Melissa Chim, General Theological Seminary (Originally published: December 16, 2021) The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known by its opening line “‘Twas the Night before Christmas,” has a special place among Christmas traditions, right alongside hot chocolate, caroling and bright lights. It has also inspired the modern image of Santa Claus as a […]
The Conversation
Posted inNews
School shootings dropped in 2025 – but schools are still focusing too much on safety technology instead of prevention
James Densley, Metropolitan State University Active shootings represent a very small percentage of on-campus university violence. But among those that do happen, there are patterns. And as law enforcement officials continue to investigate the Dec. 13, 2025, Brown University shooting, similarities can be seen with other active shooter cases on college campuses that scholar James […]
Posted inArts & Culture
How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind
Thomas Tweed, University of Notre Dame Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention. But as a historian of religion, I feel obliged to recount how popular interpretations of Thanksgiving also have pulled us apart. Communal […]
Posted inNews
Checking in on New England fisheries 25 Years after ‘The Perfect Storm’ movie
Stephanie Otts, University of Mississippi Twenty-five years ago, “The Perfect Storm” roared into movie theaters. The disaster flick, starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, was a riveting, fictionalized account of commercial swordfishing in New England and a crew who went down in a violent storm. The anniversary of the film’s release, on June 30, 2000, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Jaws’ and the two musical notes that changed Hollywood forever
Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder “Da, duh.” Two simple notes – E and F – have become synonymous with tension, fear and sharks, representing the primal dread of being stalked by a predator. And they largely have “Jaws” to thank. Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film – along with its spooky score […]
Posted inNews, Weather
NOAA’s 2025 hurricane forecast warns of a busy season – a storm scientist explains why and what meteorologists are watching
Colin Zarzycki, Penn State U.S. forecasters are expecting an above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, with 13 to 19 named storms, and 6 to 10 of those becoming hurricanes. Every year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other forecasters release preseason outlooks for the Atlantic’s hurricane season, which runs June 1 through November 30. So, […]
Posted inCity & Government
As US doubles down on fossil fuels, communities will have to adapt to the consequences − yet climate adaptation funding is on the chopping block
Bethany Bradley, UMass Amherst; Jia Hu, University of Arizona, and Meade Krosby, University of Washington It’s no secret that warming temperatures, wildfires and flash floods are increasingly affecting lives across the United States. With the U.S. government now planning to ramp up fossil fuel use, the risks of these events are likely to become even […]
Posted inCity & Government
NIH funding cuts will hit red states, rural areas and underserved communities the hardest
Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina The National Institutes of Health is the largest federal funder of medical research in the U.S. NIH funds drive research and innovation, leading to better understanding and treatment of diseases and improved health outcomes. The NIH provided more than US$35 billion in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon
By Joelle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent. On the other extreme were a few dramatic examples of women who made history for […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Papal elections aren’t always as dramatic as ‘Conclave’ − but the history behind the process is
By Joelle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island I’m a historian of the medieval papacy and editor of the forthcoming three volumes of “The Cambridge History of the Papacy.” So it was more or less mandatory for me to see the new movie “Conclave,” which has racked up dozens of award nominations – and several high-profile […]
Posted inCity & Government
Congress, not the president, decides on government spending − a constitutional law professor explains how the ‘power of the purse’ works
Zachary Price, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Because of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut staff and spending, Congress’ “power of the purse” has been in the news lately. Many of these actions have been challenged in court. I’m a law professor who has written about Congress’ power of the purse […]
Posted inCity & Government
Trump’s offshore wind energy freeze: What states lose if the executive order remains in place
Barbara Kates-Garnick, Tufts University A single wind turbine spinning off the U.S. Northeast coast today can power thousands of homes – without the pollution that comes from fossil fuel power plants. A dozen of those turbines together can produce enough electricity for an entire community. The opportunity to tap into such a powerful source of […]
Posted inCity & Government
Who are immigrants to the US, where do they come from and where do they live?
