menu_open Columnists

The Conversation
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

How the ‘slayer rule’ might play a role in determining who will inherit wealth from Rob Reiner and his wife

How the ‘slayer rule’ might play a role in determining who will inherit wealth from Rob Reiner and his wife

The fatal stabbings of filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, the photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, have sparked widespread...

monday 2

The Conversation

Naomi Cahn

West Antarctica’s history of rapid melting foretells sudden shifts in continent’s ‘catastrophic’ geology

West Antarctica’s history of rapid melting foretells sudden shifts in continent’s ‘catastrophic’ geology

Due to its thick, vast ice sheet, Antarctica appears to be a single, continuous landmass centered over the South Pole and spanning both hemispheres...

monday 4

The Conversation

Christine Siddoway

The celibate, dancing Shakers were once seen as a threat to society – 250 years later, they’re part of the sound of America

The celibate, dancing Shakers were once seen as a threat to society – 250 years later, they’re part of the sound of America

Director Mona Fastvold’s new film, “The Testament of Ann Lee,” features actor Amanda Seyfried in the titular role: the English spiritual seeker who...

monday 1

The Conversation

Christian Goodwillie

From truce in the trenches to cocktails at the consulate: How Christmas diplomacy seeks to exploit seasonal goodwill

From truce in the trenches to cocktails at the consulate: How Christmas diplomacy seeks to exploit seasonal goodwill

President Donald Trump is reportedly setting his sights on a Christmas peace deal in the Ukraine-Russia war. The timing is apt. Every December,...

20.12.2025 5

The Conversation

Andrew Latham

How C-reactive protein outpaced ‘bad’ cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker

How C-reactive protein outpaced ‘bad’ cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Since researchers first established the link between diet, cholesterol and heart...

19.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Mary J. Scourboutakos

It’s more than OK for kids to be bored − it’s good for them

It’s more than OK for kids to be bored − it’s good for them

Boredom is a common part of life, across time and around the world. That’s because boredom serves a useful purpose: It motivates people to pursue...

19.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Margaret Murray

Why are some Black conservatives drawn to Nick Fuentes?

Why are some Black conservatives drawn to Nick Fuentes?

Far-right activist Nick Fuentes continues to gain momentum. The openly racist and antisemitic podcaster has emerged as an influential figure on the...

19.12.2025 2

The Conversation

George Michael

Medieval peasants probably enjoyed their holiday festivities more than you do

Medieval peasants probably enjoyed their holiday festivities more than you do

When people think of the European Middle Ages, it often brings to mind grinding poverty, superstition and darkness. But the reality of the...

19.12.2025 7

The Conversation

Bobbi Sutherland

Autocracies in transition: In 2025, Cameroon and Tanzania rulers clung to power — but look more vulnerable than ever

Autocracies in transition: In 2025, Cameroon and Tanzania rulers clung to power — but look more vulnerable than ever

Autocratic leaders in Africa like their numbers to be in the high 90s, it appears. In October, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan won a highly...

19.12.2025 3

The Conversation

Yonatan Morse

The world risks forgetting one of humanity’s greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab

The world risks forgetting one of humanity’s greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab

It was like a horror movie. The invisible polio virus would strike, leaving young children on crutches, in wheelchairs or in a dreaded “iron lung”...

19.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Carl Kurlander

Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind, new survey of Michigan officials shows

Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind, new survey of Michigan officials shows

According to our recent survey of officials in Michigan communities, local democracy is humming along and city hall is taking care of business. The...

19.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Stephanie Leiser

As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care

As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care

Dec. 15, 2025 – the deadline for enrolling in a marketplace plan through the Affordable Care Act for 2026 – came and went without an agreement on...

19.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Robert Applebaum

People are getting their news from AI – and it’s altering their views

People are getting their news from AI – and it’s altering their views

Meta’s decision to end its professional fact-checking program sparked a wave of criticism in the tech and media world. Critics warned that dropping...

19.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Adrian Kuenzler

I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists

I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists

Rats and other rodents and pests can make great archivists. That’s because they forage food and build dens, storing fabric, paper, animal bones,...

19.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Alexandria Mitchem Hansen

As DOJ begins to release Epstein files, his many victims deserve more attention than the powerful men in his ‘client list’

As DOJ begins to release Epstein files, his many victims deserve more attention than the powerful men in his ‘client list’

The U.S. Department of Justice has made a partial release of documents from what’s become known collectively as the “Jeffrey Epstein files,”...

19.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Stephanie A. Martin

How to reduce gift-giving stress with your kids – a child psychologist’s tips for making magic and avoiding tears

How to reduce gift-giving stress with your kids – a child psychologist’s tips for making magic and avoiding tears

As a child, I loved being the center of attention. So it was a problem when my baby brother was born a day before my birthday. For years, I would...

