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Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

As critics question President Trump’s motivations for war on Iran, it’s not just about politics. It’s about the Constitution and whether...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Sorelle Wyckoff Gaynor

Patriots and loyalists both rallied around St. Patrick’s Day during the Revolutionary War

Patriots and loyalists both rallied around St. Patrick’s Day during the Revolutionary War

By the Revolutionary War in the late 1770s, those marking the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death on March 17 included Irish immigrants in the...

yesterday 4

The Conversation

Cian t. mcmahon

Universities survived Trump’s 2025 funding freeze, but the money still isn’t flowing to researchers

Universities survived Trump’s 2025 funding freeze, but the money still isn’t flowing to researchers

The Trump administration is leaning away from dramatic funding cuts and settlements with universities, and more toward standard tactics to try to...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Brendan Cantwell

Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were not so simple

Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were not so simple

There has never been a singular Christian perspective on how religion, power and politics ought to relate to each other – not even in medieval...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Brett whalen

US military leans into AI for attack on Iran, but the tech doesn’t lessen the need for human judgment in war

US military leans into AI for attack on Iran, but the tech doesn’t lessen the need for human judgment in war

Anthropic’s Claude is helping the US military choose targets to strike in Iran, but responsibility for the accuracy, strategy and ethics of the...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Jon r. lindsay

Oil isn’t just fuel: Iran conflict could disrupt markets for everything from plastics to fertilizers

Oil isn’t just fuel: Iran conflict could disrupt markets for everything from plastics to fertilizers

Petrochemicals derived from oil and fossil fuels underlie the production of many consumer goods − and many you wouldn’t know from looking at the...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

André O. Hudson

AI doesn’t ‘see’ the way that you do, and that could be a problem when it categorizes objects and scenes

AI doesn’t ‘see’ the way that you do, and that could be a problem when it categorizes objects and scenes

People and computers perceive the world differently, which can lead AI to make mistakes no human would. Researchers are working on how to bring human...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Arryn Robbins

Fat cells burn energy to make heat – making them the next frontier of weight loss therapies

Fat cells burn energy to make heat – making them the next frontier of weight loss therapies

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy aid in weight loss by suppressing appetite. Researchers are looking next at how the body expends energy –...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Claudio villanueva

Indie coffee shops are meant to counter corporate behemoths like Starbucks – so why do they all look the same?

Indie coffee shops are meant to counter corporate behemoths like Starbucks – so why do they all look the same?

The purportedly unique and local feel of coffee shops has instead been homogenized into a singular, palatable aesthetic.

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Conrad Kickert

Bird losses are accelerating across North America, particularly in farming regions where agriculture is most intensive

Bird losses are accelerating across North America, particularly in farming regions where agriculture is most intensive

Farming areas that use lots of fertilizers and pesticides stood out for the swift and accelerating decline of their bird populations.

yesterday 4

The Conversation

François leroy

Generative AI can play a role uplifting family and community in early childhood education

Generative AI can play a role uplifting family and community in early childhood education

Researchers use text and image generators to design culturally relevant educational content for young children.

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Andres bustamante

Why shadow tankers are the only ships still moving through the Strait of Hormuz

Why shadow tankers are the only ships still moving through the Strait of Hormuz

Despite Iranian threats to destroy any ships that pass through a key maritime route, some ships are still doing so.

previous day 2

The Conversation

Charles Edward Gehrke

Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

Trump’s Iran war is historically unique in one critically important way: Early on, the war is not popular with the American public.

previous day 3

The Conversation

Charles Walldorf

Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies

Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies

Gold and platinum are found in space, created when two stars collide. Astrophysicists can even trace this process further back, to the merger of...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Simone dichiara

Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists jumped to $22.4B in 2025 − Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the estate of Paul Allen lead a list of the biggest givers

Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists jumped to $22.4B in 2025 − Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the estate of Paul Allen lead a list of the biggest givers

Three philanthropy scholars size up the latest data on gifts from the country’s biggest philanthropists.

previous day 2

The Conversation

David Campbell

Mining the ocean floor: 5 deep‑sea sources of critical minerals essential to technology, and the fragile marine life at risk

