The Conversation

Ancient groundwater: Why the water you're drinking may be thousands of years old

Written by Marissa Grunes, Environmental Fellow, Harvard University

Some of North America’s groundwater is so old, it fell as rain before humans arrived here thousands of years ago.Maria Fuchs via Getty Images

Communities that rely on the Colorado River are facing a water crisis. Lake Mead, the river’s largest reservoir, has fallen to levels not seen since it was created by the construction of the...

What is chaos? A complex systems scientist explains

Written by Mitchell Newberry, Assistant Professor of Complex Systems, University of Michigan

Tiny changes, like a butterfly's wing flapping, can be amplified downstream in a chaotic system.Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images

Chaos evokes images of the dinosaurs running wild in Jurassic Park, or my friend’s toddler ravaging the living room.

In a chaotic world, you never know what to expect. Stuff is happening all the...

My Ph.D. supervisor just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for designing a safer, cheaper and faster way to build molecules and make medicine

Written by David Nagib, Associate Professor of Chemistry, The Ohio State University

Many catalysts currently used to make many drugs are expensive and can produce toxic byproducts. Westend61 via Getty Images

The reason that ibuprofen treats headaches and ice cream tastes sweet is that their chemical components fit perfectly into certain receptors in your body. The better a drug or flavor molecule fits with its matching receptor,...

First major Second Amendment case before the Supreme Court in over a decade could topple gun restrictions

Written by Eric Ruben, Assistant Professor of Law, Southern Methodist University

This ruling could change the course of future firearm rights litigation.Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The stakes in one of the most significant Second Amendment cases in U.S. history are high.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, expected by mid-2022, could declare a New York state restriction...

Facebook's scandals and outage test users' frenemy relationship

Written by Elizabeth Stoycheff, Associate Professor of Communication, Wayne State University

How do you feel about Facebook?Enes Evren/E+ via Getty Images

When Facebook was down for most of the day on Oct. 4, 2021, did you miss it, were you relieved or some of both? Social scientists have compiled an expansive body of research that shows how people have come to develop a love-hate relationship with the social media giant with nearly 3...

Is social distancing unraveling the bonds that keep society together?

Written by Ilana Horwitz, Assistant Professor, Fields-Rayant Chair in Contemporary Jewish Life, Tulane University

Having trusting relationships with people ahead of crises is key.Dobrila Vignjevic/Getty Images

With birthday celebrations being downsized, religious services moving back online and indoor playdates getting canceled, millions of Americans are having fewer social interactions because of persistently high case numbers and high rates of transmission.

I...

Becoming a parent through surrogacy can have ethical challenges – but it is a positive experience for some

Written by Danielle Tumminio Hansen, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology & Spiritual Care, Emory University, Emory University

Nurses holding babies born to Ukrainian surrogate mothers in capital city, Kyiv.Sergei Supinsky/ AFP via Getty Images

In her new book, actress Gabrielle Union became the latest celebrity to discuss her decision to become a parent via surrogacy. She joins the ranks of household names such as Neil Patrick Harris, Nicole Kidman, Kim Kardashian, all of...

As American independence rang, a sweeping lockdown and mass inoculations fought off a smallpox outbreak

Written by Woody Holton, Professor of History, University of South Carolina

The first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston, July 18, 1776.Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library via Digital Commonwealth

Many Americans of the founding era denounced government tyranny, celebrated the Declaration of Independence – and favored lockdowns and mass inoculations to combat a viciously contagious...

4 trends in public school enrollment due to COVID-19

Written by Tareena Musaddiq, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan

U.S. public school enrollment overall decreased by 3% in the fall of 2020, but kindergarten enrollment dropped 9%.Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

When schools began the fall semester of 2020 – six months after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic – many of them reported a significant decline in student...

Winners of 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics built mathematics of climate modeling, making predictions of global warming and modern weather forecasting possible

Written by David Randall, University Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University

The Earth's weather and climate interactions form one of the most complex systems imaginable. NASA/Joshua Stevens/Earth Observatory via Flickr, CC BY-NC

As a climate scientist myself, I was excited to learn that Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physics. I first met Manabe when I was a...