By Gillian Murphy, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University College Cork
Think back to your time at school. Were you hard-working, popular, anxious? And what exam grades did you get? Now, imagine someone pulls out your school reports from that time. How closely would they match the results you just brought to mind?
If your recollections match exactly, you might congratulate yourself on having an excellent memory. But as a psychologist who has spent years researching what people remember – and…
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By Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton
For decades, terrorism researchers have generally distinguished terrorism from other forms of violence by one defining feature: the intention to intimidate a wider audience beyond immediate victims.
That distinction has shaped both academic research and criminal prosecutions in the U.S. Yet
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By Peter Kastor, Professor of History & American Culture Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
Air Force One shouldn’t be seen as only a cool piece of flying technology or a political flash point. Instead, writes a historian, the presidential plane has shaped and defined the modern presidency.
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By Kiki Crawford, Lecturer of Biological Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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 makes the cells of the muscles contract? – Samarth, age 13, India
Muscles are amazing. They’re what let you strum a guitar, kick a soccer ball and high-five your friends. When you decide to move, your…
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By Christopher Davis, Professor of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, UMass Amherst
Pennsylvania logged 852 severe weather reports from March through June – more than double the 30-year average. A meteorologist explains what keeps the storms coming.
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By Jennifer G. Andrews, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Morehouse College
With social media communities and naturalist apps, birding is easier to get into than ever. A psychologist explains why it may also be just what the doctor ordered.
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By Edward D. Melillo, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Amherst College
Long before synthetic fertilizers, the global guano trade reshaped farming, fueled American expansion and exposed the hidden human costs of feeding the modern world.
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By Jessica Robles, Lecturer in Social Psychology, Loughborough University
“Good weekend?”
“Bit hot today, isn’t it!”
“Back in the office again…”
We rely on small talk like this, and being good at it is even seen as a mark of conversational competence. Yet its content can feel superficial. Once you notice formulaic expressions such as “how are you” aren’t asking the question
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By Gareth Fisher, Associate Professor of Religion, Syracuse University
An anthropologist who conducted fieldwork among Falun Gong practitioners explains the movement’s beliefs and why its followers continue to resist the Chinese government.
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By Sara Harmouch, Research Fellow in Counterterrorism, George Washington University
Artificial intelligence may not create a new kind of terrorism, but it makes existing tactics cheaper, faster and easier. That is the central argument of a July 2026 report from the U.S.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.
It is a convincing argument, but it leaves one question unanswered: Are different terrorist groups thinking about the technology in the same way?
As a terrorism…
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