Gaza depends on UN and other global aid groups for food, medicine and basic services – Israel-Hamas war means nothing is getting in

Topher L. McDougal, University of San Diego

Many people in Gaza are reliant on the United Nations and other international aid groups to meet their basic needs, like food and medical care. A scholar of peace and conflict economics explains why.

Empire building has always come at an economic cost for Russia – from the days of the czars to Putin’s Ukraine invasion

Christopher A. Hartwell, Kozminski University; Paul Vaaler, University of Minnesota

A new study traces how Russia’s empire building, especially in Ukraine, resulted in long-term economic damage and fomented rebellion for over a century.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system works well – here’s how Hamas got around it

Iain Boyd, University of Colorado Boulder

If Israel’s Iron Dome is the best air defense system in the world, how did so many Hamas missiles get through? An aerospace engineer explains it’s a game of numbers.

3 powerful earthquakes strike Afghanistan in one week – here’s how people around the world prepare for disasters

John van de Lindt, Colorado State University

One way to prevent the destruction wrought by a devastating earthquake – like the one that hit Morocco in September 2023 – is to construct resilient homes and buildings.

From ancient Jewish texts to androids to AI, a just-right sequence of numbers or letters turns matter into meaning

Rhona Trauvitch, Florida International University

Advanced artificial intelligence is new, but a similar idea has been around for hundreds of years: the power of a just-right sequence of numbers, letters or elements to animate matter.

Steep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here’s how strength training can change the trajectory

Zachary Gillen, Mississippi State University

Weightlifting and other forms of resistance training can help stave off loss of muscle mass and other age-related physical decline.

This engineering course has students use their brainwaves to create performing art

Francesco Fedele, Georgia Institute of Technology

Art and science combine in this engineering course to let students turn their brainwaves into creative works.

Marathon under 2 hours is closer than ever – scientist shows how Kenya’s Kiptum tests human limits

Simon D Angus, Monash University

Kiptum – and to some extent Kipchoge – have done just enough to make the ‘sub-2’ moment a likely reality in the next few years.

Estonia-Finland pipeline explosion: what’s the evidence that the damage was deliberate?

Thomas Froehlich, King's College London

Nato has promised to act if the pipeline has been attacked, but a thorough investigation is needed before jumping to any conclusions.

Israel has no good options for dealing with Hamas’ hostage-taking in Gaza

Spicy food might burn in the moment, but it likely won’t harm your health in the long term

Your immune system makes its own antiviral drug − and it’s likely one of the most ancient

We've got a special Friday the 13th news quiz today, written by University of South Carolina sociology professor and expert on superstition Barry Markovsky.

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

I’ve written for The Conversation about Friday the 13th. The day has a bad reputation because…

1. A. More bad things happen than expected by chance
2. B. Parents dread weekends with their 13-year-olds
3. C. The day-date combination functions like a cultural “meme”
4. D. Apollo 13 exploded on a Friday
5.  

Test your knowledge