The Conversation

What is a self-coup? South Korea president’s attempt ended in failure − a notable exception in a growing global trend

Written by John Joseph Chin, Assistant Teaching Professor of Strategy and Technology, Carnegie Mellon University

South Korean soldiers try to get into the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 3, 2024.Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Something unexpected – but hardly unprecedented – happened in South Korea on Dec. 3, 2024. With little warning, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, citing the threat from “pro-North Korean anti-state...

Some black holes at the centers of galaxies have a buddy − but detecting these binary pairs isn’t easy

Written by Marco Ajello, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University

Some black holes, bound by gravity, rotate around each other, as shown in this simulated image. Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes Lensing (SXS), CC BY-SA

Every galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center, much like every egg has a yolk. But sometimes, hens lay eggs with two yolks. In a similar way, astrophysicists like us who study supermassive...

Long-standing American principle of birthright citizenship under attack from Trump allies

Written by Carol Nackenoff, Richter Professor Emerita of Political Science, Swarthmore College

Children born on U.S. soil automatically have U.S. citizenship, regardless of who their parents are.RichLegg/E+ via Getty Images

As President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to implement sweeping policy changes affecting American immigration and immigrants, one of the issues under scrutiny by his allies appears to be birthright citizenship –...

Avian flu virus has been found in raw milk − a reminder of how pasteurization protects health

Written by Kerry E. Kaylegian, Associate Research Professor of Food Science, Penn State

Pasteurizing milk kills disease-causing pathogens that dairy cattle pick up in fields and barns.steverts, iStock /Getty Images Plus

As the H5N1 avian flu virus continues to spread in poultry flocks and dairy cattle, consumers may worry about whether the U.S. milk supply is safe to drink. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the...

Can you choose to believe something, just like that?

Written by Mark Boespflug, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Fort Lewis College

I decide, therefore I believe?duoogle/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Some years ago, I was in a lively conversation with a software developer about arguments for and against God’s existence. After discussing their merits and shortcomings, he paused – perhaps a little impatiently – and said, “You know, these arguments really...

‘Lebanon wanted us gone … it was a risk to leave’ − Syrian refugees who fled Israeli bombs face hostility and uncertainty on return

Written by Jasmin Lilian Diab, Assistant Professor of Migration Studies; Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American University

Lebanese aid workers help Syrian refugees at the Masnaa border crossing in Bekaa Valley.Sami Boudra/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought a cautious sense of relief to a Lebanese population battered by a yearlong conflict, not least the more than 1 million people displaced during the escalatio...

Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new users

Written by Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder

Bluesky is having a moment as millions of people have joined in the wake of the 2024 election.Anna Barclay/Getty Images

What would you say at Twitter’s funeral?

That’s the question my collaborators and I asked over 1,000 people on social media as part of a broader research project on Twitter migration. Responses ranged from the profane...

How a director of national intelligence helps a president stay on top of threats from around the world

Written by Gregory F. Treverton, Professor of Practice in International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The director of national intelligence coordinates the work of 18 agencies that ultimately provide crucial intelligence to the president. Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In all the arguments over whether President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence is fit for the job, it’s easy to lose sight of...

Prenatal supplements largely lack the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent preterm birth − new research

Written by Mary Scourboutakos, Family Medicine Resident and Nutrition Expert, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Few women of childbearing age consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.Caroline Purser/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Most prenatal supplements lack the amount of omega-3 fatty acids that could help prevent preterm birth, meaning delivery before 37 weeks’ gestation. This is a key finding of a new study, published by my team, in the...

Supreme Court could narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews, with less consideration of how projects would contribute to climate change

Written by J.B. Ruhl, Professor of Law, Director, Program on Law and Innovation, and Co-director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt University

NEPA reviews are a tool for informing the public about how major federal actions could affect the environment.May Lim / 500px via Getty Images

In the 1993 movie “Jurassic Park,” Dr. Ian Malcolm, a fictional math genius specializing in chaos theory, explains the “butterfly effect,” which holds that tiny actions can lead to...