The Conversation

Arctic Report Card 2023: From wildfires to melting sea ice, the warmest summer on record had cascading impacts across the Arctic

Written by Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Giovanna Stevens grew up harvesting salmon at her family’s fish camp on Alaska's Yukon River. Climate change is interrupting hunting and fishing traditions in many areas.AP Photo/Nathan Howard

The year 2023 shattered the record for the warmest summer in the Arctic, and people and ecosystems across the region felt the impact. Wildfires forced...

Israelis and Palestinians warring over a homeland is far from unique

Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

The golden Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine, a holy site for Muslims, stands close to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in an aerial view of Jerusalem's Old City. David Silverman/Getty Images

The ongoing horrors unfolding in Israel and Gaza have deep-rooted origins that stem from a complex and contested question: Who has rights to the same...

Israel-Hamas war may not restore Israelis' support for military reserves

Written by Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell

Israeli reservists take a moment to rest in southern Israel on Nov. 13, 2023.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

One of the first Israeli government responses to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack was the mobilization of about 360,000 reservists into active duty for the Israel military. This amounts to roughly 4% of the nation’s population...

Could UPS and FedEx get holiday packages to their destinations faster? This research suggests yes

Written by Toyin Clottey, Professor of Supply Chain Management, Wayne State University

The real heroes of the holidays.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Every year, parcel delivery companies – think UPS and FedEx – hire tens of thousands of seasonal driver helpers to handle the deluge of presents that arrive with the holidays. At peak times, shipping firms depend on their helpers just as much as Santa depends on his elves. And...

Before he was House speaker, Mike Johnson represented a creationist museum in court. Here’s what that episode reveals about his politics

Written by William Trollinger, Professor of History, University of Dayton

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson takes questions from reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 14, 2023.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has been the subject of considerable media attention following his elevation to the post on Oct. 25, 2023. Since his appointment, news reports have highlighted the fact that he...

Scientists and space agencies are shooting for the Moon -- 5 essential reads on modern lunar missions

Written by Mary Magnuson, Assistant Science Editor

The Moon, shot from Pakistan during a lunar eclipse. AP Photo/Fareed Khan

The year 2023 proved a big one for lunar science. India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed near the south pole of the Moon, a huge accomplishment for a country relatively new to the space scene, especially after its Chandrayaan-2 craft crashed in 2019.

At the same time,...

Customizing mRNA is easy, and that's what makes it the next frontier for personalized medicine − a molecular biologist explains

Written by Angie Hilliker, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Richmond

One of the advantages of mRNA is its scalability.DrAfter123/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

While using mRNA as medicine is new, mRNA has been inside you for your entire life. The cells in your body create mRNAs that serve as instructions to make specific proteins you need to function. Researchers can create new mRNAs to correct those...

What's the point of giving gifts? An anthropologist explains this ancient part of being human

Written by Chip Colwell, Associate Research Professor of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver

Gifts are usually given reciprocally.Svetlana_nsk/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Have you planned out your holiday gift giving yet? If you’re anything like me, you might be waiting until the last minute. But whether every single present is already wrapped and ready, or you’ll hit the shops on Christmas Eve, giving gifts is a curious but...

Why university presidents find it hard to punish advocating genocide − college free speech codes are both more and less protective than the First Amendment

Written by Lynn Greenky, Professor Emeritus of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University

Harvard President Claudine Gay, University of Pennsylvania then-President Elizabeth Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth testify before Congress on Dec. 5, 2023.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

If a student were to walk off the Harvard campus and onto a street in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and argue for the genocide of Jews, the U.S....

Was King Herod the Great really so 'great'? What history says about the bad guy of the Christmas story

Written by Aaron Gale, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, West Virginia University

Herod the Great − though in the Gospel of Matthew, he wasn't so great.Hulton Archive via Getty Images

King Herod will sound familiar to anyone who’s heard the Christmas story. King of Judea when Jesus of Nazareth was born, the ruler attempts to find and kill the baby after hearing that the “King of the Jews” has just been...