The Conversation

Wild ginseng is declining, but small-scale ‘diggers’ aren’t the main threat to this native plant − and they can help save it

Written by Justine Law, Associate Professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Sonoma State University

Ginseng plant with berries in fall, Whitesville, W.Va.Lyntha Scott Eller/Library of Congress, CC BY-ND

Across Appalachia, September marks the start of ginseng season, when thousands of people roam the hills searching for hard-to-reach patches of this highly prized plant.

Many people know ginseng as an ingredient in vitamin supplements or herbal tea....

Colorado voters weigh a ban on hunting mountain lions as attitudes toward wild predators shift

Written by Kevin Crooks, Professor of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and Director, Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence, Colorado State University

In Colorado, many people run, bike and climb in mountain lion habitat.DEA/ C. Dani I. Jeske/De Agostini via Getty Images

Hunting large carnivores is a contentious issue in wildlife management and conservation. It’s on the ballot in fall 2024 in Colorado, where voters will consider Proposition 127, a proposed ban on hunting and trapping of...

Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds

Written by Rasha Al-Lami, Researcher in Women’s Health, Yale University

Endometriosis affects about 10% of reproductive-age women worldwide.Xavier Lorenzo/Moment via Getty Images

More than two-thirds of women with endometriosis missed school or work due to pain from the condition, in a study of more than 17,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S. That is a key finding of new research published in the...

Photographer Louis Carlos Bernal memorialized the barrios at the US-Mexican border

Written by Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona

Louis Carlos Bernal, a Chicano photographer born in the Arizona border town of Douglas in 1941, invented a style of art photography that honored his Mexican American culture. In the process, he created an indelible record of life in Southwestern barrios – low-income, primarily Spanish-speaking neighborhoods – in the 1970s and 1980s.

He...

Fujimori’s death won’t end pursuit of justice for Peruvian victims – or stop the strongman’s supporters from revering his legacy

Written by Ñusta Carranza Ko, Associate Professor of Global Affairs and Human Security, University of Baltimore

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori waves to a crowd in 1992.AP Photo

The death of Alberto Fujimori, the deeply divisive former Peruvian president, comes amid a resurgence of interest in the former strongman – both from supporters and detractors.

And in some regards, the usual customs following the demise of a former leader are being observed.

P...

Kamala Harris effectively baited Donald Trump during the debate, drawing out his insecure white masculinity

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

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are seen on a screen as they debate for the first time in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The Sept. 10, 2024, debate between Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was a referendum on gender and the U.S. presidency –...

Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris shows how big a role music is playing in the 2024 election

Written by Mark Clague, Professor of Musicology, Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship, University of Michigan

Attendees dance as a band plays during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Music generates passion and emotion, so it’s little surprise that popular tunes have been featured in presidential contests since the days of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

But as a...

Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States would have given Nixon immunity for Watergate crimes — but 50 years ago he needed a presidential pardon to avoid prison

Written by Ken Hughes, Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia

President Gerald Ford announcing his decision to grant a pardon to former President Richard Nixon on Sept. 8, 1974. Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Gerald Ford knew Richard Nixon could be prosecuted for crimes he committed as president. That was simply a fact, when President Ford gave his predecessor “a full,...

A Nazi magazine regularly published manipulated photos and misinformation, long before the age of AI

Written by Daniel H. Magilow, Professor of German, University of Tennessee

This spread reproduces images that appeared in the first issue of the llustrierter Beobachter, a Nazi publication, in July 1926, including one cropped image that falsely gives the impression that a Nazi event was well attended.Public domain

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed in August 2024 that a photograph of a large crowd of...

Philly residents with opioid addiction get medication from the ‘bupe bus’ − creating a path for treatment

Written by Margaret Lowenstein, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

The mobile unit visits Philadelphia neighborhoods that have high rates of fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses.Jeff Fusco/The Conversation US, CC BY-NC-ND

A mobile team offering medication treatment to people with opioid use disorder showed promise in getting patients in Philadelphia to return for follow-up visits, according to a peer-reviewed study I...