The Conversation

Why do smoke alarms keep going off even when there's no smoke?

Written by MVS Chandrashekhar, Assistant professor of electrical engineering, University of South Carolina

Sensors in smoke detectors monitor how particles in the air affect a flow of current to the batteryGarrett Aitken/iStock via Getty Images

Editor’s note: MVS Chandrashekhar is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of South Carolina. In this interview, he explains how smoke detectors work and why they sometimes sound an alarm...

The insurrection at the Capitol challenged how US media frames unrest and shapes public opinion

Written by Danielle K. Kilgo, John and Elizabeth Bates Cowles Professor of Journalism, Diversity, and Equality, University of Minnesota

Trashed equipment for media outlets at the Capitol ... but not reputations?Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday wasn’t typical. Nor was the coverage.

Footage carried live by cable news and clips and photos shared across social media were jolting. One image showed a man who had broken into the...

How does the 25th Amendment work, and can it be used to remove Trump from office after US Capitol attack?

Written by Stephanie Newbold, Associate Professor, Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University - Newark

After President Trump incited violence on Jan. 6, some high-ranking officials say he is unfit to lead the United States. Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A day after President Donald Trump incited supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and...

Connected workouts can help you get fit alongside virtual buddies during the pandemic

Written by Deborah Feltz, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Kinesiology, Michigan State University

Riding together from afar can help you build the exercise habit.ArtistGNDphotography/E+ via Getty Images

Sales of exercise gear and technology-based fitness tools have exploded in the U.S. as people try to maintain their workout regimens without going to the gym.

Purchases range from simple dumbbells and outdoor bicycles to internet-connected...

US Capitol protesters, egged on by Trump, are part of a long history of white supremacists hearing politicians' words as encouragement

Written by Shannon M. Smith, Associate Professor of History, College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University

The Proud Boys outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

“President Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress incited a violent attack Wednesday against the government they lead,” The New York Times’ editorial board wrote on...

Pikas are adapting to climate change remarkably well, contrary to many predictions

Written by Andrew Smith, Professor Emeritus of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Stocking the haypile.Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Climate change is harming many special places and iconic species around our planet, from Glacier National Park’s disappearing glaciers to California redwoods scorched by wildfires. But for the animal I study, the American pika (Ochotona princeps), there’s actually some...

Was it a coup? No, but siege on US Capitol was the election violence of a fragile democracy

Written by Clayton Besaw, Research Affiliate and Senior Analyst, University of Central Florida

Insurrection at the US Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021.Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Did the United States just have a coup attempt?

Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Waving Trump banners, hundreds...

'Once you engage in political violence, it becomes easier to do it again' – an expert on political violence reflects on events at the Capitol

Written by Naomi Schalit, Senior Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation US

Protesters forcing their way into the Capitol.Win McNamee/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Editor’s note: Ore Koren is a scholar of civil conflict and political violence. Before the November 2020 election, he wrote a story for The Conversation about the likelihood of election-related violence in the U.S. So we went back to him on Wednesday,...

Yellow Gadsden flag, prominent in Capitol takeover, carries a long and shifting history

Written by Paul Bruski, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, Iowa State University

Gadsden flags fly at a protest Wednesday at the Capitol.Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Flown by many protesters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the Gadsden flag has a design that is simple and graphic: a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow field with the text “Don’t Tread On Me.” But that simple design hides some...

COVID-19 crisis in Los Angeles: Why activating 'crisis standards of care' is crucial for overwhelmed hospitals

Written by Maria Howard, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Gonzaga University

Hallways busy with COVID-19 patients have become temporary patient holding areas in overcrowded hospitals.Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

In Los Angeles County, ambulance crews are being told to conserve oxygen and to not take certain trauma and cardiac arrest patients they can’t resuscitate in the field. When ambulances do...