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Digging into the government report on UFOs
meteor streaks across a night sky

Digging into the government report on UFOs

In a Q&A, historian of science Kate Dorsch illuminates the history behind reporting and investigating UFO sightings and contextualizes the new government report on such phenomena.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Will COVID-19 change science? Past pandemics offer clues

Will COVID-19 change science? Past pandemics offer clues

David Barnes of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about COVID-19 and how pandemics can shape policy. While the 1918 flu was somewhat forgotten, HIV/AIDs has had a lasting impact. The difference, Barnes said, “was activists who were organized and persistent, really beyond anything our society had ever seen.”

Supreme Court decision rules Arizona’s laws constitutional
Glass doors read "polling station" with opening times listed

“What you should be doing with voting is trying to make it as easy as possible for people to vote with the fewest restrictions,” says Mary Frances Berry. 

Supreme Court decision rules Arizona’s laws constitutional

In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the Supreme Court ruled that Arizona’s election laws—pertaining to out of precinct ballots and whether or not third parties can pick up and deliver absentee ballots—do not violate the Voting Rights Act.

Kristina García

Politics Monday: America has wrestled with truth since its founding

Politics Monday: America has wrestled with truth since its founding

Sophia Rosenfeld of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the concept of truth and its role in democracy. The founding fathers “talked a lot about truth and claimed to have a big commitment to a government that both was founded on truth and would help produce truth,” she said. “But here’s the catch: they never gave any one body or person or even method as the way of getting there.”

The uniquely American intrigue around UFOs

The uniquely American intrigue around UFOs

Kate Dorsch of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about why Americans in particular are especially fascinated by UFOs. “I think that it is in part because we have created a culture around civilian defense, right? If you see something, say something,” she said. “Also, we're a very individualist country, and so we're more willing to share the things that we've seen and heard and done.”

The UFO trap

The UFO trap

Kate Dorsch of the School of Arts & Sciences said the UFO is a postwar phenomenon. “Never before has humanity been able to so immediately and unquestionably destroy itself,” she said.

Capitalism: What is it?

Capitalism: What is it?

Kristen Ghodsee of the School of Arts & Sciences and other experts discussed capitalism. “What we need is to actually rein in some of the free market fundamentalist ideology, which has led us down a path where a lot of people are pretty miserable,” she said.

How businesses have begun to recognize Juneteenth
A Juneteenth parade in Philadelphia streets

A Juneteenth parade in Philadelphia, 2019. (Pre-pandemic image: Tippman98x/Shutterstock)

How businesses have begun to recognize Juneteenth

This Saturday marks Juneteenth, the oldest known holiday honoring the end of slavery in the U.S. Wharton professor Matthew Bidwell looks at how businesses are recognizing the holiday.

Dee Patel

Philadelphians react after Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday

Philadelphians react after Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday

Eve Higginbotham of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the significance of Juneteenth. "It's a day of reflection as well as an acknowledgment that, going forward, we still have work to do," she said. “We still need people engaged, but we need people to translate their reflections into action.”