The Conversation - At last, Super Tuesday is over

The Anthropocene is not an epoch − but the age of humans is most definitely underway

Erle C. Ellis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Scientists have been debating the start of the Anthropocene Epoch for 15 years. I was part of those discussions, and I agree with the vote rejecting it.

Arctic rivers face big changes with a warming climate, permafrost thaw and an accelerating water cycle − the effects will have global consequences

Michael A. Rawlins, UMass Amherst; Ambarish Karmalkar, University of Rhode Island

A new study shows how thawing permafrost and intensifying storms will change how water moves into and through Arctic rivers.

Ramadan finds greater recognition in America’s public schools

Amaarah DeCuir, American University

Federal law protects students’ rights to request some religious accommodations, including during the month of Ramadan.

Plight of migrant laborers killed, held hostage in Middle East exposes Israel’s reliance on overseas workforce

Julie Weise, University of Oregon; Shahar Shoham, Humboldt University of Berlin

The contours of the Middle East conflict have long influenced Israel’s migrant worker policy.

President Yoon is lauded in West for embracing Japan − in South Korea it fits a conservative agenda that is proving less popular

Myunghee Lee, Michigan State University; Sungik Yang, Arizona State University

Critics of the South Korean leader accuse him of eroding democracy at home while embracing a historic enemy on the international stage.

The Black history knowledge gap is widening – and GOP politicians are making it worse

Paul Ringel, High Point University

Unlike some GOP politicians, a college professor who teaches Black history to mostly white students was excited that the Black national anthem was being played at the Super Bowl.

Oppenheimer feared nuclear annihilation – and only a chance pause by a Soviet submariner kept it from happening in 1962

Mark Robert Rank, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

During the Cuban missile crisis, World War III was likely averted by what one US official called ‘just plain dumb luck.’

Emotion-tracking AI on the job: Workers fear being watched – and misunderstood

Nazanin Andalibi, University of Michigan

Loss of privacy is just the beginning. Workers are worried about biased AI and the need to perform the ‘right’ expressions and body language for the algorithms.

Reeling religion: From anime and sci-fi to rom-coms, films are full of faith in unexpected places

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

Plenty of movies have explicitly religious themes, but some of the most interesting examples of faith or transcendence on screen are much more subtle.

Tattooing has held a long tradition in Christianity − dating back to Jesus’ crucifixion

Gustavo Morello, Boston College

Historically, many Christians got tattoos around Holy Week − usually a cross − to honor Christ’s martyrdom.

Gifts that live on, from best bodices to money for bridge repairs: Women’s wills in medieval France give a glimpse into their surprising independence

Joelle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

European women’s rights expanded in early medieval cities, though they were still limited. Last wills and testaments were some of the few documents women could dictate themselves.

How the Academy Awards became ‘the biggest international fashion show free-for-all’

Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, University of Southern California

Through their media savvy, two consultants were able to make the Oscars as much about the attire as the gold statuettes.

Why do bees have queens? 2 biologists explain this insect’s social structure – and why some bees don’t have a queen at all

The Constitution sets some limits on the people’s choices for president - but the Supreme Court rules it’s unconstitutional for state governments to decide on Trump’s qualifications

Bradley Cooper, Cillian Murphy and the myths of Method acting