The Conversation

Deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust spurs a crisis of confidence in the idea of Israel – and its possible renewal

Written by Avner Cohen, Professor of Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Family and friends of those taken hostage by Hamas during an attack on Israel react during a press conference on Oct. 13, 2023, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Living for 75 years within a hostile neighborhood has required the state of Israel to provide security against external threats to all its citizens.

That responsibility is a soci...

Reflections on hope during unprecedented violence in the Israel-Hamas war

Written by Boaz Dvir, Associate Professor of Journalism, Penn State

People in Tel Aviv on Oct. 12, 2023, light candles in memory of civilians and soldiers killed, as well as hostages taken, by Hamas.Amir Levy/Getty Images

On Yom Kippur in 1973, I was 6 years old and living in Petah Tikvah, a city in central Israel. Playing a nail-biting game of marbles, I initially ignored my mom calling me from our front porch....

An itching paradox – a molecule that triggers the urge to scratch also turns down inflammation in the skin

Written by Marlys Fassett, Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco

Itching, and the subsequent urge to scratch, can make eczema worse.Kinga Krzeminska/Moment via Getty Images

Itching can be uncomfortable, but it’s a normal part of your skin’s immune response to external threats. When you’re itching from an encounter with poison ivy or mosquitoes, consider that your urge to scratch may have...

Wildfire smoke leaves harmful gases in floors and walls − air purifiers aren’t enough, new study shows, but you can clean it up

Written by Delphine Farmer, Professor of Chemistry, Colorado State University

When wildfire smoke turns the air brown and hazy, you might think about heading indoors with the windows closed, running an air purifier or even wearing a mask. These are all good strategies to reduce exposure to the particles in wildfire smoke, but smoky air is also filled with potentially harmful gases. Those gases can get into buildings and...

Empire building has always come at an economic cost for Russia – from the days of the czars to Putin's Ukraine invasion

Written by Christopher A. Hartwell, Professor of International Business Policy, ZHAW School of Management and Law

The Russian economy: A Potemkin village?Getty Images

President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has come at huge economic costs. By conservative estimates, the Russian economy has taken a US$67 billion annual hit as a result of war expenses and the effects of economic sanctions. In the early stages of the invasion, some analysts put the...

Steep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here's how strength training can change the trajectory

Written by Zachary Gillen, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology, Mississippi State University

Resistance training can take many forms and can be individualized to suit a person's needs as they age. Jamie Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images

Raise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking up a flight of stairs. What about carrying heavy bags of groceries? How about picking up your child or grandchild? Most of us would raise our hands...

From ancient Jewish texts to androids to AI, a just-right sequence of numbers or letters turns matter into meaning

Written by Rhona Trauvitch, Associate Teaching Professor of English, Florida International University

The power of putting basic elements in just the right order is key to both Jewish mysticism and computer coding.WhataWin/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Isaac Asimov’s iconic science fiction collection “I, Robot” tells the story of androids created at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. The androids range from “Robbie,”...

Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system works well – here's how Hamas got around it

Written by Iain Boyd, Director, Center for National Security Initiatives, and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system launches interceptor missiles to shoot down incoming missiles and rockets.Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images

Because of its unique national security challenges, Israel has a long history of developing highly effective, state-of-the-art defense technologies and capabilities. A prime example of Israeli military...

This engineering course has students use their brainwaves to create performing art

Written by Francesco Fedele, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Arts and Geometry”

What prompted the idea for the course?

After a serious injury in 2016, I started drawing and painting during my recovery as a form of self-taught art therapy. I found the experience...

Gaza depends on UN and other global aid groups for food, medicine and basic services – Israel-Hamas war means nothing is getting in

Written by Topher L. McDougal, Professor of Economic Development & Peacebuilding, University of San Diego

Palestinian children play outside an UNRWA school following Israeli airstrikes on Oct. 12, 2023. Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images

International aid groups are warning that they cannot deliver food and other basic services to people in the Gaza Strip and that a “dire” humanitarian crisis is set to worsen.

International aid groups...