The Conversation

Industrial pollution once ravaged the Adirondacks − decades of history captured in lake mud track their slow recovery

Written by Sky Hooler, Ph.D. Student in Environmental Science, University at Albany, State University of New York

Scientist Aubrey Hillman, one of the authors of this article, extracts a core of mud from the bottom of Black Pond in June 2025. Patrick Dodson/University at Albany

Lush forests and crisp mountain air have drawn people to New York’s Adirondack Mountains for centuries. In the late 1800s, these forests were a haven for tuberculosis patients seek...

AI is taking hold in K-12 schools – here are some ways it can improve teaching

Written by Michael G. Kozak, Associate Clinical Professor of Educational Administration and Leadership, Drexel University

Artificial intelligence can bring a host of benefits, such as individualized learning, but can also encourage kids to shortcut learning. Jonathan Kirn via Getty Images

Generative AI platforms have sent shock waves through the K-12 education sector since the public release of ChatGPT nearly three years ago.

The technology is taking hold under the...

NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon – a space lawyer explains why, and what the law has to say

Written by Michelle L.D. Hanlon, Professor of Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi

The stark landscape of the Moon as viewed by the Apollo 12 astronauts on their return to Earth.NASA/The Planetary Society

The first space race was about flags and footprints. Now, decades later, landing on the Moon is old news. The new race is to build there, and doing so hinges on power.

In April 2025, China reportedly unveiled plans to build a...

Elon Musk’s plans for a new political party will likely be derailed by a US political system hostile to new voices

Written by Thom Reilly, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, Arizona State University

Two-party control of U.S. politics runs contrary to the vision of the Constitution's framers.Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

As dissatisfaction with the two-party system grows in the United States, the idea of an alternative, however unlikely, gains traction. Elon Musk’s recent call for an America Party may be unserious, but it speaks to...

Hulk Hogan and the unraveling of worker solidarity

Written by Brian Jansen, Assistant Professor of English and Media Studies, University of Maine

Hulk Hogan was arguably WWE's biggest star in the 1980s.Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images

Hulk Hogan’s death by heart attack at age 71 came as a shock to many fans of the larger-than-life wrestler who’d earned the nickname “The Immortal.”

But in many respects, the real surprise was that Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea,...

Gaza isn’t the first time US officials have downplayed atrocities by American-backed regimes – genocide scholars found similar strategies used from East Timor to Guatemala to Yemen

Written by Jeff Bachman, Associate Professor, Department of Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations, American University School of International Service

Palestinians crowd to get food in Gaza City on July 30, 2025. Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images

Since World War II, the United States has repeatedly supported governments that have been committing mass atrocities, which are defined by genocide scholar Scott Straus as “large-scale, systematic violence against civilian...

Vaccines hold tantalizing promise in the fight against dementia

Written by Anand Kumar, Professor and Department Head of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago

Researchers are in the earliest phase of piecing together how the shingles vaccine could play a role in lowering the risk of dementia.PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Over the past two centuries, vaccines have been critical for preventing infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccination prevents between 3...

Teen drivers face unique challenges during ‘100 deadliest days’ of summer, but safety measures can make a difference

Written by Shannon Roberts, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst

Summer is the riskiest time of year for teenage drivers.Martin Novak/Moment via Getty Images

The last few weeks of summer, heading into Labor Day weekend, can sometimes mean vacations and driving more miles on the road for all people, including teens.

Traffic crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for teens, and the crash rate for teen drivers is...

As the Colorado River slowly dries up, states angle for influence over future water rights

Written by Sarah Porter, Director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy, ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona State University

Lake Mead, impounded by Hoover Dam, contains far less water than it used to.Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The Colorado River is in trouble: Not as much water flows into the river as people are entitled to take out of it. A new idea might change that, but complicated political and practical negotiations stand in the way.

The river and its tributaries...

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is attracting huge audiences worldwide – young Philadelphians told us K-pop culture inspires innocence, joy and belonging

Written by A. Stefanie Ruiz, Assistant Professor in Nonprofit Leadership, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, Clemson University

'KPop Demon Hunters,' released June 20, 2025, is Netflix’s most-watched original animated film ever. Netflix

“Born with voices that could drive back the darkness,” the character Celine, a former K-pop idol, narrates at the start of Netflix’s new release “KPop Demon Hunters.” “Our music ignites the soul and...