The Conversation

Climate change is already disrupting US forests and coasts – here's what we're seeing at 5 long-term research sites

Written by Michael Paul Nelson, Professor of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, Oregon State University

Scientists have been consistently documenting environmental changes at research sites like this one in the Cascade Mountains for decades.US Forest Service

Record-breaking heat waves and drought have left West Coast rivers lethally hot for salmon, literally cooked millions of mussels and clams in their shells and left forests primed to burn. The...

5 simple tips for parents who will still be co-teachers when kids go back to school

Written by Lorrie Webb, Department Chair and Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, Texas A&M-San Antonio

Parents and caregivers may need to continue in the role of education facilitator and technology specialist this fall. Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

COVID-19 undoubtedly changed K-12 classrooms for the near future.

When school resumes in the fall, even if education returns to pre-pandemic “normal” – with students...

How years of fighting every wildfire helped fuel the Western megafires of today

Written by Susan J. Prichard, Research Scientist of Forest Ecology, University of Washington

The Cedar Creek Fire burns in Washington's Methow Valley in late July 2021.Jessica Kelley

After so many smoke-filled summers and record-setting burns, residents of Western North America are no strangers to wildfires. Still, many questions are circulating about why forest fires are becoming larger and more severe – and what can be done about...

4 ways extreme heat hurts the economy

Written by Derek Lemoine, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Arizona

Corn yields can suffer in high heat. AP Photo/Seth Perlman

Summer 2021 will likely be one of the hottest on record as dozens of cities in the West experience all-time high temperatures. The extreme heat being felt throughout many parts of the U.S. is causing hundreds of deaths, sparking wildfires and worsening drought conditions in over a dozen...

New endorsement laws could create pitfalls for college athletes

Written by Sheldon H. Jacobson, Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Major business deals and endorsements for student-athletes may affect their academic and personal lives. Logan Riely/Getty Images

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that student-athletes are able to earn money from their name, image and likeness, more than a dozen states have enacted laws to govern the practice. These states include Illinois,...

70 years ago Walter Plywaski fought for atheists' right to become citizens – here's why his story is worth remembering

Written by Kristina M. Lee, Ph.D. Candidate in Rhetoric, Colorado State University

Walter Plywaski fought for atheists to be given citizenship rights.Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Walter Plywaski’s death earlier this year from complications related to COVID-19 went largely unnoticed by national media.

Only an invitation by his family to donate to the civil liberties group ACLU in Plywaski’s...

Pandemic pushed defendants to plead guilty more often, including innocent people pleading to crimes they didn’t commit

Written by Shi Yan, Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University

When people are held in jail, they're likely to accept quick release – even if it means admitting to something they didn't do.Caspar Benson via Getty Images

Despite a constitutional right to a jury trial, more than 94% of criminal convictions in the United States result from guilty pleas, not jury verdicts. Even innocent people, those who did...

What is Section 230? An expert on internet law and regulation explains the legislation that paved the way for Facebook, Google and Twitter

Written by Abbey Stemler, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics; Faculty Associate Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, Indiana University

Democrats and Republicans in Congress have asked sharp questions of social media CEOs as lawmakers consider changes to landmark internet legislation.Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP

Almost any article you read about Section 230 reminds you that it contains the most important 26 words in tech and that it is the law that made the modern internet. This is...

What's driving the huge blooms of brown seaweed piling up on Florida and Caribbean beaches?

Written by Stephen P. Leatherman, Professor of Coastal Science, Florida International University

Mats of Sargassum seaweed off the coast of St. Martin in April 2018.ELY Michel CC BY-SA 4.0, , CC BY-SA

Here’s a handy geography question for your next trivia match: What is the world’s only sea that doesn’t have a land border?

The answer is the Sargasso Sea – a 2-million-square-nautical-mile haven of biodiversity that lies...

What will the Earth be like in 500 years?

Written by Michael A. Little, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Binghamton University, State University of New York

The planet and the way we live on it are constantly changing.Buena Vista Images via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

What will the Earth be like in 500 years? — Lotte, Brookline, Massachusetts

Scientists can...