Arts + Culture - The Conversation - Movies, Music, Language and more, explained by experts

Closeup view of a white button against blue-and-white striped textile

Closeup view of a white button against blue-and-white striped textile

Why are buttons and zippers on different sides of men’s and women’s clothes?

JuYoung Lee, Mississippi State University and Caroline Kobia, Mississippi State University

Black and white photograph of a young man wearing a suit and reading from a piece of paper into a radio microphone.

Black and white photograph of a young man wearing a suit and reading from a piece of paper into a radio microphone.

As goes CBS Radio News, so goes the idea that news media should serve the public interest

Matthew Jordan, Penn State

5 reasons Stephen Colbert is one of the most important satirists in American history

Sophia A. McClennen, Penn State

Smiling man poses while wearing a glittering red, white and blue American flag vest.

Smiling man poses while wearing a glittering red, white and blue American flag vest.

How tarot readers are using AI – and what it says about our growing reliance on chatbots for emotional support and advice

Ziv Epstein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Farnaz Jahanbakhsh, University of Michigan, and Vana Goblot, Goldsmiths, University of London

A table with crystals, an orb and colorful cards spread out on the surface.

A table with crystals, an orb and colorful cards spread out on the surface.

Antonia Bembo fled Venice to escape her abusive husband – over three centuries later, her opera finally takes the stage

Claire Fontijn, Wellesley College

A painting of an early-19th century boulevard in Paris, featuring a large arch, pedestrians and ornate apartment buildings.

A painting of an early-19th century boulevard in Paris, featuring a large arch, pedestrians and ornate apartment buildings.

AI-generated fantasies of US intervention reveal how desperation has narrowed Cuba’s political horizons

Michael J. Bustamante, University of Miami

cartoon on the left and AI image on the right showing Americans as Cuba's liberators

cartoon on the left and AI image on the right showing Americans as Cuba's liberators

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Housing: Visions

Hundreds of residential rowhouses are seen from the air.

Hundreds of residential rowhouses are seen from the air.

England’s ‘once in a generation’ housing law takes effect as US housing legislation sits in congressional purgatory

Allyson Gold, Wake Forest University

Believe it or not, there was a time when the US government built beautiful homes for working-class Americans to deal with a housing shortage

Eran Ben-Joseph, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A row of newly built homes.

A row of newly built homes.

What if universal rental assistance were implemented to deal with the housing crisis?

Alex Schwartz, The New School and Kirk McClure, University of Kansas

Silhouettes of a young woman and her daughter on a bed piled with bags of personal belongings.

Silhouettes of a young woman and her daughter on a bed piled with bags of personal belongings.

America’s teachers are being priced out of their communities − these cities are building subsidized housing to lure them back

Jeff Kruth, Miami University and Tammy Schwartz, Miami University

A rendering of small homes surrounded by trees.

A rendering of small homes surrounded by trees.

What the world can learn from Uruguay as the global housing crisis deepens

Jennifer Duyne Barenstein, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and Daniela Sanjinés, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

A brick, two-story apartment complex with sidewalks and greenery in front of it.

A brick, two-story apartment complex with sidewalks and greenery in front of it.

Sports

We tested the new World Cup ball – this is what you need to know about how it will fly, dip and swerve

John Eric Goff, University of Puget Sound

A man in red socks places a ball on the turf.

A man in red socks places a ball on the turf.

‘Right to race’ laws and the battle over America’s local racetracks

Joshua Vadeboncoeur, Gardner-Webb University

Racing fans post up on a lawn with chairs and grilling equipment behind a fence separating them from the race track.

Racing fans post up on a lawn with chairs and grilling equipment behind a fence separating them from the race track.

The nonprofit status of NCAA athletic departments is starting to raise questions

Andrew Urbaczewski, University of Denver

Young man in white jersey dribbles basketball while young man wearing black jersey guards him.

Young man in white jersey dribbles basketball while young man wearing black jersey guards him.

MLB doubles down on gambling with new Polymarket deal

Michael Delayo, Penn State

Man wearing suit grins and claps while standing next to a podium.

Man wearing suit grins and claps while standing next to a podium.

