The Conversation

Lightning strikes link weather on Earth and weather in space

Written by Lauren Blum, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder

Lightning, when coupled with solar flares, can knock electrons flying above the Earth out of place. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

There are trillions of charged particles – protons and electrons, the basic building blocks of matter – whizzing around above your head at any given time. These high-energy particles, which can travel at close to...

Why Trump’s rage defies historical and literary comparisons, according to a classics expert

Written by Rachel Hadas, Professor of English, Rutgers University - Newark

Donald Trump's anger has been building and now seems volcanic.Abstract Aerial Art/Getty Images

The Greek divinity Nemesis, rarely depicted in art, has no place in the Olympian pantheon of a dozen gods and goddesses. But she’s an omnipresent force of retribution, an implacable force of punishment that arrives, if not sooner, then later.

Nemesi...

Trump’s administration seems chaotic, but he’s drawing directly from Project 2025 playbook

Written by Zachary Albert, Assistant Professor of Politics, Brandeis University

The Heritage Foundation flag flies over its building in July 2024 in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

In his first few days back in office, President Donald Trump engaged in a whirlwind of executive actions, from exiting the World Health Organization, to deploying military personnel and National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Many of...

Reverence for the sacred waters of the Ganga and belief in its power to wash away sins bring millions to India’s Maha Kumbh festival

Written by Sudipta Sen, Professor of History, University of California, Davis

Pilgrims take a dip in the sacred waters of Sangam, at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers during the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj on Jan.13, 2025.Niharika Kulkarni/AFP via Getty Images

Millions of people have been visiting Prayagraj, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, to take part in the Maha Kumbh...

Water is the other US-Mexico border crisis, and the supply crunch is getting worse

Written by Gabriel Eckstein, Professor of Law, Texas A&M University

View of the Rio Grande flowing through Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, photographed from the Paso Del Norte International Bridge.Paul Rarje/AFP via Getty Images

Immigration and border security will be the likely focus of U.S.-Mexico relations under the new Trump administration. But there also is a growing water crisis along the U.S.–Mexico border that...

As Trump tries to slash US foreign aid, here are 3 common myths many Americans mistakenly believe about it

Written by Joannie Tremblay-Boire, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland

U.S. lawmakers and employees and supporters of the U.S. Agency for International Development speak outside the agency's headquarters on Feb. 3, 2025.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

U.S. foreign aid is in disarray.

The Trump administration froze most aid disbursements on Jan. 20. According to billionaire Elon Musk, an adviser to President Donald Trump...

Trump’s opening tariff salvo will hurt US consumers − following through on Canada, Mexico threats will increase the price pain

Written by Jason Reed, Associate Teaching Professor of Finance, University of Notre Dame

If U.S. voters reelected Donald Trump hoping for relief from higher prices, his recent threats to impose tariffs on America’s three largest trade partners might make them think again.

On Saturday, Feb. 1, Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on China, which he said would take effect on Tuesday, Feb. 4. While...

Trump’s tariff gambit: As allies prepare to strike back, a costly trade war looms

Written by Bedassa Tadesse, Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth

On Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to slap steep tariffs on imports from key American trading partners – 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China. His stated reason? To curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Both Mexico and Canada managed to buy some time. After urgent...

Who are immigrants to the US, where do they come from and where do they live?

Written by Jennifer Van Hook, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Demography, Penn State

Immigrants to the U.S. increasingly arrive like these people, seeking asylum at a formal border crossing, rather than trying to sneak across the border.Carlos Moreno/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Undocumented immigration is a key issue in American politics, but it can be hard to nail down the basic facts about who these immigrants are, where they live...

What the ‘moral distress’ of doctors tells us about eroding trust in health care

Written by Daniel T. Kim, Assistant Professor of Bioethics, Albany Medical College

I sit on an ethics review committee at the Albany Med Health System in New York state, where doctors and nurses frequently bring us fraught questions.

Consider a typical case: A 6-month-old child has suffered a severe brain injury following cardiac arrest. A tracheostomy, ventilator and feeding tube are the only treatments keeping him alive. These...