The Conversation

What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it

Written by John Etnyre, Professor of Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology

You can describe the shape you live on in multiple dimensions.vkulieva/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like you’re living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around you. This is likely why...

AIs flunk language test that takes grammar out of the equation

Written by Rutvik Desai, Professor of Psychology, University of South Carolina

AIs can sound good without having a clue about what they're saying.Carol Yepes/Moment via Getty Images

Generative AI systems like large language models and text-to-image generators can pass rigorous exams that are required of anyone seeking to become a doctor or a lawyer. They can perform better than most people in Mathematical Olympiads. They can...

Philadelphia continues long history of Black-led protest meetings aimed at fighting racial inequity and prejudice

Written by Linn Washington, Jr., Professor of Journalism, Temple University

Philadelphians attend a meeting at Germantown’s Center in the Park on Feb. 25, 2025, to strategize a new Black agenda. Linn Washington Jr. , CC BY-NC-ND

A meeting in Philadelphia, held at a senior center on a bitter cold Saturday afternoon in late January 2025, drew nearly 300 people.

They came for two key reasons.

One was to voice outrage at...

Parrotfish support healthy coral reefs, but they’re not a cure-all, and sometimes cause harm

Written by Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Professor of Marine Ecology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

Rainbow and midnight parrotfish feed at Alacranes Reef in the Gulf of Mexico.Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, CC BY-ND

After two years of record-breaking ocean heat, scientists are assessing the impacts of the world’s fourth mass bleaching event on coral reefs around the globe. At least 74 countries and territories are confirmed to have experienced...

Why people rebuild in Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas despite the risks

Written by Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State

Parts of the North Fork of the Kentucky River flooded in July 2022, and again in February 2025.Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Valentine’s Day 2025, heavy rains started to fall in parts of rural Appalachia. Over the course of a few days, residents in eastern Kentucky watched as river levels rose and surpassed flood...

In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky locations

Written by Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State

Parts of the North Fork of the Kentucky River flooded in July 2022, and again in February 2025.Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Valentine’s Day 2025, heavy rains started to fall in parts of rural Appalachia. Over the course of a few days, residents in eastern Kentucky watched as river levels rose and surpassed flood...

States that impose severe prison sentences accomplish the opposite of what they say they want

Written by John Leverso, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati

Prison doors close, but for most people convicted of crimes, they eventually open again.Hans Neleman/Stone via Getty Images

Across the U.S., tough-on-crime policies are surging again, despite research showing they do little to reduce crime, particularly violent offenses.

Before the early 1990s, people who were sentenced to 10 years in prison might...

How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms

Written by Ian Anson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Even in polarized times, some American voters still cross party lines to support both Democratic and Republican candidates.wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images

With the 2024 U.S. election over and done with, political analysts and both major parties are already turning their attention to the upcoming midterm elections in 2026.

All 435 seats in the...

Cutting Medicaid and federal programs are among 4 key Trump administration policy changes that could make life harder for disabled people

Written by Matthew Borus, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Disabled people's employment rights and access to free health care are among the policy issues that the Trump administration is aiming to change. Catherine McQueen/Moment/Getty Images

While policy debates on immigration, abortion and other issues took center stage in the 2024 presidential election, the first months of the Trump administration have...

USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security

Written by Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

USAID was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as a way to consolidate existing foreign aid programs.JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

On his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump began a drastic reshaping of the United States’ role in global health as part of the first 26 executive orders of his new term.

He...