The Conversation

‘Space tornadoes’ could cause geomagnetic storms – but these phenomena, spun off ejections from the Sun, aren’t easy to study

Written by Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, Associate Research Scientist, University of Michigan

Flux ropes (simulated, right) are structures made up of magnetic field lines wrapping around each other like a rope, that look similar to tornadoes on Earth.NOAA, Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti and Chip Manchester

Weather forecasting is a powerful tool. During hurricane season, for instance, meteorologists create computer simulations to forecast how these...

Far fewer Americans support political violence than recent polls suggest

Written by Ryan Kennedy, Timashev Chair of Data Analytics and Professor of Political Science, The Ohio State University

Some surveys have reported that a large number of Americans are willing to support the use of force for political ends.stellalevi, DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images

A series of recent events has sparked alarm about rising levels of political violence in the U.S. These episodes include the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept....

Why are elements like radium dangerous? A chemist explains radioactivity and its health effects

Written by Kelling Donald, Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond

Radioactive elements release particles that can damage cells. MirageC/Moment via Getty Images

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.

“What is radium and why is it dangerous?” – Aurora, 10, Laredo, Texas

The element...

3-legged lizards can thrive against all odds, challenging assumptions about how evolution works in the wild

Written by James T. Stroud, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology

A brown basilisk missing both its entire left forearm and part of its right hind limb.Brian Hillen

We are lizard biologists, and to do our work we need to catch lizards – never an easy task with such fast, agile creatures.

Years ago, one of us was in the Bahamas chasing a typically uncooperative lizard across dense and narrow branches,...

Climate tipping points sound scary, especially for ice sheets and oceans – here’s why there’s still room for optimism

Written by Alexandra A Phillips, Assistant Teaching Professor in Environmental Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara

Meltwater runs across the Greenland ice sheet in rivers. The ice sheet is already losing mass and could soon reach a tipping point.Maria-José Viñas/NASA

As the planet warms, it risks crossing catastrophic tipping points: thresholds where Earth systems, such as ice sheets and rain forests, change irreversibly over human lifetimes.

Scient...

What are climate tipping points? They sound scary, especially for ice sheets and oceans, but there’s still room for optimism

Written by Alexandra A Phillips, Assistant Teaching Professor in Environmental Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara

Meltwater runs across the Greenland ice sheet in rivers. The ice sheet is already losing mass and could soon reach a tipping point.Maria-José Viñas/NASA

As the planet warms, it risks crossing catastrophic tipping points: thresholds where Earth systems, such as ice sheets and rain forests, change irreversibly over human lifetimes.

Scient...

How the government shutdown is making the air traffic controller shortage worse and leading to flight delays

Written by Brian Strzempkowski, Assistant Director, Center for Aviation Studies, The Ohio State University

The government shutdown has exacerbated the air traffic controller shortage, leading to delays at airports across the country, including in Burbank, Calif.Mario Tama/Getty Images

Airports across the United States have been experiencing significant flight delays recently because of a shortage of air traffic controllers, who have been required to...

Natural World Heritage sites under growing threat, but bright spots remain

Written by Jessica Beaudette, Visiting Scholar, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University

A herd of antelope graze near a giraffe in Botswana's Okavango Delta.Murat Ozgur Guvendik/Anadolu via Getty Images

Botswana’s fertile Okavango Delta is one of the last remaining high-biodiversity ecosystems in the world, home to cheetahs, African wild dogs, baobab trees, crocodiles, termites and owls that catch fish. Roughly the size of the...

María Corina Machado’s peace prize follows Nobel tradition of awarding recipients for complex reasons

Written by David Smilde, Professor of Sociology, Tulane University

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a protest in Caracas on Jan. 9, 2025. Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Few can doubt the courage María Corina Machado has shown in fighting for a return to democracy in Venezuela.

The 58-year-old politician and activist is the undisputed leader of the opposition to...

From artificial atoms to quantum information machines: Inside the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics

Written by Zhixin Wang, Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

This illustration shows, from left to right: John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis.Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach, CC BY-NC

The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics honors three quantum physicists – John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis – for their study of quantum mechanics in a macroscopic electrical circuit.

Si...