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Welcome to Sunday and the best of The Conversation.
I confess that I’m afraid of pit bulls – although I’ve certainly met some sweet and gentle ones. My fears became more concrete last month when my daughter and her roommates brought a foster dog into their New York City apartment. Like many shelter dogs, the foster has the physical characteristics I associate with pit bulls – a short coat, big head and broad “smiling” mouth.
So I read Vanderbilt University law professor Colin Dayan’s piece about the history of pit bulls, looking for some context and reassurance. I learned that pit bulls are a type of dog – not a distinct breed – which makes collecting data about their aggressiveness difficult and laws restricting their ownership impossible to enforce fairly. Dayan sees pit bulls as victims of “canine profiling.”
Among readers’ picks, I recommend an eye-opening story about the ancient viruses that are embedded in your DNA, with some surprising effects on human health.
The Conversation turned 8 on Friday! Check out the most-read story from each year of our history in this special e-book. Do you have a favorite story from our archive? Hit reply to share your picks.
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Emily Costello
Managing Editor
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Readers' picks
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Tylenol overdose is one of the leading causes of liver injury requiring liver transplantation.
Elena Merkulova/iStock via Getty Images
Satdarshan (Paul) Singh Monga, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Liver transplant waitlists can range from 30 days to over five years. Developing treatments that spur liver regeneration could help reduce demand for scarce organs.
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Raphael Falco, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Because Dylan draws from songs from the past, he has been accused of plagiarism. But this view has been colored by a distorted understanding of the creative process.
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Aidan Burn, Tufts University
Bits of viral genes incorporated into human DNA have been linked to cancer, ALS and schizophrenia. But many of these genes may not be harmful, and could even protect against infectious disease.
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Morten H. Christiansen, Cornell University; Pablo Contreras Kallens, Cornell University
Linguists have long considered grammar to be the glue of language, and key to how children learn it. But new prose-writing AIs suggest language experience may be more important than grammar.
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Steven L. Taylor, Troy University
Since 1913, the number of seats in the House has remained constant even though the nation’s population has more than tripled.
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Editors' picks
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A pit bull is not an official breed – it’s an umbrella term for a type of dog.
Barbara Rich via Getty Images
Colin Dayan, Vanderbilt University
A scholar of law and humanities compares bans on dogs with any pit bull genes to “one drop” laws that once classified people with even a single Black ancestor as Black.
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Luke Perry, Utica University
Many Republicans have wrestled with whether to embrace Donald Trump and his brash political style. Latter-day Saints are an especially telling example.
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Dam Hee Kim, University of Arizona; Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University; Scott Shackelford, Indiana University
Misinformation has bedeviled social media companies for years, and the problem is especially consequential during elections. Are the companies up to the job as the 2022 midterm elections approach?
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Elana Bernstein, University of Dayton
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue facing children and adolescents. But research shows that early screening – including in school settings – can identify children who are at risk.
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Mend Mariwany, The Conversation
How governments around the world are trying to woo digital nomads. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
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News Quiz 🧠
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Quizmaster, The Conversation
This week: questions on Liz Truss, honey bees, Amazon deliveries and us.
Download our latest e-book
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