The Conversation

Gut microbe imbalances could predict a child’s risk for autism, ADHD and speech disorders years before symptoms appear

Written by Angelica P. Ahrens, Assistant Research Scientist in Data Science and Microbiology, University of Florida

Microbes can influence the connection between the gut and the brain.JDawnInk/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Early screening for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism is important to ensure children have the support they need to gain the essential skills for daily life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be...

Why CNN is changing up its polling for 2024

Written by W. Joseph Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Communication, American University School of Communication

Political surveys conducted for CNN and other major media outlets can shape the nation's perception of a presidential race. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Polls of the 2020 presidential election were at their collective worst in 40 years.

No misfire that year was more striking than CNN’s. Its final poll before the election estimated that Joe Biden...

Philly block parties can lead to small boosts in voter turnout, new research suggests

Written by Tanika Raychaudhuri, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Rice University

Thousands of block parties take place in Philadelphia each year.NurPhoto via Getty Images

Block parties – a beloved summer tradition in many Philadelphia neighborhoods – can lead to small increases in voter turnout among Philadelphia residents.

In a new peer-reviewed study published in the Urban Affairs Review, my colleagues and I found...

Russia’s new ideological battlefield: The militarization of young minds

Written by Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Associate Professor of Critical Cultural & International Studies, Colorado State University

Youth take part in an action to mark the ninth anniversary of the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.AP Photo

Over the summer of 2024, some 250 Russian children traveled to North Korea for a 10-day-long kids camp. Framed as cultural diplomacy, the event was the result of a new youth exchange launched in 2022 that sees Russian youth compete...

Why are so many historically rare storms hitting the Carolinas? Geography puts these states at risk, and climate change is loading the dice

Written by Russ Schumacher, Professor of Atmospheric Science and Colorado State Climatologist, Colorado State University

A flooded Christmas tree farm in Boone, N.C., on Sept. 27, 2024.Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Hurricane Helene caused deadly and destructive flooding when it swept through the Southeast on Sept. 26-29, 2024. Across a broad swath of western North Carolina, where the worst flooding occurred, the amount of rainfall exceeded levels that would be...

Studying science fiction films can help students understand the power societies have to shape our lives

Written by Harry F. Dahms, Professor of Sociology, University of Tennessee

Sci-fi movies can help escape reality to better understand it.Coneyl Jay/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Sociology, Science Fiction Film, and Artificial Intelligence

What prompted the idea for the course?

A colleague...

Accept our king, our god − or else: The senseless ‘requirement’ Spanish colonizers used to justify their bloodshed in the Americas

Written by Diego Javier Luis, Assistant Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University

Part of 'The Baptism of Ixtlilxóchitl of Texcoco,' painted by José Vivar y Valderrama in the 18th century.Museo Nacional de Historia via Wikimedia Commons

Across the United States, the second Monday of October is increasingly becoming known as Indigenous Peoples Day. In the push to rename Columbus Day, Christopher Columbus himself has...

What the facial expressions of Tim Walz and JD Vance said about their nerves, embarrassment and pride

Written by Patrick Stewart, Professor of Political Science, University of Arkansas

While viewers were listening to what JD Vance and Tim Walz said during the vice presidential debate, the candidates' facial expressions were also telling.AP Photo

Neither Ohio GOP Sen. JD Vance nor Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has the national stature of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, so viewers had a chance...

America’s dad vs. the manosphere: Walz-Vance debate highlights two versions of masculinity

Written by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor of Communication Studies, Colorado State University

Two guys, shaking hands: Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, ahead of their debate on Oct. 1, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Few people expected the campaign to elect the first woman president to spark a referendum on masculinity, but what it means to be a man has become “arguably the most dominant theme of this year’s...

Iran’s strikes on Israel are the latest sign that the conflict in the Middle East is spiraling, presenting rising global security threats

Written by Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice of Public Policy, University of Michigan

Many rockets fired from Iran are seen over Jerusalem from Hebron, the West Bank, on Oct. 1, 2024. Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Iran fired at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, amplifying tensions in the Middle East that are increasingly marked by “escalation after escalation,” as United Nations...