Jennifer Van Hook, Penn State Undocumented immigration is a key issue in American politics, but it can be hard to nail down the basic facts about who these immigrants are, where they live and how their numbers have changed in the past few decades. I study the demographics of the U.S. immigrant population and have […]
Posted inCity & Government
Can Trump just order new names for Denali and the Gulf of Mexico? A geographer explains who decides what goes on the map
Innisfree McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Stout President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Denali, the tallest peak in the country, has resulted in lots of discussion. While for some, such renaming might seem less important than the big problems the country faces, there is a formal process in the United […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue
Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences After four years of U.S. progress on efforts to deal with climate change under Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s return to the White House is swiftly swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction. On his first day back, Trump declared a national energy emergency, directing agencies […]
Posted inCity & Government
Trump’s executive orders can make change – but are limited and can be undone by the courts
Sharece Thrower, Vanderbilt University Before his inauguration, Donald Trump promised to issue a total of 100 or so executive orders once he regained the presidency. These orders reset government policy on everything from immigration enforcement to diversity initiatives to environmental regulation. They also aim to undo much of Joe Biden’s presidential legacy. Trump is not […]
Posted inCity & Government
Trump promises to end birthright citizenship and shut down the border – a legal scholar explains the challenges these actions could face
Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California During his first day in office on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders on immigration that would make it harder for refugees, asylum seekers and others to try to enter the U.S. – and for some immigrants to stay in the country. […]
Posted inCity & Government
Trump’s Jan. 6 clemency ‘flies in the face of the facts’ of violent insurrection, retired federal judge explains
John E. Jones III, Dickinson College In the first hours of his second term, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly everyone convicted of crimes associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol – including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio – and commuted the sentences of 14 more, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart […]
Posted inCity & Government
Mass deportations don’t keep out ‘bad genes’ − they use scientific racism to justify biased immigration policies
Shoumita Dasgupta, Boston University Threats of mass deportations loom on the post-2024 election horizon. Some supporters claim these will protect the country from immigrants who bring “bad genes” into America. But this is a misguided use of the language of science to give a sheen of legitimacy to unscientific claims. Politicians invoke genetics to confirm […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve
The oceans are heating up as the planet warms. This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a record-breaking 2023. In fact, every decade since 1984, when satellite recordkeeping of ocean temperatures started, has been warmer than the previous one. A warmer ocean means increased evaporation, which in turn […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Bob Dylan and the creative leap that transformed modern music
Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, focuses on Dylan’s early 1960s transition from idiosyncratic singer of folk songs to internationally renowned singer-songwriter. As a music historian, I’ve always respected one decision of Dylan’s in particular – one that kicked off the young artist’s most turbulent […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Best Books of 2024: Experts at The Conversation share their standout reads
Jo Case, The Conversation It’s that time of year again … and we’ve invited 30 of our writers, from fields as disparate as wildlife ecology and mathematics to literature and politics, to share their best books of of 2024. Of course, best books lists are subjective, relying on what people have read and remembered. But […]
Posted inHistory
How the first Pilgrims and the Puritans differed in their views on religion and respect for Native Americans
Michael Carrafiello, Miami University Every November, numerous articles recount the arrival of 17th-century English Pilgrims and Puritans and their quest for religious freedom. Stories are told about the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony and the celebration of the first Thanksgiving feast. In the popular mind, the two groups are synonymous. In the story of the […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
New maps show high-risk zones for whale-ship collisions − vessel speed limits and rerouting can reduce the toll
Anna Nisi, University of Washington Imagine you are a blue whale swimming up the California coast, as you do every spring. You are searching for krill in the Santa Barbara Channel, a zone that teems with fish, kelp forests, seagrass beds and other undersea life, but also vibrates with noise from ship traffic. Suddenly, the […]
Posted inCity & Government
From a salty breeze to the stench of sewage, here’s how smell affects our ocean experience and reflects changing seas
Jieling Xiao, Birmingham City University Apart from the breathtaking sight of vast blue waters or the rhythmic sound of crashing waves, the vivid smell of the sea ties us to the rhythms of nature and the ebb and flow of the tides. The salty freshness of a coastal breeze or the distinctive scent of seaweed […]