The Conversation

What is a derecho? An atmospheric scientist explains these rare but dangerous storm systems

Written by Russ Schumacher, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science and Colorado State Climatologist, Colorado State University

A derecho moves across central Kansas on July 3, 2005.Jim Reed/Corbis via Getty Images

Thunderstorms are common across North America, especially in warm weather months. About 10% of them become severe, meaning they produce hail 1 inch or greater in diameter, winds gusting in excess of 50 knots (57.5 miles per hour), or a tornado.

The U.S. recently...

Police unions are one of the biggest obstacles to transforming policing

Written by Jill McCorkel, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Villanova University

Protesters in front of Boston Police Headquarters during a United Against Racist Police Terror Rally on June 7, 2020. Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Protesters and community organizers are increasingly calling for defunding and disbanding the police as a way to end police violence.

Advocates argue that moderate reforms like...

Video: How simple math can help predict the melting of sea ice

Written by Anurag Papolu, Multimedia Editor

The new model predicts the growth of small ponds on arctic ice sheetsScientific Visualization Studio / NASA

To better predict climate change, scientists need accurate models which predict the behavior of many natural processes. One of these is the melting of arctic sea ice, which requires expensive and difficult data collection in the Arctic.

Physic...

Why stocks are soaring even as coronavirus cases surge, at least 20 million remain unemployed and the US sinks into recession

Written by Jonathan T. Fluharty-Jaidee, Assistant Department Chair and Professor of Finance, West Virginia University

Throwing cash at the problem seems to help – investors at least.elenabs/Getty Images

The number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is still climbing rapidly, over 20 million Americans remain unemployed, dozens of major companies have reportedly filed for bankruptcy, the country is officially in a recession and there’s still no vaccine in...

Churchgoers aren't able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here's why that matters

Written by Donna M. Cox, Professor of Music, University of Dayton

Even when singing does take place, voices are muffled.Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Because of COVID-19, churches no longer reverberate with song; hymnals are neatly stacked and projection screens blank. Even as church leaders plan for reopening, scientists warn that it might be too early to resume singing in groups.

Though such restrictions...

A short history of black women and police violence

Written by Keisha N. Blain, Associate Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh

A protester holds up a sign with Breonna Taylor's name. Taylor was killed by police officers on March 13.Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Just after midnight on March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, an EMT in Louisville, Kentucky, was shot and killed by police officers who raided her home.

The officers had entered her home without warning as part of a drug...

Am I immune to COVID-19 if I have antibodies?

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

For those who have suffered from COVID-19, do their antibodies guarantee immunity from subsequent disease?SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI / Getty Images

Perhaps the most important question now about COVID-19 is the degree to which a prior infection protects from a second infection by the new coronavirus. This affects vaccine development and herd immunity and...

High-tech surveillance amplifies police bias and overreach

Written by Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, Professor of Law, American University

Police forces have a wide range of options for monitoring individuals and crowds.Nicholas Kaeser/Flickr, CC BY-NC

Video of police in riot gear clashing with unarmed protesters in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has filled social media feeds. Meanwhile, police surveillance of protesters has...

Students demand removal of 'mild racist' from Georgia landscape

Written by Kathy Roberts Forde, Associate Professor, Journalism Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst

People raise their fists outside Atlanta City Hall during a protest over the death of George Floyd on June 6, 2020. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Following the lead of African American activists, a coalition of young people has taken to the streets to protest police brutality and systemic racism across the country. Protesters in the South have...

China's efforts to win hearts and minds with aid and investment may make all the difference if there's a cold war with the US

Written by Nader Habibi, Henry J. Leir Professor of Practice in Economics of the Middle East, Brandeis University

Venezuela Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, center, greets the arrival of medical specialists and supplies from China in March.AP Photo/Matias Delacroix

U.S.-China relations are the worst they’ve been in decades – at least since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in June 1989, which led to almost complete international isolation of China.

Some...