Elizabeth Mendenhall – The Conversation

A vessel heads toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 8, 2026. Shady Alassar/Anadolu via Getty Images

April 14, 2026

Strait of Hormuz: Why the US and Iran are sailing in very different legal waters

Elizabeth Mendenhall, University of Rhode Island

Tehran and Washington look to different rules to govern their conduct in the key choke point.

Manganese nodules on the Atlantic Ocean floor off the southeastern United States, discovered in 2019 during the Deep Sea Ventures pilot test. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

August 17, 2020

A rush is on to mine the deep seabed, with effects on ocean life that aren’t well understood

Elizabeth M. De Santo, Franklin & Marshall College; Elizabeth Mendenhall, University of Rhode Island, and Elizabeth Nyman, Texas A&M University

Companies are eager to mine the deep ocean for valuable mineral deposits. But scientists are concerned about impacts on sea life, including creatures that haven’t even been discovered yet.

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