The Conversation

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you

Written by Jacob S. Suissa, Assistant Professor of Plant Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

You may be surprised by what's growing on a familiar trail.Benjamin Goulet-Scott, CC BY-ND

When you hear about the abundance of life on Earth, what do you picture? For many people, it’s animals – but awareness of plant diversity is growing rapidly.

Our planet has nearly 300,000 species of flowering plants. Among animals, only beetles can...

Tinmel – Morocco's medieval shrine and mosque – is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake

Written by Abbey Stockstill, Assistant Professor of Art History, Southern Methodist University

A group of men praying in front of the mosque in Tinmel village that has suffered serious damage in the recent earthquake.Matias Chiofalo/Getty Images

The damage from the earthquake that struck Morocco on Sept. 8, 2023, is still being assessed. Moroccans are grappling not just with the loss of thousands of lives, but also with the widespread...

AI won't be replacing your priest, minister, rabbi or imam any time soon

Written by Pauline Hope Cheong, Professor of Human Communication and Communication Technologies, Arizona State University

An android called 'Kannon Mindar,' which preaches Buddhist sermons.Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Early in the summer of 2023, robots projected on a screen delivered sermons to about 300 congregants at St. Paul’s Church in Bavaria, Germany. Created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the...

Earthquakes and other natural hazards are a risk everywhere – here's how people are preparing in the US and around the world

Written by John van de Lindt, Professor of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University

With a magnitude of 6.8, the earthquake in Morocco killed approximately 2,500 people.Sima Diab/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Disasters can happen anywhere.

Some places are more prone to hazards such as earthquakes, flooding and hurricanes, but there’s nowhere where the risk is zero. The good news is that humans can make good decisions...

What are 'mule addresses'? Criminologists explain how vacant properties serve as depots for illegal online purchases

Written by David Maimon, Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University

Nobody's home, just as the sender intended.AndreyPopov/ iStock via Getty Images Plus

Online shopping isn’t just a convenient way to buy batteries, diapers, computers and other stuff without going to a brick-and-mortar store.

Many Americans also use the internet to quietly acquire illegal, fake and stolen items. Guns, prescription drugs no...

Racial trauma has profound mental health consequence - a Black clinical psychologist explains and offers 5 ways to heal

Written by Char Newton, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota

Racial trauma can cause feelings of isolation among Black people. Taiyou Nomachi/Getty Images

Since European expansion into the Americas, white people have demonized Black people and portrayed them as undesirable, violent and hypersexual. Originally, the intent of this demonization was to legitimize the conquest and sale of African people.

One...

India and Vietnam are partnering with the US to counter China − even as Biden claims that's not his goal

Written by Leland Lazarus, Associate Director of National Security, Florida International University

United States and Chinese flags are set up before a July 8, 2023, meeting between officials of the two countries in Beijing.Mark Schiefelbein/Getty Images News via Getty Images

This fall, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is slated to lead a bipartisan group of U.S. senators to China. The planned trip, like other recent visits to China by...

Desert dust storms carry human-made toxic pollutants, and the health risk extends indoors

Written by Claire Williams Bridgwater, Research Professor in Environmental Science, American University

A massive dust storm billows across the western desert of Iraq on April 26, 2005.Shannon Arledge/USMC via Getty Images

Humans have contended with dust storms for thousands of years, ever since early civilizations appeared in the Middle East and North Africa. But modern desert dust storms are different from their preindustrial counterparts.

Around...

Keeping your cool in a warming world: 8 steps to help manage eco-anxiety

Written by Karen Magruder, Assistant Professor of Practice in Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington

In a world facing environmental challenges unprecedented in human history, it’s no surprise that eco-anxiety – a pervasive worry about the current and future state of our planet – has become an increasingly prevalent mental health issue.

As people witness the devastating impacts of climate change, deforestation and loss of biodiversi...

What are the liberal arts? A literature scholar explains

Written by Blaine Greteman, Professor and Chair of English, University of Iowa

Cicero defined 'liberal arts' in a book he wrote about rhetoric in a republic. ra-photos/E+ via Getty Images

The term “liberal arts” is one of the most misunderstood terms in the public discourse on higher education today. A higher education expert once said that putting the words “liberal” and “arts” together...