What Causes a Volcano to Erupt, and How Do Scientists Predict Eruptions?
Volcanologists cannot yet predict a volcanic eruption
Ask the Experts765 articles archived since 1845
What Is Pi, and How Did It Originate?
Steven Bogart, a mathematics instructor at Georgia Perimeter College, answers
How Accurate Are Memories of 9/11?
Recollections of the circumstances of how we first heard of the 2001 terrorist attacks may feel extraordinarily vivid and true, but they are flawed
Ask the Experts: How Did 2 Such Powerful Hurricanes Occur Back to Back?
Both Harvey and Irma intensified due to perfect storm conditions
Why do hurricanes hit the East Coast of the U.S. but never the West Coast?
Hurricanes do form in the Pacific Ocean, just as they do in the Atlantic, but none of these storms seem to reach the continental U.S. Why not?
What Goes On in Our Brains When We Are in Love?
Romantic love involves a series of complex changes in the brain’s reward system that make us crave the object of our affection
Should the U.S. Take North Korea's Nuclear Threats Seriously?
North Korea’s traditional bellicosity has intensified to new levels with its threatened nuclear war against the U.S. and South Korea. One expert explains why the North should be allowed to keep its nukes in exchange for peace
What Makes Michael Phelps So Good?
Do Phelps's body shape and flexibility give the eight-gold-medal winner a physical edge in swimming?
Ask the Experts: Is El Niño to Blame for So Much Weird Weather?
Winter heat, pounding rains, tornadoes—a climatologist explains which extremes can be attributed to El Niño and which cannot
Fake Weed Leads to a Real Drug Crisis
Synthetic marijuana is cheap, widespread, hard to track and highly toxic