The Conversation

The plague of frog costumes demonstrates the subversive power of play in protests

Written by Anya M. Galli Robertson, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

Demonstrators in frog costumes during the "No Kings" protest on Oct. 18, 2025, in Portland, Ore. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

When the center of protests against immigration enforcement switched recently to Charlotte, North Carolina, so did the frogs.

Back in October 2025, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency...

John Fetterman is an unusual politician – but his rise from borough mayor to US senator reflects a recent trend

Written by Richardson Dilworth, Professor of Politics, Drexel University

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman arrives on Capitol Hill on Nov. 10, 2025, to vote to open the government. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman – among the eight Democrats who voted to end the federal government shutdown – has always been a unique character and a sly self-promoter.

His political brand is that of an...

Making GLP-1 weight loss drugs cheaper isn’t enough to address America’s obesity problem – here’s why

Written by David B. Sarwer, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University

Polling shows that 1 in 8 Americans have tried GLP-1 drugs.zimmytws/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Trump administration is making a significant effort to reduce the cost of weight loss drugs. Its agreement with pharmaceutical giants, announced Nov. 6, 2025, will reduce the monthly prices of these medications by hundreds of dollars.

For the past...

Off-label use of COVID-19 vaccines was once discouraged but has become common amid new guidelines

Written by Shannon Fyfe, Assistant Professor of Law and Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Washington and Lee University

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is trickier now than in years past, but still possible.d3sign/Moment via Getty Images

Following the federal government’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and recommendations in 2025, many people are wondering whether they can get COVID-19 vaccines for themselves or their children.

In May 2025, the U.S. Food...

From ‘mail-order brides’ to ‘passport bros,’ the international dating industry often sells traditional gender roles

Written by Julia Meszaros, Associate Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University-Commerce

For many American men, the draw of the international dating industry is the idea of 'more traditional' women.Kurgenc/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Fifteen years ago, when I started studying the international dating industry, few people took the subject seriously. The term “mail-order bride” was treated as a punch line – something...

$2B Counter-Strike 2 crash exposes a legal black hole: Your digital investments aren’t really yours

Written by João Marinotti, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University

In late October 2025, as much as US$2 billion vanished from a digital marketplace. This wasn’t a hack or a bubble bursting. It happened because one company, Valve, changed the rules for its video game Counter-Strike 2, a popular first-person shooter with a global player base of nearly 30 million monthly users.

For years, its players have...

Farmers – long Trump backers – bear the costs of new tariffs, restricted immigration and slashed renewable energy subsidies

Written by Kee Hyun Park, Assistant Professor of International Political Economy, Nanyang Technological University; Institute for Humane Studies

U.S. farmers, including those who grow soybeans, are under pressure from various Trump administration policies.Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images

Few political alliances in recent American history have seemed as solid as the one between Donald Trump and the country’s farmers. Through three elections, farmers stood by Trump even as tariffs, trade...

First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare

Written by Jodie Childers, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia

Hollywood screenwriter Samuel Ornitz speaks before the House Un-American Activities Committee in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 1947. UPI/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

As the United States faces increasing incidents of book banning and threats of governmental intervention – as seen in the temporary suspension of TV host Jimmy Kimmel –...

AI is providing emotional support for employees – but is it a valuable tool or privacy threat?

Written by Nelson Phillips, Distinguished Professor of Technology Management, University of California, Santa Barbara

Does AI that monitors and supports worker emotions improve or degrade the workplace?Marta Sher/iStock via Getty Images

As artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT become an increasingly popular avenue for people seeking personal therapy and emotional support, the dangers that this can present – especially for young people – have made...

Who wins and who loses as the US retires the penny

Written by Nancy Forster-Holt, Clinical Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Rhode Island

By now, Americans know the strange math of minting: Each penny costs about 4 cents to make. Chances are you have some in a jar, or scattered among pockets, purses and car ashtrays.

As small as it is, the penny punches above its weight culturally. If it ever disappeared, so too might the simple kindness of “take a penny, leave a penny,”...