Ìęis an independent, nonprofit publisher of commentary and analysis, authored by academics and edited by journalists for the general public. OnÌęa mission “to promote truthful information and strengthen journalism by unlocking the rich diversity of academic research for audiences across America,” The ConversationÌępublishes short articlesÌęby academics on timely topics related to their research. CU Boulder provides funding as a member of The Conversation U.S.ÌęLearn more about the partnership and how and why to write for The Conversation.

Ìę

Banned books display in a book store

Most book bans target children’s literature featuring diverse characters, authors of color

Nov. 12, 2024

The number of book bans in the U.S. has soared in recent years. A new study shines light on which types of books and authors are the main targets. Read from CU expert Katherine Spoon on The Conversation.

Pikes Peak

Missing link to ‘Snowball Earth’ history emerges from unusual rocks on Pikes Peak

Nov. 11, 2024

The evidence was found in a pebbly sandstone, Tava, encapsulated within the granite that formed Colorado’s Pikes Peak around 700 million years ago. Read from CU experts Rebecca Flowers and Liam Courtney-Davies on The Conversation.

People building a home

Disaster survivors want to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes, but cost misperceptions often stand in the way

Nov. 8, 2024

In interviews with residents and builders after disasters from Hawaii to Colorado to Puerto Rico, experts found people often overestimated the cost of building back better. Read from CU Boulder's Abbie Liel and University of Notre Dame's Susan Ostermann on The Conversation.

man with mobility issues being evacuated

Evacuating in disasters like Hurricane Milton isn’t simple

Oct. 11, 2024

Evacuating is expensive, and for some people the risks of leaving can seem greater than staying, despite the storm. Read from CU expert Carson MacPherson-Krutsky on The Conversation.

firefighters working near wildfire

Why wildfires started by humans can be more destructive, harder to contain

Oct. 8, 2024

The U.S. has seen huge wildfires in recent years, and 2024 is no exception. The vast majority of those that affect communities are started by human activity. Read from CU expert Virginia Iglesias on The Conversation.

Adam Brody and Kristen Bell attend a fan screening for Netflix’s ‘Nobody Wants This’ in New York City

‘Nobody Wants This’ rom-com gets old tropes with a new twist—the cute rabbi

Oct. 3, 2024

Nice Jewish men wanting to date non-Jewish women has been a trope of U.S. stage and screen for 100 years. Read from CU expert Samira Mehta on The Conversation.

A family at Disney World in the 1990s

Inside the collapse of Disney’s America, the US history-themed park that almost was

Sept. 24, 2024

Thirty years ago, Disney had grand plans to build a history-themed park in Virginia. But efforts to “Disneyfy” American history met staunch opposition, even in the halcyon 1990s. Read from CU expert Jared Bahir Browsh on The Conversation.

a wall of photos of missing people in Nepal

Nepal’s revamped truth commissions must go beyond ‘ritualism’ to deliver justice to victims

Sept. 20, 2024

A newly amended law may push the country beyond what has been a drawn-out and sluggish process to account for the country’s civil war. Read from CU expert Tracy Fehr on The Conversation.

a tribute to some of the casualties of the 30-month conflict in Ukraine

Growing number of Ukrainians would reluctantly give up territory to save lives, survey suggests

Sept. 19, 2024

Just half of survey respondents wanted to continue fighting to regain all Ukrainian territory including Crimea. Read from CU geography expert John O’Loughlin and colleagues on The Conversation.

field of sunflowers

Sunflowers make small moves to maximize sun exposure

Sept. 16, 2024

Plants don’t just grow straight up—they can move in loopy and zigzagging ways to get more sunshine. Physicists were able to model a sunflower to predict how they grow. Read from CU expert Chantal Nguyen on The Conversation.

Pages