The Conversation

LA fires 1 year later: Chemicals from smoke lingered inside homes long after the wildfires were out – studies tracked the harm

Written by Yifang Zhu, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

Smoke rolls up a hillside from the Palisades Fire on Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Eric Thayer

When wildfires began racing through the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, 2025, the scope of the disaster caught residents by surprise. Forecasters had warned about high winds and exceptionally dry conditions, but few people expected to see smoke and...

The US used to be really dirty – environmental cleanup laws have made a huge difference

Written by James Salzman, Professor of Environmental Law, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Los Angeles

Growing up in the 1970s, I took for granted the trash piles along the highway, tires washed up on beaches, and smog fouling city air. The famed “Crying Indian” commercial of 1971 became a symbol of widespread environmental damage across the United States.

That’s why the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, energized the nation. In...

How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America

Written by Devon Akmon, Director of the MSU Museum and CoLab Studio, Michigan State University

A student CoLaborator engages visitors in dialogue about food security and sustainability during a recent exhibition.MSU Museum

Across the United States, political polarization has deepened to historic levels. In a report published in May 2025, the Pew Research Center found that Americans are more divided and less trusting of one another than at...

Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?

Written by Linda Bartoshuk, Research Professor of Psychology, George Washington University

There's a scientific reason your OJ tastes funny after you brush your teeth.JGI/Tom Grill/Tetra 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.

Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth? – Seth...

Can the US ‘run’ Venezuela? Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy

Written by Monica Duffy Toft, Professor of International Politics and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro gather during a demonstration in Caracas on Jan, 4, 2026. Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images

An image circulated over media the weekend of Jan. 3 and 4 was meant to convey dominance: Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed aboard a U.S. naval vessel....

How Maduro’s capture went down – a military strategist explains what goes into a successful special op

Written by R. Evan Ellis, Senior Associate, Americas Program, The Center for Strategic and International Studies

U.S. military fighter jets sit on the tarmac at José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Puerto Rico, on Jan. 3, 2026.Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images

The predawn seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026 was a complicated affair. It was also, operationally, a resounding success for the U.S. military.

O...

5 scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela — and what they could signal to the wider region

Written by Robert Muggah, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow na Bosch Academy e Co-fundador, Instituto Igarapé; Princeton University

Armed supporters of Nicolás Maduro gather near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026.Federico Parra/ AFP via Getty Images

The predawn U.S. military operation that spirited Nicolás Maduro and his wife out of Venezuela and into U.S. custody marks a watershed in hemispheric politics. In an operation that lasted...

A predawn op in Latin America? The US has been here before, but the seizure of Venezuela’s Maduro is still unprecedented

Written by Alan McPherson, Professor of History, Temple University

A motorcycle rides past graffiti depicting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026.Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

In the dead of night during the holidays, the United States launched an operation inside a Latin American country, intent on seizing its leader on the pretext that he is wanted in U.S. courts on drug charges.

Th...

I wrote a book on the politics of war powers, and Trump’s attack on Venezuela reflects Congress surrendering its decision-making powers

Written by Sarah Burns, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology

Explosions were seen across Caracas after the U.S. launched large-scale attacks on Venezuela and captured its leader and his wife. AFP via Getty Images

Americans woke up on Jan. 3, 2025, to blaring headlines: “US CAPTURES MADURO, TRUMP SAYS,” declared The New York Times, using all capital letters. The U.S. had mounted an overnight...

Oldest known cremation in Africa poses 9,500-year-old mystery about Stone Age hunter-gatherers

Written by Jessica C. Thompson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Yale University

Why did this community burn one woman's remains in such a visible, spectacular way?Patrick Fahey

Near the equator, the Sun hurries below the horizon in a matter of minutes. Darkness seeps from the surrounding forest. Nearly 10,000 years ago, at the base of a mountain in Africa, people’s shadows stretch up the wall of a natural overhang of...