The Conversation

Rivers are heating up faster than the air − that’s a problem for aquatic life and people

Written by Li Li (李黎), Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State

Rivers are also heating up as global temperatures rise.Darwin Fan/Moment via Getty Images

When you think about heat waves, you might picture sweltering cities, shimmering asphalt and unbearable summer afternoons. These heat waves dominate the headlines because we feel them directly.

Rivers, on the other hand, are often seen as cool refuges, places...

Why Argentina is looking to the Trump administration for a bailout − and what the US Treasury can do to help

Written by Arturo Porzecanski, Research Fellow, Center for Latin American & Latino Studies, American University

Done deal? U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Argentine counterpart Javier Milei during a bilateral meeting on Sept. 23, 2025.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

President Donald Trump vowed to help out his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei on Sept. 23, 2025, a day after the U.S. administration said “all options” were on the table...

How the First Amendment protects Americans’ speech − and how it does not

Written by Ray Brescia, Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life, Albany Law School

Demonstrators protest the suspension of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show on Sept. 18, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Imagine a protest outside the funeral of a popular political leader, with some of the protesters celebrating the death and holding signs that say things like “God Hates the USA/Thank God for...

NASA will say goodbye to the International Space Station in 2030 − and welcome in the age of commercial space stations

Written by John M. Horack, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University

The International Space Station will be brought down in 2030.NASA via AP

For 24 hours a day, seven days a week since November 2000, NASA and its international partners have sustained a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit, including at least one American – a streak that will soon reach 25 years.

When viewed in the history of...

Trump isn’t cutting Pell Grants, after all − but other changes could complicate financial aid for some students

Written by Jennifer L. Steele, Professor of Education, American University

Amid a complicated federal financial aid system, Pell Grants are the largest source of federal support for university students.iStock/Getty Images Plus

As an education researcher who has studied the economic returns of higher education, I know that college degrees remain cost-effective investments for most students.

But college tuition has risen...

How a devastating grape pest is reshaping vineyards across Colorado’s Western Slope

Written by Charlotte Oliver, Extension Associate Professor, Colorado State University

Colorado's $3.9 billion wine industry is threatened by a tiny aphid. Courtesy of Charlotte Oliver

Grape phylloxera, or Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, is an aphidlike insect that attacks grapevines with devastating effects. In Colorado, where wine is an estimated US$3.9 billion dollar industry, phylloxera poses a significant threat.

In 2015, several...

2 newly launched NASA missions will help scientists understand the influence of the Sun, both from up close and afar

Written by Ryan French, Research Scientist, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder

NASA's IMAP mission is one of two launching in September 2025.NASA/Princeton University/Patrick McPike

Even at a distance of 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) away, activity on the Sun can have adverse effects on technological systems on Earth. Solar flares – intense bursts of energy in the Sun’s atmosphere – and coronal...

Detroit’s Gordie Howe bridge is poised to open as truck traffic between US-Canada slows – low-income residents are deciding whether to stay or go

Written by Paul Draus, Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan-Dearborn

The Gordie Howe International Bridge connects Detroit, Mich., and Windsor, Ontario.John Coletti/Photodisc via Getty Images

Watching the space between two nations shrink became a regular pastime for Detroiters over the past decade as the segments of the Gordie Howe International Bridge gradually grew, extending meter by meter from Ontario on one...

Hobbits of Flores evolved to be small by slowing down growth during childhood, new research on teeth and brain size suggests

Written by Tesla Monson, Professor of Anthropology, Western Washington University

Hobbits are exceptions to the rule that older ancient humans had proportionally larger wisdom teeth and smaller brains.Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Until Homo floresiensis was discovered, scientists assumed that the evolution of the human lineage was defined by bigger and bigger brains. Via a process called encephalization, human brains evolved...

From anime to activism: How the ‘One Piece’ pirate flag became the global emblem of Gen Z resistance

Written by Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, School of Media and Strategic Communications, Oklahoma State University

The Jolly Roger of the Straw Hat Pirates is flown during a protest in Rome.Vincenzo Nuzzolese/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

From Paris and Rome to Jakarta, Indonesia, and New York, a curious banner has appeared in protest squares. With hollow cheeks, a broad grin and a straw hat with a red band, the figure is instantly recognizable and...