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US secretary of state has an expansive job that could make or break peace deals and key foreign alliances

  • Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
imageThe secretary of state wears several hats, including managing the day-to-day at the U.S. Department of State.Greg Mathieson/Mai/Getty Images

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, will testify before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of his confirmation process on Jan. 15, 2025.

Rubio...

Read more: US secretary of state has an expansive job that could make or break peace deals and key foreign...

When presidents would send handwritten lists of their nominees to the Senate, things were a lot different

  • Written by Peter Kastor, Professor of History & American Culture Studies, Associate Vice Dean of Research, Washington University in St. Louis
imagePresident George Washington, left, and his Cabinet: Henry Knox, secretary of war; Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the Treasury; Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state; and Edmund Randolph, attorney general. Currier and Ives/Bettmann - Getty Images

The new U.S. Senate is getting down to business, and one of its first tasks will be to consider Donald...

Read more: When presidents would send handwritten lists of their nominees to the Senate, things were a lot...

Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

  • Written by Patrick Megonigal, Associate Director of Research, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Institution
imageA firefighting plane dumps water on one of the fires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Firefighters battling the deadly wildfires that raced through the Los Angeles area in January 2025 have been hampered by a limited supply of freshwater. So, when the winds are calm enough, skilled...

Read more: Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is...

Mass deportations don’t keep out ‘bad genes’ − they use scientific racism to justify biased immigration policies

  • Written by Shoumita Dasgupta, Professor of Medicine, Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion, Boston University
imageAnti-immigration policies were a key talking point for Republican candidates.Matt Rourke/AP Photo

Threats of mass deportations loom on the post-2024 election horizon. Some supporters claim these will protect the country from immigrants who bring “bad genes” into America. But this is a misguided use of the language of science to give a...

Read more: Mass deportations don’t keep out ‘bad genes’ − they use scientific racism to justify biased...

From Myanmar to Gaza, Ukraine to Sudan – 2024 was another grim year, according to our mass atrocity index

  • Written by Collin J. Meisel, Associate Director of Geopolitical Analysis, Pardee Institute, University of Denver
imageA doctor stands near bodies lined up for identification in the Gaza Strip on April 25, 2024.AFP via Getty Images

With major conflicts in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia, 1 in 8 people worldwide were exposed to conflict in 2024 – proving another fraught year in terms of human suffering on a mass scale. In fact, 111 countries...

Read more: From Myanmar to Gaza, Ukraine to Sudan – 2024 was another grim year, according to our mass...

One way Trump could help revive rural America’s economies

  • Written by Tim O'Brien, Senior Manager of Applied Research, Growth Lab, Harvard Kennedy School
imageWith close to 10,000 residents, Cody is one of Wyoming’s bigger communities. It relies on seasonal tourism revenue to support its economy.Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Picture yourself living the American Dream. You likely have more opportunity than your parents did. Through hard work, smart choices and...

Read more: One way Trump could help revive rural America’s economies

Is capitalism falling out of favor? We analyzed 400,000 news stories to find out

  • Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University
imageChoose one.Fokusiert via Getty Images Plus

Capitalism, communism and socialism are the world’s three major economic systems. While the phrase “economic system” may seem like a yawn, countless people have fought and diedin major wars over which one should dominate.

Shifts from one system to another, like the 1989 fall of communism in...

Read more: Is capitalism falling out of favor? We analyzed 400,000 news stories to find out

Trump’s canal canard obscures a truth: Panama just wants to run its shipping passage without interference from China or the US

  • Written by Carla Martinez Machain, Professor of Political Science, University at Buffalo
imageA Chinese container ship sails near the Cocoli locks on the Panama Canal.Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has in recent days repeatedly denounced what he sees as China’s outsized influence on the Panama Canal – the crucial maritime passageway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

On Dec. 25, 2024,...

Read more: Trump’s canal canard obscures a truth: Panama just wants to run its shipping passage without...

