By James Foulds, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Phil Feldman, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Shimei Pan, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (The Conversation) – The AI chatbot Grok went on an antisemitic rant on July 8, 2025, posting memes, tropes and conspiracy theories used to denigrate Jewish people on the X platform. It […]
Did the US and Israeli Attack leave the Islamic Republic of Iran Stronger?
By Bamo Nouri, City St George’s, University of London (The Conversation) – Israel’s attack on Iran last month and the US bombing of the country’s nuclear facilities, the first-ever direct US attacks on Iranian soil, were meant to cripple Tehran’s strategic capabilities and reset the regional balance. The strikes came after 18 months during which […]
Extreme Weather alone doesn’t Change Views on Climate Change, People need to Link Them
By Omid Ghasemi, UNSW Sydney (The Conversation) – Climate change has made extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods more frequent and more likely in recent years, and the trend is expected to continue. These events have led to human and animal deaths, harmed physical and mental health, and damaged properties and infrastructure. Will […]
Comics and Graphic Novels can empower Refugees to tell their Stories on their own Terms
By Dominic Davies, City St George’s, University of London and Candida Rifkind, University of Winnipeg (The Conversation) – There are more refugees in the world today than at any other point in history. The United Nations estimates that there are now more than 120 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. That is one in […]
Who’s the most American? Psychological Studies show a Bias toward White English-Speakers
By Katherine Kinzler, University of Chicago (The Conversation) – In the U.S. and elsewhere, nationality tends to be defined by a set of legal parameters. This may involve birthplace, parental citizenship or procedures for naturalization. Yet in many Americans’ minds these objective notions of citizenship are a little fuzzy, as social and developmental psychologists like […]
Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century Judge and Ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his Adventures
By Ismail Albayrak, Australian Catholic University In our guides to the classics, experts explain key literary works. (The Conversation) – Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco, on February 24, 1304. From a statement in his celebrated travel book the Rihla (“legal affairs are my ancestral profession,”) he evidently came from an intellectually distinguished family. […]
Chaotic new Aid System means getting Food in Gaza has become a Matter of Life – and often Death
By Leonie Fleischmann, City St George’s, University of London (The Conversation) – With all eyes on the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which came into effect 12 days after Israel launched a major attack on Iran’s nuclear and military structure, attention towards Gaza has waned. This is at a time when attempting to gain access […]
Earth is Trapping much more Heat than Climate Models Forecast – and the Rate has Doubled in 20 Years
By Steven Sherwood, UNSW Sydney; Benoit Meyssignac, Université de Toulouse, and Thorsten Mauritsen, Stockholm University (The Conversation) – How do you measure climate change? One way is by recording temperatures in different places over a long period of time. While this works well, natural variation can make it harder to see longer-term trends. But another […]
How Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral Primary could Ripple across the Country
By Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University (The Conversation) – Top Republicans and Democrats alike are talking about the sudden rise of 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a state representative who won the Democratic mayoral primary in New York on June 24, 2025, in a surprising victory over more established politicians. While President Donald Trump quickly came out swinging […]