The Conversation

Arctic Report Card 2022: The Arctic is getting rainier and seasons are shifting, with broad disturbances for people, ecosystems and wildlife

Written by Matthew L. Druckenmiller, Research Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder

Rainier winters make life more difficult for Arctic wildlife and the humans who rely on them.Scott Wallace/Getty Image

In the Arctic, the freedom to travel, hunt and make day-to-day decisions is profoundly tied to cold and frozen conditions for much of the year. These conditions are rapidly changing as the Arctic warms.

The Arctic is now seeing more...

Are snow days about to get buried by remote learning? Not quite -- but it depends on where you live

Written by Nathan M. Sorber, Associate Professor of Higher Education, West Virginia University

When communities are buried in snow, as Buffalo, N.Y., was in November 2022, school sometimes stays in session – remotely.AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson

Snow days, a nostalgic rite of passage for generations of students across the northern United States, might seem destined to be a memory of school days past. For nearly a century, schools have...

Timing matters for medications – your circadian rhythm influences how well treatments work and how much they might harm you

Written by Tobias Eckle, Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Chronotherapeutic drug delivery aims to maximize treatment effectiveness and minimize side effects.Vaselena/iStock via Getty Images Plus

All living organisms on Earth are exposed to a 24-hour day-night cycle. This cycle is the reason why people rest during the darkness of night and are active during the light of day. Consequently, all human body...

That annoying ringing, buzzing and hissing in the ear – a hearing specialist offers tips to turn down the tinnitus

Written by Bradley Kesser, Professor of Otology and Neurotology, University of Virginia

Worldwide, more than 750 million people have tinnitus.Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Not a week goes by when I don’t see someone in my clinic complaining of a strange and constant phantom sound in one of their ears, or in both ears. The noise is loud, distracting and scary – and it doesn’t go away.

The...

After 50 years, 'liberation theology' is still reshaping Catholicism and politics – but what is it?

Written by Leo Guardado, Assistant Professor of Theology, Fordham University

A woman prays in front of a statue of the martyred Catholic archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero, known for his embrace of liberation theology.Vlady Chicas/picture alliance via Getty Images

It isn’t often that theology makes headlines. But for the past 50 years, a way of thinking about God and poverty has been doing just that: liberation...

Iranian protesters turn to TikTok to get their message past government censors

Written by Whitney Shylee May, Ph.D. candidate in American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

Scenes of protest in Iran are difficult to get out of the country, but TikTok users are rising to the challenge.Screen capture by The Conversation

Images of the protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Zhina Amini on Sept. 16, 2022, in Iran and reports of the government’s brutal crackdown have circulated widely on social media....

Congress aims to close off presidential election mischief and fraud with simple and bipartisan solutions

Written by Derek T. Muller, Professor of Law, University of Iowa

Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., center, and Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, right, take cover as protesters disrupt the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Presidential elections are complicated.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia hold simultaneous...

Brittney Griner's case was difficult for US negotiators for one key reason: She was guilty

Written by William E. Butler, Distinguished Professor of Law, Penn State

Brittney Griner on the plane after being released.Russian Security Service via AP

The release from Russian prison of WNBA star Britney Griner has been greeted with general delight in the United States.

Announcing the deal that saw her freed on Dec. 8, 2022, President Joe Biden lauded the “painstaking and intense negotiations” that made...

Fed wants inflation to get down to 2% – but why not target 3%? Or 0%?

Written by Veronika Dolar, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY Old Westbury

The Fed is taking aim at its inflation target. krisanapong detraphiphat/Moment

What’s so special about the number 2? Quite a lot, if you’re a central banker – and that number is followed by a percent sign.

That’s been the de facto or official target inflation rate for the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and many...

Japan's Laughing Buddha Hotei is merging into Santa Claus -- both are roly-poly sacred figures with a bag of gifts

Written by Megan Bryson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

In Japan, children look forward to a visit from Hotei, a jolly Japanese god with a rotund frame.Ganref

As Christmas approaches, children in many parts of the world look forward to a visit from the potbellied Santa Claus, who comes down chimneys carrying a sackful of gifts over his shoulder. In Japan, some children also wait for Hotei, a jolly...