The Conversation

What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs

Written by Amal Elawady, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University

A downburst blasts Bangkok, Thailand, in 2017.Natapat Ariyamongkol/iStock/Getty Images Plus

From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive.

When a downburst’s winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions, sometimes with enough force to...

How rising wages for construction workers are shifting the foundations of the housing market

Written by Bahaa Chammout, Kummer I&E PhD Fellow in Civil Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Construction costs have surged in recent years, pushing homeownership further out of reach for many Americans. But this isn’t a new concern: In 1978, the U.S. Government Accountability Office warned that rising costs were threatening the American dream – at a time when the median home price was just US$44,300, less than three times the...

Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways

Written by Courtney McGinnis, Professor of Biology, Medical Sciences and Environmental Sciences, Quinnipiac University

A bee enjoys lunch on a flower in Hillsboro, Ore.HIllsboro Parks & Rec, CC BY-NC-ND

The problem with climate change isn’t just the temperature – it’s also how fast the climate is changing today.

Historically, Earth’s climate changes have generally happened over thousands to millions of years. Today, global temperatures...

How a reading group helped young German students defy the Nazis and find their faith

Written by Peter Nguyen, SJ, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

A copy of the sentences against, left to right, Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst is displayed at the White Rose Memorial in Munich.Johannes Simon/Getty Images

For three weeks in April 2025, my “Theology of Christian Martyrdom” class studied how a group of German students and...

‘Agreeing to disagree’ is hurting your relationships – here’s what to do instead

Written by Lisa Pavia-Higel, Assistant Teaching Professor of English and Technical Communication, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Conversational tools like 'looping' and 'reframing' can help move a conversation away from confrontation.Candra Ritonga/iStock via Getty Images Plus

As Americans become more polarized, even family dinners can feel fraught, surfacing differences that could spark out-and-out conflict. Tense conversations often end with a familiar refrain:...

Young bats learn to be discriminating when listening for their next meal

Written by Logan S. James, Research Associate in Animal Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin

A frog-eating bat approaches a túngara frog, one of its preferred foods.Grant Maslowski

It is late at night, and we are silently watching a bat in a roost through a night-vision camera. From a nearby speaker comes a long, rattling trill.

Cane toad’s rattling trill call.

The bat briefly perks up and wiggles its...

RFK Jr. said many autistic people will never write a poem − even though there’s a rich history of neurodivergent poets and writers

Written by Bradley J. Irish, Associate Professor of English, Arizona State University

Scholars today believe Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was probably on the autism spectrum.Bettmann/Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently declared autism a national “epidemic,” calling it a “preventable disease” that is growing at an “alarming rate.”

He went...

Whooping cough is making a comeback, but the vaccine provides powerful protection

Written by Annette Regan, Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles

Infants can get vaccinated against whooping cough starting at 6 weeks of age.Hill Street Studios/Corbis via Getty Images

Whooping cough, a bacterial infection that can be especially dangerous for babies and young children, is on the rise. Already in 2025 the U.S. has recorded 8,485 cases. That’s compared with 4,266 cases during the same...

No whistleblower is an island – why networks of allies are key to exposing corruption

Written by Kate Kenny, Professor of Business and Society, University of Galway

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks at a conference in 2022. Kimberly White/Getty Images for SumOfUs

Whistleblowers – people who expose wrongdoing within their organizations – play a crucial role in holding governments and corporations accountable. But speaking up can come at a cost. People who report misconduct often face...

From cats and dogs to penguins and llamas, treating animals with acupuncture has become mainstream in veterinary medicine

Written by Joe Smith, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee

Kevin, a King Charles spaniel, receives acupuncture treatment at a Washington, D.C. animal hospital.Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

A perentie lizard in Dallas, an African penguin in Boston and an Oberhasli goat in Chicago are just a few recent examples of animals at zoos and aquariums benefiting recently from acupuncture therapy. As acupuncture...