19.12.2025 1

The Conversation

Angela J. Narayan

There’s little evidence tech is much help stopping school shootings

There’s little evidence tech is much help stopping school shootings

A group of college students braved the frigid New England weather on Dec. 13, 2025, to attend a late afternoon review session at Brown University...

18.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Emily Greene-Colozzi

‘This year nearly broke me as a scientist’ – US researchers reflect on how 2025’s science cuts have changed their lives

‘This year nearly broke me as a scientist’ – US researchers reflect on how 2025’s science cuts have changed their lives

From beginning to end, 2025 was a year of devastation for scientists in the United States. January saw the abrupt suspension of key operations...

18.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Carrie Mcdonough

RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long

RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long

The U.S. childhood immunization schedule, the grid of colored bars pediatricians share with parents, recommends a set of vaccines given from birth...

18.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Jake Scott

With wolves absent from most of eastern North America, can coyotes replace them?

With wolves absent from most of eastern North America, can coyotes replace them?

Imagine a healthy forest, home to a variety of species: Birds are flitting between tree branches, salamanders are sliding through leaf litter, and...

18.12.2025 20

The Conversation

Alex Jensen

Tennis is set for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ sequel – with no movement behind it

Tennis is set for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ sequel – with no movement behind it

In an event billed as tennis’s latest “Battle of the Sexes,” Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 1-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, will take...

18.12.2025 3

The Conversation

Jaime Schultz

Large trunks discovered in a basement offer a window into the lives and struggles of early Filipino migrants

Large trunks discovered in a basement offer a window into the lives and struggles of early Filipino migrants

In 2005, Antonio Somera, a Filipino American member of the Legionarios del Trabajo, a Masonic fraternal order, stumbled across a trove of...

18.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Sam Vong

Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch

Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch

The holiday season is often painted as an idyllic vision of rest, conjuring images of warm beverages and bountiful time with loved ones. But many...

18.12.2025 3

The Conversation

Stacy Shaw

Resolve to stop punching the clock: Why you might be able to change when and how long you work

Resolve to stop punching the clock: Why you might be able to change when and how long you work

About 1 in 3 Americans make at least one New Year’s resolution, according to Pew Research. While most of these vows focus on weight loss, fitness...

18.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

Why it’s so hard to tell if a piece of text was written by AI – even for AI

Why it’s so hard to tell if a piece of text was written by AI – even for AI

People and institutions are grappling with the consequences of AI-written text. Teachers want to know whether students’ work reflects their own...

18.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Ambuj Tewari

Understanding climate change in America: Skepticism, dogmatism and personal experience

Understanding climate change in America: Skepticism, dogmatism and personal experience

Scientists are trained to be professional skeptics: to always judge the validity of a claim or finding on the basis of objective, empirical...

18.12.2025 1

The Conversation

Gary W. Yohe

Trump tariffs and warming India-China ties have silenced the Quad partnership … for now

Trump tariffs and warming India-China ties have silenced the Quad partnership … for now

When leaders of “the Quad” last met in September 2024, host and then-President Joe Biden declared the partnership between the United States, India,...

18.12.2025 3

The Conversation

Hyeran Jo

What are gas stove manufacturers trying to hide? Warning labels

What are gas stove manufacturers trying to hide? Warning labels

Colorado passed first-in-the-nation legislation requiring warning labels on gas stoves in June 2025. These warnings are similar to what is required...

18.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Alan K. Chen

Miami’s new mayor faces a housing affordability crisis, city charter reform and a shrinking budget

Miami’s new mayor faces a housing affordability crisis, city charter reform and a shrinking budget

After its first competitive mayoral election in 20 years, the city of Miami has a new mayor: former Miami-Dade County commissioner Eileen Higgins....

18.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Sean Foreman

Deception and lies from the White House to justify a war in Venezuela? We’ve seen this movie before in run-ups to wars in Vietnam and Iraq

Deception and lies from the White House to justify a war in Venezuela? We’ve seen this movie before in run-ups to wars in Vietnam and Iraq

Are Americans about to be led again into a war based on misrepresentations and lies? It’s happened before, most recently with the wars in Iraq and...

18.12.2025 1

The Conversation

Betty Medsger

Sudan’s civil war: A visual guide to the brutal conflict

Sudan’s civil war: A visual guide to the brutal conflict

Sudan’s brutal civil war has dragged on for more than 2½ years, displacing millions and killing in excess of 150,000 people – making it among the...

18.12.2025 20

The Conversation

Christopher Tounsel