but also have become occasionally fraught with politics. photosbyjim/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Delivering a university commencement address used to simply be a unique kind of honor. Speakers stand before a podium, wearing a traditional graduation cap and robe, and offer graduates...