The Conversation

What is a strong El Niño? Meteorologists anticipate a big impact in winter 2023, but the forecasts don't all agree

Written by Aaron Levine, Atmospheric Research Scientist, CICOES, University of Washington

The El Niño pattern stands out in the warm sea surface temperature anomalies in the Pacific in 2023NOAA Climate.gov

Winter is still weeks away, but meteorologists are already talking about a snowy winter ahead in the southern Rockies and the Sierra Nevada. They anticipate more storms in the U.S. South and Northeast, and warmer, drier...

Astronomers have learned lots about the universe − but how do they study astronomical objects too distant to visit?

Written by Luke Keller, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Ithaca College

Telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory near La Serena, Chile.Guillaume Doyen/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, CC BY

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, dropping off its sample of dust and pebbles gathered from the surface of near-Earth asteroid Bennu.

Analysis of this sample will help scientists understand...

How did Israeli intelligence miss Hamas' preparations to attack? A US counterterrorism expert explains how Israeli intelligence works

Written by Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice in Counterterrorism, Domestic Terrorrism, Cybersecurity and National Security Law and Policy, University of Michigan

Israeli soldiers move past a military medical vehicle on Oct. 10, 2023, at Kfar Aza, a kibbutz where Hamas militants killed Israelis days before.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Israel is widely recognized as having highly sophisticated intelligence capabilities, both in terms of its ability to collect information about potential threats within its...

Rising oil prices, surging inflation: The Arab embargo 50 years ago weaponized oil to inflict economic trauma – sound familiar?

Written by Jim Krane, Fellow in Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy; Lecturer, Rice University

Cars lined up for gasoline in New Jersey in 1973 as supplies ran low and prices shot upward.Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Fifty years ago, a secret deal among Arab governments triggered one of the most traumatic economic crises to afflict the United States and other big oil importers.

Saudi King Faisal and other Arab leaders launched...

Rising oil prices, surging inflation: The Arab embargo 50 years ago weaponized oil to inflict economic trauma

Written by Jim Krane, Fellow in Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy; Lecturer, Rice University

Cars lined up for gasoline in New Jersey in 1973 as supplies ran low and prices shot upward.Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Fifty years ago, a secret deal among Arab governments triggered one of the most traumatic economic crises to afflict the United States and other big oil importers.

Saudi King Faisal and other Arab leaders launched...

Why the crisis in Israel is putting pressure on GOP to act over vacant House speaker role

Written by Laura Blessing, Senior Fellow, Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University

With Patrick McHenry leading the House as speaker pro tempore, spending and legislative options appear limited.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

In the wake of the Hamas surprise attacks on Israel, and that country’s resulting heavy military response, calls for Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to pick a new speaker quickly have...

Israel has no good options for dealing with Hamas' hostage-taking in Gaza

Written by James Forest, Professor and Director of Security Studies, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell

Pictures are put together on a pavement beside candles during the 'Jewish Community Vigil' for Israel in London on Oct. 9, 2023. AP Photo/Kin Cheung

Hamas, the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group that mounted a deadly surprise attack on Israel that has killed – at last count – at least 1,200 Israelis, has captured what are estimated...

Comets 101 − everything you need to know about the snow cones of space

Written by Shannon Schmoll, Director of the Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University

Comet Hale-Bopp was visible from Earth in 1997.E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, Austria, CC BY-NC

When you hear the word comet, you might imagine a bright streak moving across the sky. You may have a family member who saw a comet before you were born, or you may have seen one yourself when comet Nishimura passed by Earth in...

What is seawater intrusion? A hydrogeologist explains the shifting balance between fresh and salt water at the coast

Written by Holly Michael, Director, Delaware Environmental Institute, and Professor of Earth Sciences and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware

In 2022, California built an emergency drought barrier across the West False River near Oakley to protect against saltwater intrusion. AP Photo/Terry Chea

Seawater intrusion is the movement of saline water from the ocean or estuaries into freshwater systems. The seawater that has crept up the Mississippi River in the summer and early fall of 2023...

Listen up, ladies and gentlemen, guys and dudes: Terms of address can be a minefield, especially as their meanings change

Written by Scott F. Kiesling, Professor of Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh

A male colleague could be forgiven for not knowing if using “guys” to refer to female co-workers is acceptable in the modern workplace. But should he address them as “ladies,” he risks a trip to HR, or at the very least being labeled a condescending creep.

So what in the name of Messrs Merriam and Webster is going on with...