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Movies

A running, smiling cartoon mouse wearing a yellow sombrero painted as graffiti on a red, brick wall.

A running, smiling cartoon mouse wearing a yellow sombrero painted as graffiti on a red, brick wall.

¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! Speedy Gonzales set to make his triumphant return to the silver screen

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder

‘Hamnet’ is making audiences break down in tears – and upending beliefs about male grief

Jeanette Tran, Drake University

A young, handsome, forlorn-looking man stares off into the distance.

A young, handsome, forlorn-looking man stares off into the distance.

As the Oscars approach, Hollywood grapples with AI’s growing influence on filmmaking

Holly Willis, University of Southern California

A glitchy-looking golden Oscar statuette set up against a black backdrop.

A glitchy-looking golden Oscar statuette set up against a black backdrop.

Do animals have a future on Hollywood sets?

Cynthia Chris, City University of New York

A bearded man wrestles with a large, brown bear in the snow.

A bearded man wrestles with a large, brown bear in the snow.

How Dracula became a red-hot lover

Stanley Stepanic, University of Virginia

A young man in a top hat rests his chin on the shoulder of a young woman who looks uncomfortable.

A young man in a top hat rests his chin on the shoulder of a young woman who looks uncomfortable.

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Visual art

Sora’s downfall signals broader problems with AI’s creative utility

Ahmed Elgammal, Rutgers University

Michelangelo hated painting the Sistine Chapel – and never aspired to be a painter to begin with

Anna Swartwood House, University of South Carolina

A woman in a museum gallery views of sketched portrait of a young man wearing a hat.

A woman in a museum gallery views of sketched portrait of a young man wearing a hat.

AI-induced cultural stagnation is no longer speculation − it’s already happening

Ahmed Elgammal, Rutgers University

A young Asian woman peers out of a glass elevator in a shopping mall.

A young Asian woman peers out of a glass elevator in a shopping mall.

Why two tiny mountain peaks became one of the internet’s most famous images

Christopher Schaberg, Washington University in St. Louis

A grid featuring various iterations of a simple graphic of two mountain peaks and a sun.

A grid featuring various iterations of a simple graphic of two mountain peaks and a sun.

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Music

A young male inmate with a goatee wearing a white shirt speaks into a landline phone while seated.

A young male inmate with a goatee wearing a white shirt speaks into a landline phone while seated.

After the execution of James G. Broadnax in Texas, questions persist over use of rap lyrics as evidence

A.D. Carson, University of Virginia

Motown’s Black women songwriters and producers were the invisible architects behind the pop music juggernaut

Margena A. Christian, University of Illinois Chicago

Woman stands in front of podium

Woman stands in front of podium

Clergy protests against ICE turned to a classic – and powerful – American playlist

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

Three people bundled up in jackets, two of them wearing stoles over their shoulders, kneel outside.

Three people bundled up in jackets, two of them wearing stoles over their shoulders, kneel outside.

Bad Bunny says reggaeton is Puerto Rican, but it was born in Panama

Brendan Frizzell, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Young man wearing all white spreads his arms, closes his eyes and sings from a stage before a huge crowd.

Young man wearing all white spreads his arms, closes his eyes and sings from a stage before a huge crowd.

‘Which Side Are You On?’: American protest songs have emboldened social movements for generations, from coal country to Minneapolis

Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University

two men sing into a microphone

two men sing into a microphone

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Literature and writing

A fork lifts alphabet pasta letters that spell out 'help.'

A fork lifts alphabet pasta letters that spell out 'help.'

Despite all the likes, literallys and dropped g’s, English isn’t decaying before our eyes

Valerie M. Fridland, University of Nevada, Reno

Artemis II moonshot reflects a spacefaring vision present in Jules Verne’s 19th-century novel

Anastasia Klimchynskaya, Illinois Wesleyan University

The Earth, partially shadowed, visible beyond the lunar horizon.

The Earth, partially shadowed, visible beyond the lunar horizon.

Thousands of AI-written, edited or ‘polished’ books are being sold – an eerie echo of Orwell’s ‘novel-writing machines’

Laura Beers, American University

An open book with text in binary code, set against a red background.

An open book with text in binary code, set against a red background.

