The Conversation - Honoring civil rights' 'chief counsel'

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

W. Larry Kenney, Penn State; Daniel Vecellio, Penn State; Rachel Cottle, Penn State; S. Tony Wolf, Penn State

New research on young, healthy humans found the body begins overheating when exposed to temperatures and humidity lower than previously believed.

No, submitting junk data to period tracking apps won’t protect reproductive privacy

Katie Siek, Indiana University; Alexander L. Hayes, Indiana University; Zaidat Ibrahim, Indiana University

It would take huge numbers of people submitting bad data to affect the algorithms behind period tracking apps, but even then it would be more harmful than helpful.

Boris Johnson’s nightmare day: how to read between the lines in resignation letters from government ministers

Darren Lilleker, Bournemouth University

Over the course of an extraordinary 24 hours, dozens of Conservative MPs wrote to Boris Johnson to announce their resignation from his government following multiple scandals.

Scapegoating rap hits new low after July Fourth mass shooting

A.D. Carson, University of Virginia

Since rap music emerged in mainstream culture in the late 1980s, politicians have derided its lyrics and imagery as violent. Over the years, rap has become an easy target to blame for violence.

Gun reform finally passed Congress after almost three decades of failure – what changed?

Monika L. McDermott, Fordham University; David R. Jones, Baruch College, CUNY

Two scholars of Congress and public opinion dissect the reasons gun control finally passed and was signed into law, after decades of inability to enact such legislation.

Access to reproductive health care has been harder for Black and brown women – overturning Roe made it harder

Kimala Price, San Diego State University

By overturning Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court has thrown the issue of abortion back to the states – and made it harder for Black and brown women to have access to reproductive health services.

From caravans to markets, the hajj pilgrimage has always included a commercial component

Noorzehra Zaidi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The start of the hajj is reigniting debates around its commercialization, but pilgrimages are also a time for seeking business opportunities, writes a scholar of Islam.

The patriotic Virgin: How Mary’s been marshaled for religious nationalism and military campaigns

Dorian Llywelyn, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Many religions have been used to prop up nationalism, and Catholicism is no exception, as a Jesuit priest and scholar explains.

SEC’s climate disclosure plan could be in trouble after a recent Supreme Court ruling, but a bigger question looms: Does disclosure work?

Lily Hsueh, Arizona State University

A review of S&P 500 companies finds carbon disclosure doesn’t necessarily mean emissions fall.

A growing number of women give birth at Catholic hospitals, where they do not receive the same reproductive health options – including birth control – provided at other hospitals

How math and language can combine to map the globe and create strong passwords, using the power of 3 random words

How many ice ages has the Earth had, and could humans live through one?