The Conversation

Even if Jan. 6 referrals turn into criminal charges – or convictions – Trump will still be able to run in 2024 and serve as president if elected

Written by Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University

Looming large over proceedings.Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images

The criminal referral of Donald Trump to the Department of Justice by a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack is largely symbolic – the panel itself has no power to prosecute any individual.

Nonetheless, the recommendation that Trump be investigated for four potential...

5 wintry books to read during long nights

Written by Liz Rosenberg, Professor of English, General Literature and Rhetoric, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Walden Pond was Thoreau's sometimes chilly muse.Lane Turner for The Boston Globe/via Getty Images

Winter solstice brings the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a great night to spend reading.

I’ve taught English and creative writing in snowy Binghamton, New York, for more than 40 years – read...

The lenses of fishes' eyes record their lifetime exposure to toxic mercury, new research finds

Written by Roxanne Razavi, Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

When fish like this netted cod are exposed to mercury, it accumulates in certain organs, including the lenses of their eyes.Yvette Heimbrand, CC BY-ND

Mercury pollution is a global threat to human health, especially to unborn babies and young children. Exposure to methylmercury, a type that forms when mercury washes into lakes and streams, can harm...

What's program-related investment? A management scholar explains one way that foundations support charities without giving money away for good

Written by Jessica Jones, Assistant Professor of Management & Entrepreneurship, University of Tennessee

Money can't grow on trees, but it can be recycled.siraanamwong/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Most U.S. foundations seek to preserve the money that funds their grants and operations for the long term. They accomplish this by not giving away more money than they earn as returns on the assets held in their endowments.

By law, foundations must give away...

Why is astronomy a science but astrology is not?

Written by Talia Dan-Cohen, Associate Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

Your zodiac sign – like Sagittarius, the archer – might be in the stars, but your future isn't.scaliger/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.

Why is astronomy a science, but not astrology?...

Inflation, unemployment, the housing crisis and a possible recession: Two economists forecast what's ahead in 2023

Written by D. Brian Blank, Assistant Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

Although a recession is likely on the horizon, it's uncertain how deep it might go.Cimmerian/E+ via Getty Images

With the current U.S. inflation rate at 7.1%, interest rates rising and housing costs up, many Americans are wondering if a recession is looming.

Two economists discussed that and more in a recent wide-ranging and exclusive interview for...

What are mud volcanoes?

Written by Michael R. Hudec, Senior Research Scientist at Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin

Engineers have tried to corral a mud volcano in Indonesia that has covered more than 1,700 acres with mud.Eka Dharma/AFP via Getty Images

Rice farmers living in Sidoarjo Regency, Indonesia, awoke to a strange sight on May 29, 2006. The ground had ruptured overnight and was spewing out steam.

In the following weeks, water, boiling-hot mud and natural...

A hat trick of essential reads to accompany the World Cup final

Written by Matt Williams, Senior Breaking News and International Editor

But who will go down as the greatest?Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Soccer fans are just 90 minutes of action away from knowing who will lift the World Cup and be crowned the beautiful game’s global champs. Well, given the refereeing during the tournament in Qatar, it is likely to be 90 minutes plus a...

Holiday foods can be toxic to pets – a veterinarian explains which, and what to do if Rover or Kitty eats them

Written by Leticia Fanucchi, Clinical Assistant Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Oklahoma State University

Treat Kitty to a new box or pet-safe treat, but not scraps from holiday meals.Cyndi Monaghan/Moment via Getty Images

During the holidays, it’s typical for people to indulge in special foods. Being a pet owner myself, I know that many pet parents want to give their fur babies special treats as well.

As a veterinarian and clinical veterinary...

'Vaccinating' frogs may or may not protect them against a pandemic – but it does provide another option for conservation

Written by Andrea Adams, Researcher in Ecology, University of California, Santa Barbara

California red-legged frogs are threatened with extinction.KQED QUEST/Flickr, CC BY-NC

When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged, many wildlife disease researchers like me were not too surprised. Some were intrigued it hadn’t happened sooner; after all, it is our job to observe, describe and study pandemic dynamics in animals.

Amphibians, for...