If using ChatGPT is cheating, what about ghostwriting? The old debate behind a new panic

Emily Hodgson Anderson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

See-through hands type on a computer keyboard.

See-through hands type on a computer keyboard.

With AI finishing your sentences, what will happen to your unique voice on the page?

Gayle Rogers, University of Pittsburgh

A hand holding a pencil and writing binary code on lined paper.

A hand holding a pencil and writing binary code on lined paper.

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Media

The two lives of Chuck Norris

Ben Pettis, University of Richmond

Young, fit man with blonde, shoulder length hair and a beard poses in a field wearing blue jeans and a tight, white t-shirt.

Young, fit man with blonde, shoulder length hair and a beard poses in a field wearing blue jeans and a tight, white t-shirt.

As Jeff Bezos dismantles The Washington Post, 5 regional papers chart a course for survival

Dan Kennedy, Northeastern University

People work at their desks in The Washington Post's newsroom.

People work at their desks in The Washington Post's newsroom.

The 6-7 craze offered a brief window into the hidden world of children

Rebekah Willett, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amanda Levido, Southern Cross University, and Hyeon-Seon Jeong, Gyeongin National University of Education

A black-and-white photo from the 1940s of girls playing tag on a school playground.

A black-and-white photo from the 1940s of girls playing tag on a school playground.

CPR on TV is often inaccurate – but watching characters jump to the rescue can still save real lives

Beth Hoffman, University of Pittsburgh

Person in suit kneeling with hands on a CPR mannequin, other people looking on

Person in suit kneeling with hands on a CPR mannequin, other people looking on

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History

A line of actors dressed in colorful 16th-century garb.

A line of actors dressed in colorful 16th-century garb.

As renaissance fairs become big business, can they retain their counterculture roots?

Katrina Stack, University of Tennessee and Reagan Yessler, Pellissippi State Community College

The costume maker who convinced Hersheypark to embrace candy mascots and ‘chocolatize’ their old-timey theme park

John Haddad, Penn State

Statues of a smiling and waving Hershey's Kiss, Hershey's Chocolate Bar and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

Statues of a smiling and waving Hershey's Kiss, Hershey's Chocolate Bar and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

The inspiring and tragic story of Mabel Stark, America’s most famous female tiger trainer

Alessandro Meregaglia, Boise State University

Black and white photo of a young woman striking a defiant pose while supporting a tiger standing on its hind legs.

Black and white photo of a young woman striking a defiant pose while supporting a tiger standing on its hind legs.

Valentine’s Day cards too sugary sweet for you? Return to the 19th-century custom of the spicy ‘vinegar valentine’

Melissa Chim, Excelsior University

A cartoon depicts a snake in a top hat.

A cartoon depicts a snake in a top hat.

Large trunks discovered in a basement offer a window into the lives and struggles of early Filipino migrants

Sam Vong, Smithsonian Institution

A young Filipino man poses next to his car in a vintage black and white photograph.

A young Filipino man poses next to his car in a vintage black and white photograph.

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Gender and sexuality

What ‘gooning’ reveals about intimacy in a world cordoned off by screens

Jennifer Pollitt, Temple University

A close-up of the face of a man wearing glasses, with the reflection of a woman wearing a bikini in the lens.

A close-up of the face of a man wearing glasses, with the reflection of a woman wearing a bikini in the lens.

‘My gender is like an empty lot’ − the people who reject man, woman and any other gender label

Canton Winer, Northern Illinois University

Blurred silhouettes of people walking across a backdrop of overlapping blue and pink lights, one silhouette standing slightly apart in the foreground

Blurred silhouettes of people walking across a backdrop of overlapping blue and pink lights, one silhouette standing slightly apart in the foreground

Why are women’s shoes so pointy? A fashion expert on impractical but stylish footwear

Michael Watson, University of South Carolina

Close-up of feet wearing pointy black shoes

Close-up of feet wearing pointy black shoes

We’ve been tracking the number of Americans who identify as transgender – soon, there will be no reliable way to measure them

Jody L. Herman, University of California, Los Angeles and Andrew Ryan Flores, American University

A graphic of a large fingerprint, colored light blue and pink.

