Stories by The Conversation US

A neurologist explains why weather changes from heat waves to thunderstorms might bring on painful headaches

Newly discovered “Gwada-negative” is the rarest of 48 known blood groups

A hydrologist explains why Texas Hill Country is known as Flash Flood Alley and how its geography and geology can lead to heavy downpours and sudden, destructive floods

Switching on air-conditioning during extreme heat doesn’t have to make us feel guilty—it can actually boost power grid reliability and help bring more renewable energy online

For people aged 65 and older, Medicaid can provide vital health care—and losing coverage makes people sicker

The largest hail tends to form in “supercell” thunderstorms and seems to be becoming more common as climate change continues

Agreeing to disagree on too many topics can put a strain on relationships. Conversational tactics such as looping and reframing may help

Much of the U.S. uses single-stream recycling, where plastic, glass and paper go into one bin. Here’s what happens to that material and ways engineering is trying to improve the process

The late Pope Francis supported global climate agreements, advocated for Indigenous people and inspired activism

The decades-long struggle to find a permanent place to dispose of nuclear waste in the U.S. will continue, probably for many years to come

Scrolling on social media at bedtime is particularly disruptive to sleep. Here’s why

Critical minerals are in demand around the world for military, technological and other uses. A geoscientist shares what’s known about Ukraine’s reserves, which could help the country recover from war

A new report finds that butterfly populations in the continental U.S. declined by one fifth between 2000 and 2020—but it’s not too late

Scientists with a new theory about how Earth’s early continents formed predicted where a superold impact crater should be—then found it

The current system of daylight saving time and early school start times wastes billions while causing more car accidents, workplace injuries and health issues

NOAA and the NWS provide public weather data that private companies cannot recreate

A geographer explains how maps’ place names, such as the Gulf of Mexico and Denali, are decided

The hit show Severance can be refashioned as a teaching moment about certain brain disorders. But its famed “innie” versus “outie” conceit is totally bogus

Fast-moving fires, such as the recent ones in the Los Angeles area, and those started by humans, whether accidentally or not, are often some of the most destructive

Fires can make drinking water, pipes and tanks unsafe. An environmental engineer explains why that’s so and what to do

It seems like time slows in an emergency or in the heat of a sports match. Here are a few explanations for this altered perception

Blasts of Arctic air have brought frigid temperatures that are much colder than normal to parts of the U.S., but that “normal” background is warmer than in the past

Bowhead whales were known to live up to 200 years, and a new study finds that southern right whales may live up to age 150 if they aren’t being hunted

Pearl Young joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1922, working across departments before becoming a technical editor