The Conversation

How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts — instead of watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific

Written by Andrew Fisher, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

Heavy rain from a series of atmospheric rivers flooded large parts of California from late December 2022 into early January 2023.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

California has seen so much rain over the past few weeks that farm fields are inundated and normally dry creeks and drainage ditches have become torrents of water racing...

Richard Avedon, Truman Capote and the brutality of photography

Written by Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona

Though Richard Avedon started his career as a fashion photographer, he later became known for his unflinching eye. Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

What obligation does a portrait photographer have to their subject? Is it their duty to cast that person in the best light, or the most revealing light?

As chief curator at the University of Arizona’s...

Alcohol use is widely accepted in the US, but even moderate consumption is associated with many harmful effects

Written by Christina Mair, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh

Research increasingly shows that the dangers of alcohol have been downplayed and its benefits exaggerated.Nes/E+ via Getty Images

This month, millions of Americans are taking part in “Dry January” in an effort to forgo alcohol for a month and cleanse themselves of the excesses of the holiday season.

Alcohol is the most widely used drug in...

Visualizing the inside of cells at previously impossible resolutions provides vivid insights into how they work

Written by Jeremy Berg, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology, Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Science Strategy and Planning, University of Pittsburgh

Cryo-electron tomography shows what molecules look like in high-resolution – in this case, the virus that causes COVID-19.Nanographics, CC BY-SA

All life is made up of cells several magnitudes smaller than a grain of salt. Their seemingly simple-looking structures mask the intricate and complex molecular activity that enables them to...

What is Pentecostal Christianity?

Written by Lloyd Daniel Barba, Assistant Professor of Religion, Amherst College

Pentecostal televangelist Paula White, center, prays before giving a sermon in Maryland in 2017.Mary F. Calvert For The Washington Post via Getty Images

In the wake of every election, political analysts pore over polls for clues about how conservative Christians voted, especially evangelicals – and the 2022 midterms are no exception. But...

4 ways Netanyahu's new far-right government threatens Israeli democracy

Written by Boaz Atzili, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University School of International Service

Israelis protest the new government – the most far-right, religiously conservative in history – on Dec. 29, 2022, outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Democracy is not just about holding elections. It is a set of institutions, ideas and practices that allow citizens a...

Ancient Greece had extreme polarization and civil strife too -- how Thucydides can help us understand Jan. 6 and its aftermath

Written by Rachel Hadas, Professor of English, Rutgers University - Newark

Rioters break windows and breach the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Lev Radin/LightRocket via Getty Images

The second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection is upon us. And each new revelation about that brutal mob assault on our government raises a host of fresh questions about...

Foams used in car seats and mattresses are hard to recycle – we made a plant-based version that avoids polyurethane's health risks, too

Written by Srikanth Pilla, Professor of Engineering, Clemson University

You may be sitting on polyurethane foam right now.Akhmad Bayuri/iStock/Getty Images Plus

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

A new plant-based substitute for polyurethane foam eliminates the health risk of the material, commonly found in insulation, car seats and other types of cushioning, and it’s...

Ukraine schools remain a key battlefront in fight for nation's future

Written by Katja Kolcio, Associate Professor of Dance, Environmental Studies and Education Studies, Wesleyan University

A worker sweeps up debris in the library of a school building following a missile strike in Kharkiv on Sept. 3, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images

When Russian missiles struck Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv on New Year’s Eve, the damaged buildings included a university and at least two schools.

A...

Making sweat feel spiritual didn't start with SoulCycle – a religion scholar explains

Written by Cody Musselman, Postdoctoral Research Associate, John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

A studio set up for a SoulCycle event in New York City.Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Each January, Americans collectively atone for yet another celebratory season of indulgence. Some proclaim sobriety for “Dry January.” Others use the dawn of a new year to focus on other forms of self-improvement, like taking up...