What the dead, the uncanny and the monstrous tell us about human nature

  • Written by Jue Liang, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Case Western Reserve University
imageA scroll illustrating the realm of the hungry ghosts, one of the six realms in Buddhist cosmology.Kyoto National Museum via Wikimedia Commons

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of the course

Ghosts, Zombies and Monsters: What We Fear and Loathe in Religions

What...

Read more: What the dead, the uncanny and the monstrous tell us about human nature

Why does a rocket have to go 25,000 mph to escape Earth?

  • Written by Benjamin L. Emerson, Principal Research Engineer, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with its Crew Dragon capsule launches from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in January 2024.Chandan Khanna/AFP 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.

Why does a rocket have to go 25,000 mph (about...

Read more: Why does a rocket have to go 25,000 mph to escape Earth?

More Articles ...

  1. From watts to warheads: Secretary of energy oversees big science research and the US nuclear arsenal
  2. Secretary of defense must perform a ‘delicate dance’ between the president, Congress and the public
  3. Wildfires can contaminate drinking water systems with harmful chemicals − here’s what Los Angeles needs to know
  4. Philly sports fans consider themselves ‘gritty’ − but it’s merely a myth used to fuel their passion
  5. An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras
  6. How the EPA administrator protects public health, air, water and the environment
  7. With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research
  8. Even 1 drink a day elevates your cancer risk – an expert on how alcohol affects the body breaks down a new government report
  9. Funding public schools based on enrollment in the previous year may help keep their budgets more stable, research shows
  10. Many ‘impact investors’ aren’t fully tracking whether their investments are good for society or the environment − new research
  11. From anecdotes to AI tools, how doctors make medical decisions is evolving with technology
  12. Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry
  13. Trump gets an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means
  14. Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe
  15. How the U.S. could in fact make Canada an American territory
  16. 2024’s extreme ocean heat leaves 2 mysteries to solve
  17. 2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve
  18. Trump’s Greenland bid is really about control of the Arctic and the coming battle with China
  19. Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump
  20. Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare
  21. How midlife became a crisis
  22. Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change
  23. I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions
  24. 3 myths about rural education that are holding students back
  25. How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast
  26. How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California
  27. Trump won’t rule out force to take Greenland – a country with a complex colonial history
  28. Trump’s push to control Greenland echoes US purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867
  29. Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies
  30. 3 ways Trump’s EPA could use the language of science to weaken pollution controls
  31. Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
  32. Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way
  33. Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have
  34. Interior secretary manages vast lands that all Americans share − and can sway the balance between conservation and development
  35. Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere
  36. Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find
  37. Jean-Marie Le Pen died knowing his extremist far-right politics have been successfully mainstreamed in France
  38. Vitamin deficiency may be why you’re so tired – a nutritional neuroscientist explains how to kickstart your energy by getting essential nutrients in a well-rounded diet, along with more sleep and exercise
  39. Unlikely bedfellows: How platform companies shortchange porn performers and ride-hailing drivers alike
  40. Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows
  41. Technology is supposed to decrease teacher burnout – but we found it can sometimes make it worse
  42. Brain monitoring may be the future of work – how it’s used could improve employee performance or worsen discrimination
  43. Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards
  44. Trudeau taps out: How Trump’s taunts and tariff threats added to domestic woes confronting Canada’s long-standing PM
  45. Americans’ rage at insurers goes beyond health coverage – the author of ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’ points to 3 reforms that could help
  46. How Christian nationalism played a role in incorporating the phrase ‘so help me God’ in the presidential oath of office
  47. That Arctic blast can feel brutally cold, but how much colder than ‘normal’ is it really?
  48. What Shakespeare revealed about the chaotic reign of Richard III – and why the play still resonates in the age of Donald Trump
  49. Nearly 54% of extreme conservatives say the federal government should use violence to stop illegal immigration
  50. Plants that evolved in Florida over millennia now face extinction and lack protection