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2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve

  • Written by Annalisa Bracco, Professor of Ocean and Climate Dynamics, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageThe global ocean's surface temperature was still well above average going into 2025.Meaghan Skinner Photography/Moment via Getty Images

The oceans are heating up as the planet warms.

This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a record-breaking 2023. In fact, every decade since 1984, when satellite...

Read more: 2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve

Trump’s Greenland bid is really about control of the Arctic and the coming battle with China

  • Written by Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

When Donald Trump first offered to buy Greenland in 2019, he was widely ridiculed and nothing much came of it, apart from a cancelled state visit to Denmark. Fast forward six years and Trump’s renewed “bid” for the world’s largest island is back on the table.

And with renewed vigour at that. In an interview on January 7,...

Read more: Trump’s Greenland bid is really about control of the Arctic and the coming battle with China

Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump

  • Written by Sylvia Taschka, Professor of Teaching of History, Wayne State University
imagePresident Donald Trump arrives at a G20 economic summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017 during his first term in office.Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in November 2024, the German state-owned news service Deutsche Welle published an article with the headline...

Read more: Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump

Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare

  • Written by Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

In previous eras of internet culture, mockery of the rich and famous was usually relegated to far-left forums.

But as 2025 begins, ridiculing the rich appears to have gone mainstream.

Look no further than the Walmart handbag that mimics the look of Hermès’ iconic, exclusive and uber-expensive Birkin bag.

The cost of the Birkin bag can...

Read more: Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare

Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

  • Written by Alana Chin, Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology, Cal Poly Humboldt
imageTrees killed by drought and an outbreak of bark beetles in California's Tahoe National Forest in 2023.AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

What does the future hold for forests in a warmer, drier world? Over the past 25 years, trees have been dying due to effects of climate change around the world. In Africa, Asia, NorthAmerica, South America and Eu...

Read more: Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young...

I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions

  • Written by Monti Datta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

Several high-profile celebrities were slapped with human-trafficking charges in late 2024, from music mogul Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries. Neither has been tried yet, but in 2022 the R&B superstar R. Kelly was convicted of sex-trafficking crimes that dated back decades. He was sentenced to 30 years....

Read more: I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their...

3 myths about rural education that are holding students back

  • Written by Sheneka Williams, Professor and Department Chair of Educational Administration, Michigan State University
imageStudents in rural areas achieve just as much as their peers elsewhere. skynesher/E+ via Getty Images

Much has been written about the potential consequences of getting rid of the Department of Education, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises.

Little of the discussion that we’ve seen has focused on the impact on rural...

Read more: 3 myths about rural education that are holding students back

How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

  • Written by Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
imageJoaquin Traverso Traverso/Shutterstock

Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and every year, approximately 57 million tons of plastic pollution is created. And yet in November, the latest round of negotiations on the first legally binding international treaty on plastics pollution ended without an agreement.

Oil-producing...

Read more: How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California

  • Written by Jon Keeley, Research Ecologist, USGS; Adjunct Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
imageOver 1,000 structures burned in the span of two days, Jan 7-8, 2025, near Los Angeles.AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Powerful Santa Ana winds, near hurricane strength at times, swept down the mountains outside Los Angeles and pushed wildfires into several neighborhoods starting Jan. 7, 2025. Well over 1,000 homes and several schools had burned by Jan. 8, and...

Read more: How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California

More Articles ...

  1. Trump won’t rule out force to take Greenland – a country with a complex colonial history
  2. Trump’s push to control Greenland echoes US purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867
  3. Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies
  4. 3 ways Trump’s EPA could use the language of science to weaken pollution controls
  5. Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
  6. Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way
  7. Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have
  8. Interior secretary manages vast lands that all Americans share − and can sway the balance between conservation and development
  9. Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere
  10. Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find
  11. Jean-Marie Le Pen died knowing his extremist far-right politics have been successfully mainstreamed in France
  12. Vitamin deficiency may be why you’re so tired – a nutritional neuroscientist explains how to kickstart your energy by getting essential nutrients in a well-rounded diet, along with more sleep and exercise
  13. Unlikely bedfellows: How platform companies shortchange porn performers and ride-hailing drivers alike
  14. Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows
  15. Technology is supposed to decrease teacher burnout – but we found it can sometimes make it worse
  16. Brain monitoring may be the future of work – how it’s used could improve employee performance or worsen discrimination
  17. Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards
  18. Trudeau taps out: How Trump’s taunts and tariff threats added to domestic woes confronting Canada’s long-standing PM
  19. Americans’ rage at insurers goes beyond health coverage – the author of ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’ points to 3 reforms that could help
  20. How Christian nationalism played a role in incorporating the phrase ‘so help me God’ in the presidential oath of office
  21. That Arctic blast can feel brutally cold, but how much colder than ‘normal’ is it really?
  22. What Shakespeare revealed about the chaotic reign of Richard III – and why the play still resonates in the age of Donald Trump
  23. Nearly 54% of extreme conservatives say the federal government should use violence to stop illegal immigration
  24. Plants that evolved in Florida over millennia now face extinction and lack protection
  25. Microbes can colonize space, produce drugs and create energy − researchers are simulating their inner workings to harness how
  26. What is a war crime?
  27. Here’s what happens when teachers tailor their lessons to students’ individual learning styles
  28. Relentless warming is driving the water cycle to new extremes, the 2024 global water report shows
  29. Mainstream media faces a credibility crisis – my journalism research shows how the news can still serve the public
  30. Will AI revolutionize drug development? Researchers explain why it depends on how it’s used
  31. Is the American Dream achievable? These students are examining its promises and pitfalls
  32. Tech law in 2025: a look ahead at AI, privacy and social media regulation under the new Trump administration
  33. Afghanistan shows what investing in women’s education – or divesting – can do to an economy
  34. Can science be both open and secure? Nations grapple with tightening research security as China’s dominance grows
  35. New Orleans attacker’s apparent loyalty to Islamic State group highlights persistent threat of lone wolf terrorism
  36. Mindfulness is about ‘remembering’ − a practice of coming back to the now
  37. Selling fear: Marketing for cybersecurity products often leaves consumers less secure
  38. Righting a wrong, name by name − the Irei monument honors Japanese Americans imprisoned by the US government during World War II
  39. How effective is tutoring in the United States? – 4 essential reads
  40. Brain implants, agentic AI and answers on dark matter: what to expect from science in 2025 – podcast
  41. Faced with Trump’s tariffs − and crackdowns on migration and narcotrafficking − Mexico is weighing retaliatory options
  42. NASA’s micro-mission Lunar Trailblazer will make macro-measurements of the lunar surface in 2025
  43. Transform the daily grind to make life more interesting – a philosopher shares 3 strategies to help you attain the good life
  44. What if you could rank food by ‘healthiness’ as you shopped? Nutrient profiling systems use algorithms to simplify picking healthy groceries
  45. 5 elections to watch in 2025
  46. New Year’s Eve celebrates St. Silvester – the 4th-century pope whose legend shaped ideas of church and state
  47. What are macros? An exercise and nutrition scientist explains
  48. What does 2025 hold for interest rates, inflation and the American consumer?
  49. From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, expect a slate of exciting space missions in 2025
  50. 3 years after the Marshall Fire: Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger long-term in homes that escape burning