The Conversation

‘Which Side Are You On?’: American protest songs have emboldened social movements for generations, from coal country to Minneapolis

Written by Ted Olson, Professor of Appalachian Studies and Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies, East Tennessee State University

Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine perform on Jan. 30, 2026, in a concert in Minneapolis in protest of federal agents' actions in Minnesota.Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images

The presence of Department of Homeland Security agents in Minnesota compelled many people there to use songs as a means of...

As Jeff Bezos dismantles The Washington Post, 5 regional papers chart a course for survival

Written by Dan Kennedy, Professor of Journalism, Northeastern University

The ranks of The Washington Post's newsroom have shrunk since this photo was taken in 2016.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Washington Post’s evisceration at the hands of its billionaire owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, didn’t have to happen.

Following months of speculation, the Post cut at least 300 of its 800 journalists on Feb. 4,...

Why Christian clergy see risk as part of their moral calling

Written by Laura E. Alexander, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Nebraska Omaha

A large group of protesters, including clergy, gathered outside St. Paul International Airport in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 23, 2026, to demonstrate against the immigration crackdown.Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Image

As Christian clergy across the United States participate in ongoing protests against harsh immigration...

Held captive in their own country during World War II, Japanese Americans used nature to cope with their unjustified imprisonment

Written by Susan H. Kamei, Adjunct Professor of History and Affiliated Faculty, USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Cultures, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Japanese Americans incarcerated at Heart Mountain concentration camp in Wyoming took art classes at the craft shop, using what they could find.Tom Parker, War Relocation Authority, Department of the Interior, via National Archives and Records Administration

With a stroke of a presidential pen, the lives of Izumi Taniguchi, Minoru Tajii, Homei...

Valentine’s Day cards too sugary sweet for you? Return to the 19th-century custom of the spicy ‘vinegar valentine’

Written by Melissa Chim, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Excelsior University

A woman turns down a dapper 'snake' in a 'vinegar valentine' from the 1870s.Wikimedia Commons

Ahh, Valentine’s Day: the perfect moment to tell your sweetheart how much you love them with a thoughtful card.

But what about people in your life you don’t like so much? Why is there no Hallmark card telling them to get lost?

The Victorians had...

Philadelphia was once a sweet spot for chocolatiers and other candymakers who made iconic treats for Valentine’s Day and other holidays

Written by Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

S.F. Whitman & Sons introduced the Whitman's Sampler, an assortment of its popular chocolates, in 1912. HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Many of America’s iconic holiday candies have Philadelphia or Pennsylvania roots – like Peeps on Easter, Reese’s peanut butter cups on Halloween, and a good, old-fashioned...

Infusing asphalt with plastic could help roads last longer and resist cracking under heat

Written by Md S Hossain, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington

A stretch of road near Rockwall, Texas, paved with plastic-infused asphalt. Md. Sahadat Hossain

Globally, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year, and less than 10% is recycled. Much of the rest ends up burned, buried or drifting through waterways, a problem that’s only getting worse.

As a civil engineer, I started asking...

How do scientists hunt for dark matter? A physicist explains why the mysterious substance is so hard to find

Written by David Joffe, Associate Professor of Physics, Kennesaw State University

The Coma Cluster, research into which supports the existence of dark matter. NASA, ESA, J. Mack (STScl), and J. Madrid (Australian Telescope National Facility)

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.

Can we generate a way to interact...

Americans are asking too much of their dogs

Written by Margret Grebowicz, Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Some people appreciate relationships with pets to combat loneliness – but others simply prefer dogs' company.Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images

Americans love dogs.

Nearly half of U.S. households have one, and practically all owners see pets as part of the family – 51% say pets belong “as much as a human...

Fifteen years after Egypt’s uprising, how faith and politics reshaped a generation

Written by Nareman Amin, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Islam, Michigan State University

The crowd in Tahrir Square in Cairo just before a speech by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 10, 2011.Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty News Images

Fifteen years ago, Egyptians from all walks of life took to the street to demand “bread, freedom, social justice.” They were protesting the oppressive 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt...