The Conversation

Deep-sea mining threatens sea life in a way no one is thinking about − by dumping debris into the thriving midwater zone

Written by Alexus Cazares-Nuesser, Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Oceanography, University of Hawaii

A cnidarian is attached to a dead sponge stalk on a manganese nodule in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.Diva Amon and Craig Smith, University of Hawaii at Mānoa

Picture an ocean world so deep and dark it feels like another planet – where creatures glow and life survives under crushing pressure.

This is the midwater zone, a hidden ecosystem...

The solution to workplace isolation might be in the gap − the generation gap

Written by Megan Gerhardt, Professor of Management, Farmer School of Business, Miami University

The potential for friendships and mentorships between colleagues in different stages of life are often overlooked.OwenPrice/E+ via Getty Images

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the United States finds itself in the midst of another public health crisis. This particular pandemic is a psychological one: widespread loneliness and...

Trump is not a king – but that doesn’t stop him from reveling in his job’s most ceremonial and exciting parts

Written by Shannon Bow O'Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

President Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Heads of state are the symbolic leader of a country. Some of them, like King Charles III of the United Kingdom, carry out largely ceremonial roles these days. Others, like Saudi Arabian King Salman,...

Trump’s desire to ‘un-unite’ Russia and China is unlikely to work – in fact, it could well backfire

Written by Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University

Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Russia's Vladimir Putin.Getty Images

Is the U.S. angling for a repeat of the Sino-Russian split?

In an Oct. 31, 2024, interview with right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson, President Donald Trump argued that the United States under Joe Biden had, in his mind erroneously, pushed China and Russia together. Separating the...

Engineering students explore how to ethically design and locate nuclear facilities in this college course

Written by Aditi Verma, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan

While nuclear power can reap enormous benefits, it also comes with some risks. Michel Gounot/GODONG/Stone via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Socially Engaged Design of Nuclear Energy Technologies

What prompted the idea for the course?

T...

Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work

Written by James T. Stroud, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology

After gathering data on the captured anole, the team releases it back to the wild.Neil Losin/Day's Edge Prods.

Every morning in Miami, our fieldwork begins the same way. Fresh Cuban coffee and pastelitos – delicious Latin American pastries – fuel our team for another day of evolutionary detective work. Here we’re tracking...

Mae Reeves used showstopping hats to fuel voter engagement and Black entrepreneurship

Written by Reneé S. Anderson, Collections Manager, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution

Mae Reeves and her husband, Joel, pose with her hats at Mae's Millinery in Philadelphia, circa 1953. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture/Gift from Mae Reeves and her children Donna Limerick and William Mincey Jr.

Lula “Mae” Reeves, one of the first Black women in Philly to own her own...

Rethinking repression − why memory researchers reject the idea of recovered memories of trauma

Written by Gabrielle Principe, Professor of Psychology, College of Charleston

Memories and photos both can misrepresent the past.Westend61 via Getty Images

In 1990, George Franklin was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison based on the testimony of his 28-year-old daughter Eileen. She described seeing him rape her best friend and then smash her skull with a rock.

When Eileen testified at her father’s...

Ukraine will need major rebuilding when war ends − here’s why the US isn’t likely to invest in its recovery with a new Marshall Plan

Written by Frank A. Blazich Jr., Curator of Military History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Europe after World War II? No, it's the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in 2023, after a year of Russian bombardment. AP Photo, File

President Donald Trump wants Ukraine to repay the United States for helping to defend the country against Russia’s invasion.

Since 2022, Congress has provided about US$174 billion to Ukraine and neighboring countries t...

How many types of insects are there in the world?

Written by Nicholas Green, Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University

This is a close-up photo of an ordinary garden fly.Amith Nag Photography/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.

How many types of insects are there in the world? – Sawyer, age 8, Fuquay-Varina, North...