The Conversation

Trump gets an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

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

A judge imposed an unusual sentence on President-elect Donald Trump in his criminal hush money case.boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images

Donald Trump is now a convicted felon, and will be the first president of the United States with a felony conviction.

On Jan. 10, 2025, Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial in a New York state court,...

Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe

Written by Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder

Smoke from several wind-driven wildfires spread through large parts of the Los Angeles area in early January 2025.AP Photo/Ethan Swope

When wildfires spread into neighborhoods, they burn all kinds of materials found in cars and houses and everything around them – electronics, paint, plastics, furniture.

Research shows that the mix of chemicals...

How the U.S. could in fact make Canada an American territory

Written by Robert Huish, Associate Professor in International Development Studies, Dalhousie University

“We take nothing by conquest…Thank God,” wrote the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, an influential Washington newspaper, in February 1847.

The United States had just purchased 55 per cent of Mexico for US$15 million as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The pact concluded the bloody Mexican-American War,...

2024’s extreme ocean heat leaves 2 mysteries to solve

Written by Annalisa Bracco, Professor of Ocean and Climate Dynamics, Georgia Institute of Technology

The global ocean's surface temperature was still well above average going into 2025.Meaghan Skinner Photography/Moment via Getty Images

The oceans are heating up as the planet warms.

This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a record-breaking 2023. In fact, every decade since 1984, when satellite...

2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve

Written by Annalisa Bracco, Professor of Ocean and Climate Dynamics, Georgia Institute of Technology

The global ocean's surface temperature was still well above average going into 2025.Meaghan Skinner Photography/Moment via Getty Images

The oceans are heating up as the planet warms.

This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a record-breaking 2023. In fact, every decade since 1984, when satellite...

Trump’s Greenland bid is really about control of the Arctic and the coming battle with China

Written by Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

When Donald Trump first offered to buy Greenland in 2019, he was widely ridiculed and nothing much came of it, apart from a cancelled state visit to Denmark. Fast forward six years and Trump’s renewed “bid” for the world’s largest island is back on the table.

And with renewed vigour at that. In an interview on January 7,...

Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump

Written by Sylvia Taschka, Professor of Teaching of History, Wayne State University

President Donald Trump arrives at a G20 economic summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017 during his first term in office.Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in November 2024, the German state-owned news service Deutsche Welle published an article with the headline...

Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare

Written by Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

In previous eras of internet culture, mockery of the rich and famous was usually relegated to far-left forums.

But as 2025 begins, ridiculing the rich appears to have gone mainstream.

Look no further than the Walmart handbag that mimics the look of Hermès’ iconic, exclusive and uber-expensive Birkin bag.

The cost of the Birkin bag can...

How midlife became a crisis

Written by Matthew Redmond, Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Université de Lille

The term 'midlife crisis' didn't enter the lexicon until 1965, but its gestation stretched across the 18th and 19th centuries.Paul Taylor/Stone via Getty Images

In the acknowledgments of her 2024 novel “All Fours,” Miranda July explains that she was inspired by a series of conversations about “physical and emotional midlife...

Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

Written by Alana Chin, Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology, Cal Poly Humboldt

Trees killed by drought and an outbreak of bark beetles in California's Tahoe National Forest in 2023.AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

What does the future hold for forests in a warmer, drier world? Over the past 25 years, trees have been dying due to effects of climate change around the world. In Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Eu...