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Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

  • Written by Alana Chin, Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology, Cal Poly Humboldt
imageTrees killed by drought and an outbreak of bark beetles in California's Tahoe National Forest in 2023.AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

What does the future hold for forests in a warmer, drier world? Over the past 25 years, trees have been dying due to effects of climate change around the world. In Africa, Asia, NorthAmerica, South America and Eu...

Read more: Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young...

I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions

  • Written by Monti Datta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

Several high-profile celebrities were slapped with human-trafficking charges in late 2024, from music mogul Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries. Neither has been tried yet, but in 2022 the R&B superstar R. Kelly was convicted of sex-trafficking crimes that dated back decades. He was sentenced to 30 years....

Read more: I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their...

3 myths about rural education that are holding students back

  • Written by Sheneka Williams, Professor and Department Chair of Educational Administration, Michigan State University
imageStudents in rural areas achieve just as much as their peers elsewhere. skynesher/E+ via Getty Images

Much has been written about the potential consequences of getting rid of the Department of Education, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises.

Little of the discussion that we’ve seen has focused on the impact on rural...

Read more: 3 myths about rural education that are holding students back

How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

  • Written by Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
imageJoaquin Traverso Traverso/Shutterstock

Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and every year, approximately 57 million tons of plastic pollution is created. And yet in November, the latest round of negotiations on the first legally binding international treaty on plastics pollution ended without an agreement.

Oil-producing...

Read more: How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California

  • Written by Jon Keeley, Research Ecologist, USGS; Adjunct Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
imageOver 1,000 structures burned in the span of two days, Jan 7-8, 2025, near Los Angeles.AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Powerful Santa Ana winds, near hurricane strength at times, swept down the mountains outside Los Angeles and pushed wildfires into several neighborhoods starting Jan. 7, 2025. Well over 1,000 homes and several schools had burned by Jan. 8, and...

Read more: How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California

Trump won’t rule out force to take Greenland – a country with a complex colonial history

  • Written by Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

Donald Trump has long been interested in Greenland becoming part of the United States. Yesterday, he told reporters he would not rule out using military force to acquire the Danish territory, saying “we need” it for the “economic security” of the United States. As he spoke, his son Donald Jr was in Greenland, on what is...

Read more: Trump won’t rule out force to take Greenland – a country with a complex colonial history

Trump’s push to control Greenland echoes US purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867

  • Written by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, Visiting Distinguished Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage
imageThe U.S. bought Alaska and its significant natural resources and beautiful scenery for what amounts to a steal. AP Photo/Mark Thiessen

President-elect Donald Trump is again signaling his interest in Greenland through a series of provocative statements in which he’s mused about the prospect of the U.S. taking ownership – perhaps by force...

Read more: Trump’s push to control Greenland echoes US purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867

Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies

  • Written by Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Policy, UMass Amherst
imageResearch into how to quit vaping is still in its infancy.Massimiliano Finzi/Moment via Getty Images

Lots of people who vape want to quit, but there’s very little guidance on how best to do so.

In the U.S., recent reports estimate that 5.9% of youth and 4.5% of adults currently vape. This proportion varies worldwide, however. In Britain, an...

Read more: Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies

3 ways Trump’s EPA could use the language of science to weaken pollution controls

  • Written by Eric Nost, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Guelph

Environmental issues were conspicuously absent from the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, but moves by President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration and his leadership picks for his next administration offer clues to what may be ahead.

They point to a second Trump administration likely loosening regulations on industries, particularly...

Read more: 3 ways Trump’s EPA could use the language of science to weaken pollution controls

More Articles ...

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  2. Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way
  3. Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have
  4. Interior secretary manages vast lands that all Americans share − and can sway the balance between conservation and development
  5. Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere
  6. Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find
  7. Jean-Marie Le Pen died knowing his extremist far-right politics have been successfully mainstreamed in France
  8. 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
  9. Unlikely bedfellows: How platform companies shortchange porn performers and ride-hailing drivers alike
  10. Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows
  11. Technology is supposed to decrease teacher burnout – but we found it can sometimes make it worse
  12. Brain monitoring may be the future of work – how it’s used could improve employee performance or worsen discrimination
  13. Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards
  14. Trudeau taps out: How Trump’s taunts and tariff threats added to domestic woes confronting Canada’s long-standing PM
  15. Americans’ rage at insurers goes beyond health coverage – the author of ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’ points to 3 reforms that could help
  16. How Christian nationalism played a role in incorporating the phrase ‘so help me God’ in the presidential oath of office
  17. That Arctic blast can feel brutally cold, but how much colder than ‘normal’ is it really?
  18. What Shakespeare revealed about the chaotic reign of Richard III – and why the play still resonates in the age of Donald Trump
  19. Nearly 54% of extreme conservatives say the federal government should use violence to stop illegal immigration
  20. Plants that evolved in Florida over millennia now face extinction and lack protection
  21. Microbes can colonize space, produce drugs and create energy − researchers are simulating their inner workings to harness how
  22. What is a war crime?
  23. Here’s what happens when teachers tailor their lessons to students’ individual learning styles
  24. Relentless warming is driving the water cycle to new extremes, the 2024 global water report shows
  25. Mainstream media faces a credibility crisis – my journalism research shows how the news can still serve the public
  26. Will AI revolutionize drug development? Researchers explain why it depends on how it’s used
  27. Is the American Dream achievable? These students are examining its promises and pitfalls
  28. Tech law in 2025: a look ahead at AI, privacy and social media regulation under the new Trump administration
  29. Afghanistan shows what investing in women’s education – or divesting – can do to an economy
  30. Can science be both open and secure? Nations grapple with tightening research security as China’s dominance grows
  31. New Orleans attacker’s apparent loyalty to Islamic State group highlights persistent threat of lone wolf terrorism
  32. Mindfulness is about ‘remembering’ − a practice of coming back to the now
  33. Selling fear: Marketing for cybersecurity products often leaves consumers less secure
  34. Righting a wrong, name by name − the Irei monument honors Japanese Americans imprisoned by the US government during World War II
  35. How effective is tutoring in the United States? – 4 essential reads
  36. Brain implants, agentic AI and answers on dark matter: what to expect from science in 2025 – podcast
  37. Faced with Trump’s tariffs − and crackdowns on migration and narcotrafficking − Mexico is weighing retaliatory options
  38. NASA’s micro-mission Lunar Trailblazer will make macro-measurements of the lunar surface in 2025
  39. Transform the daily grind to make life more interesting – a philosopher shares 3 strategies to help you attain the good life
  40. What if you could rank food by ‘healthiness’ as you shopped? Nutrient profiling systems use algorithms to simplify picking healthy groceries
  41. 5 elections to watch in 2025
  42. New Year’s Eve celebrates St. Silvester – the 4th-century pope whose legend shaped ideas of church and state
  43. What are macros? An exercise and nutrition scientist explains
  44. What does 2025 hold for interest rates, inflation and the American consumer?
  45. From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, expect a slate of exciting space missions in 2025
  46. 3 years after the Marshall Fire: Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger long-term in homes that escape burning
  47. Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger in homes that escape burning − as Colorado’s Marshall Fire survivors discovered
  48. Whales can live way longer than scientists had thought, with potential lifespans as much as double previous estimates
  49. Octopuses and their relatives are a new animal welfare frontier − here’s what scientists know about consciousness in these unique creatures
  50. Bob Dylan and the creative leap that transformed modern music