Evading algorithmic detection: How “algospeak” became the newest version of linguistic subterfuge
By Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis A linguistic arms race is raging online, and it is not clear who is winning. On one side are social networks like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. These sites have become better and...
Antibiotic tolerance: Looming behind a growing resistance to some bacteria is another infection crisis
By Megan Keller, Ph.D. Candidate in Microbiology, Cornell University Have you ever had a nasty infection that just won’t seem to go away? Or a runny nose that keeps coming back? You may have been dealing with a bacterium that is tolerant of, though not yet resistant...
Low-income communities suffer high rates of parasitic infections in states that neglect sewage systems
By Theresa E. Gildner, Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Intestinal infections take a heavy toll on impoverished Black communities that have out-of-date sewage systems. These infections often...
Untold Stories: Why enslaved Black people stayed in slaveholding states to help others find freedom
By Viola Franziska Müller, Postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in history, University of Bonn For generations, the Underground Railroad has been the quintessential story of resistance against oppression. Yet, the story is incomplete. What is far less known is that...
The Pentagon Papers: How Daniel Ellsberg’s courage has inspired whistleblowers since the Vietnam War
By Christian Appy, Professor of History, UMass Amherst The history-making whistleblower, Daniel Ellsberg, who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard...
Neo-Luddites: When society grapples with how to ensure future technologies do more good than harm
By Andrew Maynard, Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions, Arizona State University The term “Luddite” emerged in early 1800s England. At the time there was a thriving textile industry that depended on manual knitting frames and a skilled workforce to create...
Epistemic Humility: What the wisdom of Socrates can teach a polarized America about knowing nothing
By J. W. Traphagan, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, The University of Texas at Austin; and John J. Kaag, Professor of Philosophy, UMass Lowell A common complaint in America today is that politics and even society as a whole are broken. Critics point out...
Convict 9653: The 1920 presidential candidate who campaigned from a federal penitentiary
By Thomas Doherty, Professor of American Studies, Brandeis University On April 4, 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment of former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump on 34 felony charges related to alleged crimes...
First Amendment protections: Why a federal judge found Tennessee’s anti-drag law Unconstitutional
By Mark Satta, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University The drag shows will go on. At least for now. On June 2, 2023, Judge Thomas Parker, a Trump-appointed federal district court judge in western Tennessee, ruled that Tennessee’s “Adult Entertainment...
Celebrating Insurrection: Why the Confederate legacy still weigh heavily over White Tennessee lawmakers
By Daniel Feller, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Tennessee Justin Jones, one of two Black members expelled from the state’s House of Representatives in April 2023, had run afoul of House leadership before. In 2019, as a private citizen, he was arrested...
Pride at play: How mainstream video games are successfully embracing openly queer characters
By Xavier Ho, Lecturer in Interaction Design, Monash University Mainstream games are embracing openly queer characters, and so are many of their players and fans. The Last of Us, the prestige HBO adaptation of the critically lauded game, has been celebrated (and...
Relationship Euphoria: Why the joys of Transgender families are lost in media coverage of anti-trans issues
By Derek P. Siegel, Ph.D. Candidate, Sociology, UMass Amherst Since the beginning of 2023, 49 U.S. state legislatures have introduced over 500 anti-trans bills. While mainstream media increasingly cover violence and legislative attacks against trans people, many...
