The Conversation

Volcanic eruption lights up Iceland after weeks of earthquake warnings − a geologist explains what's happening

Written by Jaime Toro, Professor of Geology, West Virginia University

Lava erupted through a fissure in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula on Dec. 18, 2023, shooting almost 100 feet (30 meters) in the air in its early hours.

Icelanders had been anticipating an eruption in the area for weeks, ever since a swarm of thousands of small earthquakes began on Oct. 23 northeast of the fishing town of Grindavík,...

Joel Roberts Poinsett: Namesake of the poinsettia, enslaver, secret agent and perpetrator of the 'Trail of Tears'

Written by Lindsay Schakenbach Regele, Assistant Professor of History, Miami University

Joel Roberts Poinsett is given credit for bringing the popular red and green plant to the U.S.Constantine Johnny/Getty Images

If people know the name Joel Roberts Poinsett today, it is likely because of the red and green poinsettia plant.

In the late 1820s, while serving as the first ambassador from the U.S. to Mexico, Poinsett clipped samples of...

Shipwrecks teem with underwater life, from microbes to sharks

Written by Avery Paxton, Research Marine Biologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

A school of grunts on a sunken World War II German submarine in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina.Karen Doody/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

Humans have sailed the world’s oceans for thousands of years, but they haven’t all reached port. Researchers estimate that there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, resting in...

Guatemala's anti-corruption leader-to-be could be prevented from taking office, deepening migration concerns for US

Written by Bonar Hernández Sandoval, Associate Professor of History, Iowa State University

Guatemala's President-elect Bernardo Arévalo waves to supporters. Orlando Estrada/AFP via Getty Images

Guatemala is in the midst of a democratic crisis so severe that it may prevent the new president from taking office, as planned, on Jan. 14, 2024.

On Dec. 8, 2023, prosecutors and the Guatemalan Congress called for the nullification of the...

Why do some men commit domestic violence? Trauma and social isolation may play a role

Written by Laura Voith, Associate Professor of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University

Domestic violence is experienced unevenly across the U.S.kieferpix/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Support for survivors of domestic violence is important, but to end domestic violence once and for all, society needs to understand the people who perpetrate it and how to successfully intervene.

Domestic violence is very common in the United States. Nearl...

Pope Francis' approval of blessings for LGBTQ+ couples is a historic gesture, according to a Catholic theologian

Written by Steven P. Millies, Professor of Public Theology and Director of The Bernardin Center, Catholic Theological Union

Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 18, 2023.AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Pope Francis’ Dec. 18, 2023, announcement that Catholic priests may bless LGBTQ+ couples and others in “irregular” situations marks a definitive shift in the Roman Catholic Church’s...

More city hall news coverage isn’t enough to revive local news outlets

Written by Erik Peterson, Assistant Professor of American Politics, Rice University

Will local election coverage help news organizations win back readers and viewers?Allkindza/E+/Getty Images

Whether it’s a new round of journalist layoffs or further consolidation into the hands of a few owners, the problems confronting local media in the U.S. are easy to see.

We are political scientists who study how the decline of local news...

2023's extreme storms, heat and wildfires broke records – a scientist explains how global warming fuels climate disasters

Written by Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton

Extreme downpours filled downtown Montpelier, Vt., with water in July 2023.John Tully for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The year 2023 was marked by extraordinary heat, wildfires and weather disasters.

In the U.S., an unprecedented heat wave gripped much of Texas and the Southwest with highs well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) for...

Wild 'super pigs' from Canada could become a new front in the war on feral hogs

Written by Marcus Lashley, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, University of Florida

Feral hogs' long snouts and tusks allow them to rip and root their way across the landscape in search of food. USDA/Flickr, CC BY

They go by many names – pigs, hogs, swine, razorbacks – but whatever you call them, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most damaging invasive species in North America. They cause millions of dollars in...

Finding objective ways to talk about religion in the classroom is tough − but the cost of not doing so is clear

Written by Charles J. Russo, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton

Concerns about what is or isn't legal can hinder objective lessons about religious studies in class.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

Despite the holiday season’s calls for joy and peace, religious strife continues in many places. While the United States has a great deal of litigation and controversy over religion’s place in public...