The Conversation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a dilemma: Free the hostages or continue the war in Gaza?

Written by Dov Waxman, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Professor of Israel Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

On Dec. 8, 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the funeral of a 25-year-old Israeli soldier who was killed in Gaza. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

As Israel’s war with Hamas drags into its fourth month, some Israelis are becoming increasingly angry at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s inability...

Nonprofit hospitals have an obligation to help their communities, but the people who live nearby may see little benefit

Written by Jonathan Wynn, Department Chair and Professor of Sociology, UMass Amherst

Scholars interviewed people living near the University of Colorado Hospital to assess whether it's a good neighbor.John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Does living near a hospital make you more likely to get the health care you need?

Even though the federal government requires nonprofit hospitals to regularly assess the health needs of their...

Cybercrime victims who aren’t proficient in English are undercounted – and poorly protected

Written by Fawn Ngo, Associate Professor of Criminology, University of South Florida

People in the U.S. with limited English proficiency are particularly vulnerable to cybercrime.LPETTET/E+ via Getty Images

In the United States, the Internet Crime Complaint Center serves as a critical component in the FBI’s efforts to combat cybercrime. The center’s website provides educational resources to help individuals and...

That sharp, green smell of freshly cut grass? It’s a plant’s cry for help – and it may work as a less toxic pesticide for farmers

Written by Sasimonthakan Tanarsuwongkul, Ph.D. Candidate in Biochemistry, University of South Carolina

Green leaf volatiles are a plant's rapid response to threats.Star61/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Have you ever wondered about that sharp, green note that hits your nose when you mow the lawn or cut flower stems? Those are green leaf volatiles, or GLVs: easily evaporated oils that plants use to communicate with other plants and defend themselves...

Popularly known as ‘gas station heroin,’ tianeptine is being sold as a dietary supplement – with deadly outcomes

Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

Neptune's Fix, a tianeptine-containing "Elixir" as it's labeled, is one of the most common of these products.U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration is upping the urgency of its warnings for consumers to avoid purchasing or consuming tianeptine – commonly called “gas station heroin” – a synthetic...

What latest polling says about the mood in Ukraine – and the desire to remain optimistic amid the suffering

Written by Gerard Toal, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Virginia Tech

Ukrainians observe a minute of silence in Kyiv on Oct. 1, 2023.Libkos/Getty Images

Ukrainians have endured war for nearly two years. Since the Russian invasion of Feb. 24, 2022, more than 6.3 million Ukrainians have fled the country, while an estimated 3.7 million are internally displaced.

The war has had damaging geopolitical and ecological...

Who created the alphabet? A historian describes the millennia-long story of the ABCs

Written by Jane Sancinito, Assistant Professor of History, UMass Lowell

Creating the alphabet took thousands of years.kovalchuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Who created the alphabet and decided its order? – Priti C., age 12, Mumbai, India

A, B, C, D, E, F, G...

When is criticism of Israel antisemitic? A scholar of modern Jewish history explains

Written by Joshua Shanes, Professor of Jewish Studies, College of Charleston

Antisemitic incidents have spiked in recent months.AP Photo/Nicolas Landemard

There has been a sharp increase in antisemitism around the world since the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent military attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The apparent connection of this spike to many countries’ condemnation of Israel’s...

Colorado voters seeking to disqualify Trump from the ballot tell Supreme Court Jan. 6 ‘will forever stain’ US history

Written by Wayne Unger, Assistant Professor of Law, Quinnipiac University

Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

The plaintiffs seeking to remove former President Donald Trump from Colorado’s 2024 presidential election ballots filed their brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 26, 2024. They asked the court to uphold the ruling by...

UN court ruling against Israel shows limits of legal power to prevent genocide − but rapid speed

Written by Victor Peskin, Associate professor of politics and global studies, Arizona State University

International Court of Justice President Joan Donoghue, center, and other judges arrive prior to the preliminary order announcement on Jan. 26, 2024. Remko De Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel on Jan. 26, 2024, to prevent possible genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. But the court did not call for a...