The Conversation

Granular systems, such as sandpiles or rockslides, are all around you − new research will help scientists describe how they work

Written by Jacqueline Reber, Associate Professor of Earth, Atmosphere, and Climate, Iowa State University

Sand is one type of granular system – hundreds of grains act collectively. Nenov/Moment via Getty Images

Did you eat cereal this morning? Or have you walked on a gravel path? Maybe you had a headache and had to take a pill? If you answered any of these questions with a yes, you interacted with a granular system today.

Scientists classify any...

Cancer research in the US is world class because of its broad base of funding − with the government pulling out, its future is uncertain

Written by Jeffrey MacKeigan, Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University

Without federal support, the lights will turn off in many labs across the country.Thomas Barwick/Stone via Getty Images

Cancer research in the U.S. doesn’t rely on a single institution or funding stream − it’s a complex ecosystem made up of interdependent parts: academia, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology startups, federal...

Detroit’s lack of affordable housing pushes families to the edge - and children sometime pay the price

Written by Meghan Wilson, Assistant Professor of American Politics and Public Policy, Michigan State University

Some of Detroit's unhoused population take refuge in abandoned buildings, cars and parks. Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

As outside temperatures dropped to the low- to mid-teens Fahrenheit on Feb. 10, 2025, two children died of carbon monoxide toxicity in a family van parked in a Detroit casino parking garage.

We are political...

How does soap keep you clean? A chemist explains the science of soap

Written by Paul E. Richardson, Professor of Biochemistry, Coastal Carolina University

Be sure to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.Mladen Zivkovic/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.

How does soap clean our bodies? – Charlie H., age 8, Stamford, Connecticut

Thousands of...

Tensions over Kashmir and a warming planet have placed the Indus Waters Treaty on life support

Written by Fazlul Haq, Postdoctoral Scholar at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University

The Indus River Valley in the cold desert of Ladakh, India.Pallava Bagla/Getty Images

In 1995, World Bank Vice President Ismail Serageldin warned that whereas the conflicts of the previous 100 years had been over oil, “the wars of the next century will be fought over water.”

Thirty years on, that prediction is being tested in one of the...

In talking with Tehran, Trump is reversing course on Iran – could a new nuclear deal be next?

Written by Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A mural on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran depicts two men in negotiation.Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Negotiators from Iran and the United States are set to meet again in Oman on April 26, prompting hopes the two countries might be moving, albeit tentatively, toward a new nuclear accord.

The scheduled talks follow the two previous...

Colors are objective, according to two philosophers − even though the blue you see doesn’t match what I see

Written by Elay Shech, Professor of Philosophy, Auburn University

What appear to be blue and green spirals are actually the same color.Akiyoshi Kitaoka

Is your green my green? Probably not. What appears as pure green to me will likely look a bit yellowish or blueish to you. This is because visual systems vary from person to person. Moreover, an object’s color may appear differently against different...

Florida, once considered a swing state, is firmly Republican – a social anthropologist explains what caused this shift

Written by Alexander Lowie, Postdoctoral associate in Classical and Civic Education, University of Florida

Florida has attracted new residents since the pandemic, as well as a growth in conservative politics. iStock / Getty Images Plus

Florida has undergone a dramatic political transformation over the past decade from a swing state to Republican stronghold.

Florida’s recent congressional special election on April 1, 2025, showcased the...

‘Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence’ − an astronomer explains how much evidence scientists need to claim discoveries like extraterrestrial life

Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

The universe is filled with countless galaxies, stars and planets. Astronomers may find life one day, but they will need extraordinary proof. ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi

The detection of life beyond Earth would be one of the most profound discoveries in the history of...

Trump’s ‘Garden of American Heroes’ is a monument to celebrity and achievement – paid for with humanities funding that benefits everyday Americans

Written by Jennifer Tucker, Professor of History, Wesleyan University

Donald Trump speaks in front of a wax statue of John Wayne at the John Wayne Museum in Winterset, Iowa, during the 2016 GOP primaries.Al Drago/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

Donald Trump first came up with his plan for a “National Garden of American Heroes” at the end of his first term, before President Joe Biden quietly tabled it upon...