The Conversation

More lunar missions means more space junk around the Moon – two scientists are building a catalog to track the trash

Written by Vishnu Reddy, Professor of Planetary Science, University of Arizona

There are more than 100 missions to the Moon planned in the coming years, including the next Artemis missions.NASA

Scientists and government agencies have been worried about the space junk surrounding Earth for decades. But humanity’s starry ambitions are farther reaching than the space just around Earth. Ever since the 1960s with the launch...

Is the gruesome fun in Netflix's 'Wednesday' realistic? What science says about getting eaten by piranhas and poisoned by nightshade

Written by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University

Piranhas do bite, but can they kill you?Netflix

Editor’s note: This article contains minor spoilers for the Netflix series “Wednesday.”

The popular Netflix series “Wednesday” chronicles the adventures of the Addams family’s teen daughter. After her parents send her to Nevermore Academy, a school for...

The politics of blasphemy: Why Pakistan and some other Muslim countries are passing new blasphemy laws

Written by Ahmet T. Kuru, Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University

People gather around the body of a man who was killed when an enraged mob stoned him to death for allegedly desecrating the Quran, in eastern Pakistan in February 2022.AP Photo/Asim Tanveer

On Jan. 17, 2023, Pakistan’s National Assembly unanimously voted to expand the country’s laws on blasphemy, which carries the death penalty for...

The US and the Philippines' military agreement sends a warning to China – 4 key things to know

Written by Michael A. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, center, arrives at a military camp in Quezon City, Philippines, on Feb. 2, 2023.Rolex Dela Pena/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The United States and the Philippines announced on Feb. 2, 2023, that the U.S. is expanding its military presence across more military bases in the Southeast Asian country, giving the U.S. a...

As climate change and overuse shrink Lake Powell, the emergent landscape is coming back to life – and posing new challenges

Written by Daniel Craig McCool, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Utah

The white 'bathtub ring' around Lake Powell, which is roughly 110 feet high, shows the former high water mark.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

As Western states haggle over reducing water use because of declining flows in the Colorado River Basin, a more hopeful drama is playing out in Glen Canyon.

Lake Powell, the second-largest U.S. reservoir, extends from...

Diversity and moderation over tradition – why Democrats moved South Carolina to the start of the 2024 presidential campaign

Written by Gibbs Knotts, Professor of Political Science and Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Charleston

Caucusgoers stand beneath the sign for the South Carolina delegation at the Democratic National Convention.Bill Clark /CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images

The Democratic National Committee approved a proposal on Feb. 4, 2023, that puts South Carolina first on the party’s presidential nominating calendar, upending 50 years of tradition. For...

Chinese spy balloon over the US: An aerospace expert explains how the balloons work and what they can see

Written by Iain Boyd, Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

A Chinese surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace before it was shot down by the U.S. military.Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The U.S. military shot down what U.S. officials called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023. Officials said that the U.S. Navy planned to recover the debris, which is in...

Biden's plan for ending the emergency declaration for COVID-19 signals a pivotal point in the pandemic – 4 questions answered

Written by Amy Lauren Fairchild, Dean and Professor of Public Health, The Ohio State University

COVID-19 emergency status prompted coordinated vaccination efforts by health care providers, paramedics, volunteers and others.Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 30, 2023, that he intends to end both the national emergency and the public health emergency declarations related to COVID-19 on May...

Native Americans have experienced a dramatic decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic – but the drop has been in the making for generations

Written by Allison Kelliher, Assistant Professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of North Dakota

Indigenous patients who live in rural areas often have limited access to medical care. THE PALMER/E+ via Getty Images

Six and one-half years.

That’s the decline in life expectancy that the COVID-19 pandemic wrought upon American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on an August 2022 report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

This...

A brief history of the Black church's diversity, and its vital role in American political history

Written by Jason Oliver Evans, Ph.D. Candidate in Religious Studies, University of Virginia

The exterior view of the Bethel African American Methodist Episcopal Church at 125 S. 6th St. in Philadelphia.Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist via the Library of Congress, World Digital Library

With religious affiliation on the decline, continuing racism and increasing income inequality, some scholars and activists are soul-searching...