The Conversation

Explaining 'Rakshabandan' – a Hindu festival that celebrates the brother-sister bond

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Associate Professor of Religion, College of the Holy Cross

A sister tying the protective thread.Vikram Verma, CC BY-ND

This year, Monday, August 7 marks one of the most important celebrations for Hindus throughout the world: Rakshabandhan, a ceremony honoring the bond between sisters and brothers. The date of Rakshabandan varies from year to year since Hindus follow a lunar calendar for religious...

Why Detroit exploded in the summer of 1967

Written by Jeffrey Horner, Senior Lecturer of Urban Studies, Wayne State University

A National Guardsman stands at a Detroit intersection during the summer riots of 1967.AP Photo/David Stephenson

When most people see the movie “Detroit,” it’ll likely be their first encounter with the events of July 1967, when a routine bust of an after-hours drinking establishment led to five days of protests, looting and clashes...

What does choice mean when it comes to health care?

Written by Norman Daniels, Professor of Population Ethics and Professor of Ethics and Population Health, Harvard Medical School

For many, the heart of the health care debate is the ability of patients to choose their own health care, including whether to buy insurance and which doctor to see. Alpa Prod/Shutterstock.com

President Trump continues to threaten millions of Americans who now have health insurance with loss of coverage by undermining the Affordable Care Act,...

Misleading statements on Russia meeting recall Clinton's impeachment

Written by Clark D. Cunningham, W. Lee Burge Chair in Law & Ethics; Director, National Institute for Teaching Ethics & Professionalism, Georgia State University

According to a biographer of Donald Trump, “He’s been lying his whole life, almost reflexively.”

Now, President Trump may be lying to his team of private lawyers who are handling issues relating to the investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Last month, Trump’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, told “Meet the...

When the sun goes dark: 5 questions answered about the solar eclipse

Written by Shannon Schmoll, Director, Abrams Planetarium, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University

NASA's projection of the August 21 solar eclipse.NASA

Editor’s note: A total solar eclipse will be visible across the U.S. on Monday, August 21. Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, explains why and how it happens, and what we can learn from an eclipse.

How do we know when an eclipse is going to...

Watching children learn how to lie

Written by Gail Heyman, Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Diego

It's actually a big developmental milestone.BlurryMe/Shutterstock.com

For the liar, telling a lie has obvious costs. Keeping track of the lies one tells and trying to maintain the plausibility of a fictional narrative as real-world events intrude is mentally taxing. The fear of getting caught is a constant source of anxiety, and when it happens,...

If we keep subsidizing wind, will the cost of wind energy go down?

Written by Eric Williams, Associate Professor of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology

As more wind turbines have been put in place, the cost of wind energy has gone down. Dad of T&S, CC BY-NC-SA

There are high hopes for renewable energy to help society by providing a more stable climate, better energy security and less pollution. Government actions reflect these hopes through policies to promote renewable energy. In the U.S....

Learning new tricks from sea sponges, nature's most unlikely civil engineers

Written by Michael A. Monn, PhD Student in Solid Mechanics, Brown University

The glass fibers that make up the _Euplectella aspergillum_ sponge are surprisingly strong and flexible.Michael A Monn, CC BY-ND

Imagine a future in which buildings tower miles over the streets below, tourists take day trips to the edge of our atmosphere, and multiple space stations can be spotted drifting across the night sky. To make this sci-fi...

How Greece could escape debtors' prison – if Europe opens the door

Written by C. Randall Henning, Professor of International Economic Relations, American University School of International Service

European Council President Donald Tusk and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras address the press. AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

Greece has acted out a European tragedy for more than seven years. But some signs suggest Greece may finally, in the words of its economy minister, be on the way to becoming a “normal country” again.

Greece&rsquo...

Imagining Russia post-Putin

Written by Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the students on July 21, 2017. Alexei Nikolsky/via AP

On July 21, Vladimir Putin was asked at an audience with schoolchildren what he will do when he retires. He replied, “I haven’t decided yet if I will leave the presidency.”

While everyone is obsessed with following the twists and turns...