The Conversation

Solar storms can destroy satellites with ease – a space weather expert explains the science

Written by Piyush Mehta, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University

The Sun occasionally ejects large amounts of energy and particles into space that can smash into Earth.NASA/GSFC/SDO via WikimediaCommons

On Feb. 4, 2022, SpaceX launched 49 satellites as part of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet project, most of which burned up in the atmosphere days later. The cause of this more than US$50 million failure was a...

Why your kid won't put down the smartphone – it's not your fault

Written by Meghan Owenz, Assistant Teaching Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Services, Penn State

It's important to know how technology affects the human brain.John M Lund Photography Inc/Stone via Getty Images

Nearly three-quarters of parents are concerned that their kids’ use of mobile devices may be harmful to them or to family relationships – and that was from research done before the pandemic.

But it’s not parents’...

'Freedom will triumph over tyranny': Biden's first State of the Union echoes themes from the Cold War

Written by Allison M. Prasch, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, Politics and Culture, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Presenting a unified front.Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images

It was a familiar scene.

The president of the United States strode down the aisle of the U.S. House of Representatives to deliver the State of the Union address, the only constitutionally mandated instance of presidential speech. Usually, it serves to lay out the White House’s policy...

Why Zelenskyy’s ‘selfie videos’ are helping Ukraine win the PR war against Russia

Written by Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s iPhone selfies quickly went viral. Still of YouTube video

It seems straight out of an action movie: As the capital city becomes a war zone, the defiant president looks into the camera and delivers a clear and compelling message: “I am here. We will not lay down any weapons.”

That’s exactly what...

What the Montreux Convention is, and what it means for the Ukraine war

Written by Alpaslan Ozerdem, Dean of The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

A Russian warship, the Patrol Ship Dmitry Rogachev, travels through the Dardanelles on Feb. 15, 2022.Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

As bad as the Ukraine war is so far, an international agreement signed in 1936 is preventing it from getting even worse.

The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits gives Turkey control over the water...

The power to save the planet is inside us all – how to get past despair to powerful action on climate change

Written by Thomas S. Bateman, Professor Emeritus of Organizational Behavior, University of Virginia

Personal action is important. Collective action that encourages systemic change can go even farther.Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images

Our species is in a race with climate change, and a lot of people want to know, “Can I really make a difference?”

The question concerns what’s known as agency. Its meaning is complex, but in a nutshell...

Intelligence, information warfare, cyber warfare, electronic warfare – what they are and how Russia is using them in Ukraine

Written by Justin Pelletier, Professor of Practice of Computing Security, Rochester Institute of Technology

Russian forces have the capability to jam signals from satellites, affecting communications and navigation.Vitaly V. Kuzmin/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA

Russia has one of the most capable and technological militaries on the planet. They have advanced intelligence, information warfare, cyber warfare and electronic warfare capabilities.

Russia has used...

College could take place in the metaverse, but these problems must be overcome first

Written by Nir Eisikovits, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston

Questions abound about what it means to go to college in the metaverse.Iryna Veklich/ Getty Images

Higher education in the United States is in trouble. Spiraling tuition costs and a student debt crisis threaten to make college unaffordable to all but the wealthy.

In an attempt to cut spending and control tuition hikes, American universities are...

1 in 10 Americans say they don't eat meat – a growing share of the population

Written by F. Bailey Norwood, Professor of Agribusiness, Oklahoma State University

Where's the beef?Drew Angerer/Getty Images News

CC BY-ND

About 10% of Americans over the age of 18 consider themselves vegan or vegetarian as of January 2022.

That’s the main finding of an online survey we administered to 930 Americans, selected to be representative of the U.S population in terms of gender, education, age and income. The margin...

US Climate risks are rising – a scientist looks at the dangers her children will have to adapt to, from wildfires to water scarcity

Written by Erica A.H. Smithwick, Distinguished Professor of Geography, Penn State

A burned 'Caution: Children at play' sign remained after a wildfire devastated the town of Berry Creek, Calif., in 2020.Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

When I was a young researcher studying how forested ecosystems recover from wildfire, I brought my 6-month-old daughter with me to Yellowstone National Park. These forests are incredi...