The Conversation

Online hate groups sustain their messages by repeating powerful stories or routinely adding new allegations

Written by Yu-Ru Lin, Professor of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh

Studying the types of messages hate groups spew online helps researchers understand the groups' persistence. Westend61/Westend61 via Getty Images

Hate communities often flourish online for years, raising the question of how they persist. My research team has found that powerful stories keep members of a hate group galvanized, either by repeating...

You know exercise is good for you – so why is it so hard to put it into practice?

Written by Laura Baehr, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Drexel University

Research shows that doing exercise around other people improves your chances of sticking with it.Jordi Salas/Moment via Getty Images

Physical activity is one of the most powerful health tools people have to improve mood, energy and sleep, even after just a few sessions.

But the real superpower of an active lifestyle is what it can do for health and...

The American Revolution’s triumphant story of democracy and freedom overlooks loyalists who paid a steep price for allegiance to Britain

Written by Kimberly Nath, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, San Juan College

The announcement of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia.Hulton Archive via Getty Images

On the eve of the American Revolution, Matthias Aspden made a decision that would change the trajectory of his life. A wealthy merchant from Philadelphia, Aspden carefully prepared to leave his home in March 1776 as rumors of...

Motown’s Black women songwriters and producers were the invisible architects behind the pop music juggernaut

Written by Margena A. Christian, Emeritus professor, University of Illinois Chicago

Sylvia Moy was a trailblazing Motown songwriter. L. Busacca/WireImage for Songwriter's Hall of Fame

During the 1960s, in a country divided by racial strife, the music of Berry Gordy Jr.’s Motown Records helped bring people together.

Motown was noted for star performers like Mary Wells, The Miracles, The Supremes, The Temptations, Martha...

Can peptide injections help people recover from injuries? Here’s what you need to know

Written by Flynn McGuire, Resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Utah

Two widely hyped peptides for fitness are sometimes marketed together and nicknamed the 'Wolverine stack.' Tom Werner/DigitalVision via Getty Images

It’s tough to avoid the current hype about the health benefits of injecting peptides. Although these substances – essentially, synthetic bits of protein in solution – have long made...

Federal investigation into Smith College probes whether transgender students can attend women’s schools – challenging the evolving mission of women’s education

Written by Alex C. Lange, Assistant Professor, Higher Education, Colorado State University

The Smith College campus in Northampton, Mass., in October 2025. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Within the past decade, most women’s colleges in the United States – including Smith College, a liberal arts college in Northampton, Massachusetts – have expanded their admissions policies, allowing transgender students...

Recreational fishing in the US catches far more fish than previously estimated

Written by Matthew Robertson, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Fishing is recreational, but it's also an inexpensive way to add protein to people's diets.Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

One of the United States’ largest fisheries is hiding in plain sight. Recreational freshwater anglers in the lower 48 states catch – and keep – far more fish than any official body has...

Protestant leaders once championed birth control – not to liberate women, but as part of ‘responsible parenthood’

Written by Samira Mehta, Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Birth control pills have helped American women control their own bodies, but that wasn't the main reason for religious leaders' support.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Mother’s Day seems like a strange time to celebrate birth control, which, on its most basic level, is about helping people to not become mothers – or not become mothers again....

Fire is transforming the US West’s public lands – research shows overlooked cost to recreation

Written by Kyle Manley, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Colorado Boulder

Large-scale wildfires seem to turn visitors away, while prescribed burning may have the opposite effect. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Colorado’s two largest fires on record, the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires, burned hundreds of thousands of acres across some of the state’s most visited...

Using diesel generators to power the AI revolution would kill hundreds of Americans a year

Written by Peter Adams, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University

Diesel generators sit outside a data center in Ashburn, Va.Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post via Getty Images

With U.S. electricity demand starting to rise quickly and expected to continue rising, largely because of the power needed for data centers that process artificial intelligence, people are looking for almost any potential...