Plus: The life cycle of anthrax
| | | | Top headlines Eranda Jayawickreme, a psychologist at Wake Forest University, grew up in Kandy, Sri Lanka – a city dotted by Buddhist temples, Christian churches, Hindu temples and Muslim mosques. Yet the country was also fractured by distrust over ethnic and religious lines, with a civil war that consumed Sri Lanka for more than 20 years. "As a child," Jayawickreme writes, "I did not possess the vocabulary to describe my own personal experience during this tumultuous time. All I knew was that some people withdrew into their own groups and vilified Sri Lankans who were different from them. Others worked hard to maintain relationships." Today, those experiences shape his research: What allows some people to embrace pluralism? What does pluralism really mean in the first place? And what virtues can help us cultivate it? Those interests might have been sparked decades ago in Sri Lanka, but they're also urgent in the United States today. Pluralism lives in "repeated, small acts," he writes – decisions that "shape who we are." Jayawickreme's article is longer than our normal articles – one of our experiments with longer-form stories that blend personal narrative and academic research, as part of a series supported by the John Templeton Foundation. One last thing: If you value The Conversation's coverage of science and psychology, you might enjoy an article from our friends at Nautilus magazine exploring how the emotion of awe has drawn many scientists to their work. Read "More than a feeling." |  | Molly Jackson Religion and Ethics Editor | | | |  Traditional dancers perform in front of the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, celebrating the Buddhist festival of Esala Perahera, in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 8, 2025. Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images Eranda Jayawickreme, Wake Forest University A scholar who studies the virtues that help people sustain relationships across faiths and cultures describes what being a child during the war taught him about practicing pluralism in action. | Arts + Culture | -
Emily Hodgson Anderson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Has our culture's begrudging acceptance of ghostwriting paved the way for everyone – not just the rich and famous – to offload the hard work of writing? | | Science + Technology | -
Iain Boyd, University of Colorado Boulder News that Iran had fired ballistic missiles at a US military base in the Indian Ocean was startling, but how much of a threat does the development represent? -
Hannah Kinzer, Washington University in St. Louis From bioweapons to biblical plagues, the bacteria that cause anthrax can persist for decades in harsh conditions and wreak havoc on people and cattle. | | Economy + Business | -
Christopher Briem, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh's struggle to move beyond steel demonstrates that industry dominance is temporary. Other regions can learn from Pittsburgh's slow economic recovery. -
Claudia Strauss, Pitzer College Getting SNAP benefits can already be hard, and due to legal changes Congress approved in 2025 it could get harder for many Americans. | | Health + Medicine | -
Stylianos Syropoulos, Arizona State University; Christina Jinhee Capozzoli, Arizona State University; Lea Barbett, FernUniversität in Hagen Feeling part of something larger than yourself may make it easier to cope with stress and uncertainty. -
Dana Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Laura D. Lindberg, Rutgers University Parental involvement laws and the stigma of teen pregnancy create significant barriers for teenagers seeking abortions. These factors are pushing teens to obtain abortion pills online. | | Education | -
Kaitlyn M. Sims, University of Denver; Institute for Humane Studies; Kaelyn Lara, University of Denver; Leslie Carvalho, University of Denver The status change may result in students avoiding degrees in nursing and social work. | | International | -
John Aerni-Flessner, Michigan State University The Lesotho-South Africa water deal was clinched during the apartheid era and without public consultation. -
Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo, University of Iowa; Oluwaseun Abdulganiyu Badru, University of Iowa Preventing unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV is a critical strategy for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission. | | | | Today's graphic 📈 |
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