The Conversation

Israeli invasion of Gaza likely to resemble past difficult battles in Iraq and Syria

Written by Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice of Public Policy, University of Michigan

Armored Israeli military vehicles maneuver near Israel's border with Gaza.Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

Israel appears to be preparing for the next phase of its military operation: a ground campaign to “crush and destroy” Hamas, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put it.

Israel has signaled that it might be willing to...

TCUS senior editor Kalpana Jain explores Indigenous communities in Indonesia − and learns about their struggles to reclaim land

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor/ Director of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative

Traditional grain houses inside a village chief's residential complex in West Java, Indonesia.Kalpana Jain

Kalpana Jain, senior religion and ethics editor at The Conversation, spent part of 2023 on a trip spanning over 20,000 miles, covering seven cities in three countries, as an East-West Center 2023 Senior Journalists Fellow to pursue issues...

Are ghosts real? A social psychologist examines the evidence

Written by Barry Markovsky, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of South Carolina

Remember the old saying: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.David Wall/Moment via Getty Images

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.

Is it possible for there to be ghosts? – Madelyn, age 11, Fort Lupton,...

Let the community work it out: Throwback to early internet days could fix social media's crisis of legitimacy

Written by Ethan Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Communication, and Information, UMass Amherst

Content moderators like these workers make decisions about online communities based on company dictates.Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Washington Post via Getty Images

In the 2018 documentary “The Cleaners,” a young man in Manila, Philippines, explains his work as a content moderator: “We see the pictures on the screen. You then go...

The Rio Grande isn't just a border – it's a river in crisis

Written by Vianey Rueda, PhD Student in Resource Ecology Management, University of Michigan

The Rio Grande, viewed from the Zaragoza International Bridge between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.Vianey Rueda, CC BY-ND

The Rio Grande is one of the longest rivers in North America, running some 1,900 miles (3,060 kilometers) from the Colorado Rockies southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. It provides fresh water for seven U.S. and Mexican...

Backlash to the oil CEO leading the UN climate summit overlooks his ambitious agenda for COP28 – and concerns of the Global South

Written by Ibrahim Ozdemir, Professor of Philosophy, Uskudar University; Visiting Professor, Clark University

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, CEO of the United Arab Emirates' state oil company, will be leading the COP28 United Nations climate conference.Francois Walschaerts/AFP via Getty Images

In December 2023, negotiators from countries worldwide will meet in the United Arab Emirates for the next round of international climate talks. While the talks are...

Space rocks and asteroid dust are pricey, but these aren't the most expensive materials used in science

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

Meteorites can get pricey, but they're not the most expensive material. AP Photo/Thibault Camus

After a journey of seven years and nearly 4 billion miles, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft landed gently in the Utah desert on the morning of Sept. 24, 2023, with a precious payload. The spacecraft brought back a sample from the asteroid Bennu.

OSIRIS-RE...

How 'La Catrina' became the iconic symbol of Day of the Dead

Written by Mathew Sandoval, Associate Teaching Professor in Culture & Performance, Arizona State University

A girl dressed as a 'catrina' takes part in the Catrinas Parade in Mexico City to celebrate Day of the Dead.Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images

On April 13, 1944, thousands of people clashed with police on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The melee was unrelated to U.S. participation in World War II, labor unrest or President Franklin D....

Hot-button topics may get public attention at the Vatican synod, but a more fundamental issue for the Catholic Church is at the heart of debate

Written by Richard Wood, President, Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Delegates attend the opening of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Oct. 4, 2023, at the Vatican. Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

High-ranking Catholics from across the globe have converged on the Vatican, where a landmark initiative is underway that will shape the future of the Catholic Church.

Cardinals, bishops, priests...

GOP's House paralysis is a crisis in a time of crises

Written by Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University

There's trouble under the U.S. Capitol dome. iStock / Getty Images Plus

House Republicans fired one leader, Kevin McCarthy, and have spent almost three weeks trying unsuccessfully to choose another to succeed him as speaker of the House. That’s left the U.S. House of Representatives unable to do its work, paralyzing the entire legislative...