Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been reelected as president, ensuring that his term as leader of Turkey will extend to a quarter century. The electorate returned Erdoğan to power in a runoff vote on May 28, 2023, with 52% of votes. But with…
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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. What really started the Civil War? – Abbey, age 7, Stone Ridge, New York The U.S. citizenship…
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on May 27, 2023, agreed in principle to a tentative deal that would raise the debt ceiling while capping some federal spending at current levels. The accord, if approved by both houses of Congress,…
Turkish voters will head to the polls on May 28, 2023, for the second time in the month – this time facing a choice between a winnowed field of two candidates, each of whom is vowing to take the country in a…
There’s progress on the debt limit. There’s no progress. Conservatives have revolted. Liberal Democrats are angry. Negotiators actually ate a meal together. That’s a good sign. No it isn’t. Who’s up? Who’s down? Much of the breathless news coverage of the debt…
Not all political comedy is equal – how comics can either depress turnout or activate voters in 2024
Biden is old. Trump has weird hair. Biden mangles the English language. Trump barely seems to understand it. There’s no question that it is easy to make fun of the two top presidential candidates for 2024. But as I explain in my…
Arizona, California and Nevada have narrowly averted a regional water crisis by agreeing to reduce their use of Colorado River water over the next three years. This deal represents a temporary solution to a long-term crisis. Nonetheless, as a close observer of…
After suffering months of racial abuse on the field and off, Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Júnior had enough. On May 21, 2023, the Real Madrid forward – commonly seen as one of the best soccer players in the world – brought a…
The United States announced a new military agreement with Papua New Guinea, the most populous Pacific island country, on May 22, 2023. The deal came shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to visit the small island country – the first…
Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on May 25, 2023, in the wake of his November 2022 conviction for seditious conspiracy. Rhodes led an effort to keep former President Donald Trump in office…
A flash drought in 2012 dried out soil, harming crops in Kansas and several other states. John Moore/Getty Images Flash droughts develop fast, and when they hit at the wrong time, they can devastate a region’s agriculture. They’re also becoming increasingly common…
Is Lula pursuing divisiveness or diplomatic pragmatism on the world stage? AP Photo/Louise Delmotte Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is a man currently very much in demand in international circles. In April, the leftist leader was being courted by China…
While blue, Democratic states are becoming bluer, red, Republican-leaning states are becoming more conservative. Matt Champlin The United States is an increasingly polarized country when it comes to politics – but one thing that almost all people want is to live a…
Jim Brown takes a break during a 1963 Cleveland Browns football game. Bettmann/Getty Images Throughout his celebrated life, Jim Brown was both praised for his community activism and vilified for his abuse of women. But no one questions his incredible ability on…
President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington on Dec. 15, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images News via Getty Images Recent allegations by the U.S. ambassador to South Africa that the African nation gave ammunition and weapons to Russia…
Henry Darger worked as a hospital custodian. After his death in 1973, hundreds of his illustrations were discovered. Brooklyn Taxidermy/flickr, CC BY Vernacular art is a genre of visual art made by artists who are usually self-taught. They tend to work outside…
In the absence of legal guidelines, companies need to establish internal processes for responsible use of AI. Oscar Wong/Moment via Getty Images The rush to deploy powerful new generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, has raised alarms about potential harm and misuse.…
Military vehicles carry an earlier version of China's hypersonic missile during a 2019 parade. AP Photo/Ng Han Guan China’s newest hypersonic missile, the DF-27, can fly as far as Hawaii, penetrate U.S. missile defenses and pose a particular threat to U.S. aircraft…
Figuring out how to enhance a person’s mental capabilities has been of considerable interest to psychology and neuroscience researchers like me for decades. From improving attention in high-stakes environments, like air traffic management, to reviving memory in people with dementia, the ability…
Until very recently, if you wanted to know more about a controversial scientific topic – stem cell research, the safety of nuclear energy, climate change – you probably did a Google search. Presented with multiple sources, you chose what to read, selecting…
When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed credit on April 30, 2023, for killing Islamic State group leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi in Syria, it may not have been simply a straightforward announcement of victory over the leader of a terrorist group.…
The Vatican recently announced its plan to set up an “observatory” at one of its several academic institutions, the Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis, to investigate claims of apparitions and other mystical phenomena attributed to the Virgin Mary. As a scholar of global…
Happy birthday, Buddha! Why the founder of Buddhism has so many different birthdays around the world
When Siddhartha Gautama was born, he was clearly no ordinary infant. According to Buddhist texts, he raised his hand to the skies and declared, “In the heavens above and below the heavens, I am the world’s most honored one. I will free…
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea People will often sacrifice a better experience and opt for one that’s less enjoyable if it means they can do it alongside a loved one – whether that’s…