A graphic of a large fingerprint, colored light blue and pink.

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Cities

Elderly people walk along a sidewalk in front of storefronts, including one with a sign reading 'Hebrew Religious Articles.'

Elderly people walk along a sidewalk in front of storefronts, including one with a sign reading 'Hebrew Religious Articles.'

Lower East Side street named for ‘King of Comics’ Jack Kirby, a nod to one of the countless kids of immigrants who shaped the genre

Miriam Eve Mora, University of Michigan

Yellow vehicles work on construction grounds to the right of a stately, white residence.

Yellow vehicles work on construction grounds to the right of a stately, white residence.

In his efforts to remake federal architecture, Trump repudiates the ‘republican ideals’ that have long informed it

Kevin D. Murphy, Vanderbilt University

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Television

Young Black woman speaks into a microphone while seated in a white sofa chair on a stage.

Young Black woman speaks into a microphone while seated in a white sofa chair on a stage.

TikTok’s popular microdramas shrink TV into bite-sized chunks

Jessica Maddox, University of Georgia and Krysten Stein, University of Cincinnati

HBO’s ‘The Pitt’ nails how hospital cyberattacks create chaos, endanger patients and disrupt critical care

Jeffrey Tully, University of California, San Diego and Christian Dameff, University of California, San Diego

Medical staff from the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center stabilize a patient.

Medical staff from the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center stabilize a patient.

Why ‘The West Wing’ went from a bipartisan hit to a polarized streaming comfort watch over 2 decades, reflecting profound shifts in media and politics

Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University and Nick Marx, Colorado State University

Eight happy people standing close to each other in front of a large American flag.

Eight happy people standing close to each other in front of a large American flag.

Life isn’t all diamonds – money and fame don’t shield the many ‘Real Housewives’ facing criminal charges

C. Clare Strange, Drexel University

A woman with long dark hair and a beige coat holds the arm of a tall man wearing a black suit and blue tie and walks away from a building, with police nearby.

A woman with long dark hair and a beige coat holds the arm of a tall man wearing a black suit and blue tie and walks away from a building, with police nearby.

It’s easy making green: Muppets continue to make a profit 50 years into their run

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder

People and Muppets pose for a huge group photo.

People and Muppets pose for a huge group photo.

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Lifestyle

A young man wearing a red t-shirt paints a mural of a horse.

A young man wearing a red t-shirt paints a mural of a horse.

We studied what happened when financially struggling artists received $1,000 a month, no strings attached, for 18 months

Joanna Woronkowicz, Indiana University and Doug Noonan, Indiana University Indianapolis

Denmark’s ‘hands-off’ approach to parenting could offer a blueprint for raising more resilient, self-reliant kids

Marie Helweg-Larsen, Dickinson College

An optical illusion created with hands in the foreground posed to look like they are pulling lines in the background apart.

An optical illusion created with hands in the foreground posed to look like they are pulling lines in the background apart.

Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want when they die

Tanya D. Marsh, Wake Forest University

A rolling field with yellow flowers and headstones.

A rolling field with yellow flowers and headstones.

Food

What is black garlic? How heat and humidity turn a pungent ingredient mild and slightly sweet

Mavra Javed, Michigan State University

A whole bulb of black fermented garlic and both a peeled and unpeeled clove on a dark wooden table.

A whole bulb of black fermented garlic and both a peeled and unpeeled clove on a dark wooden table.

Philadelphia was once a sweet spot for chocolatiers and other candymakers who made iconic treats for Valentine’s Day and other holidays

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder

Old black-and-white photographs of different boxes of chocolate

Old black-and-white photographs of different boxes of chocolate

A culinary educator and local dining expert breaks down Michelin’s debut Philly list − and gives zero stars to the inspectors

Jonathan Deutsch, Drexel University

Person wearing black suit holds a white chef's jacket draped over their left arm

Person wearing black suit holds a white chef's jacket draped over their left arm

How Hershey’s chocolate survived an attack from Mars − and adopted a business strategy alien to its founder

John Haddad, Penn State

Colorful statues of iconic candy brands on roof of building

Colorful statues of iconic candy brands on roof of building

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