Mining the ocean floor: 5 deep‑sea sources of critical minerals essential to technology, and the fragile marine life at risk

Critical minerals are found in several forms in the ocean, from potato-size nodules to brine pools. They are also in some of the least understood...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Leonardo macelloni

From bodice rippers to romantasy, romance novels are dominating the book market – and rewriting women’s sexual power

From bodice rippers to romantasy, romance novels are dominating the book market – and rewriting women’s sexual power

Today’s romance novels spotlight women in control in the bedroom and in their relationships.

previous day 1

The Conversation

Diane Winston

47 years of deep mistrust and misperception paved the way to war between Iran and the US − and complicate any negotiations

47 years of deep mistrust and misperception paved the way to war between Iran and the US − and complicate any negotiations

The war that began Feb. 28 hews to a familiar, dangerous pattern, writes an Iran expert, from deep, historical mistrust and incompatible strategic...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Mehrzad Boroujerdi

Iran war: 4 big questions that help clarify the future of the Middle East

Iran war: 4 big questions that help clarify the future of the Middle East

The Iran war is affecting the whole Middle East. An expert on the region looks at four key issues that shed light on the war’s likely end and...

previous day 2

The Conversation

David Mednicoff

This Sunshine Week, Florida reflects an alarming national trend of blocking the public’s access to information

This Sunshine Week, Florida reflects an alarming national trend of blocking the public’s access to information

A lack of transparency at both the federal and state level is making it increasingly difficult for journalists and citizens to hold government to...

previous day 2

The Conversation

David Cuillier

Just thinking about tequila, whiskey or wine shifts your mindset – new research

Just thinking about tequila, whiskey or wine shifts your mindset – new research

Different types of alcoholic beverages elicit symbolic cues that can influence the choices a person makes about consumption.

previous day 1

The Conversation

Logan pant

Higher buprenorphine doses help patients stay in opioid use disorder treatment, new study finds

Higher buprenorphine doses help patients stay in opioid use disorder treatment, new study finds

Black patients were less likely to receive higher doses. This may reflect inequities in health care or misconceptions among patients that higher doses...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Rachel french

Why cloud service outages ripple across the internet – and the economy

Why cloud service outages ripple across the internet – and the economy

It makes sense for companies and organizations to outsource key internet services, but with those services in the hands of a few corporations,...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Doug Jacobson

Making good choices when life gets messy – practical wisdom relies on human judgment, not rules

Making good choices when life gets messy – practical wisdom relies on human judgment, not rules

The ancient Greek word phronesis means practical wisdom. It’s about choosing the right action at the right time for the right reasons, helping you...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Tim hulsey

Women of the Rosenstrasse protest challenged the Nazi regime for their detained Jewish husbands’ freedom – and won

Women of the Rosenstrasse protest challenged the Nazi regime for their detained Jewish husbands’ freedom – and won

Couples in interfaith marriages came under intense pressure in Nazi Germany. But women’s protests in February 1943 may have helped save their...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Danielle wirsansky

Iraq war’s aftermath was a disaster for the US – the Iran war is headed in the same direction

Iraq war’s aftermath was a disaster for the US – the Iran war is headed in the same direction

More than 20 years after the US military success in Iraq, the outcome of the US effort at regime change wasn’t as expected, and authoritarians with...

monday 1

The Conversation

Farah N. Jan

Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods

Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods

Scientists mapped the evolution of 140 glacial lakes in Alaska and found a way to tell how much larger and destructive they can get as their glaciers...

monday 0

The Conversation

Dan mcgrath

US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades

US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades

Oil prices affect the US economy differently than in past decades. Nowadays, the US is less reliant on oil imports and uses less oil to produce more...

monday 1

The Conversation

Amy Myers Jaffe

What does the appendix do? Biologists explain the complicated evolution of this inconvenient organ

What does the appendix do? Biologists explain the complicated evolution of this inconvenient organ

The appendix has independently evolved at least 32 times across 361 mammalian species. What makes it an evolutionary darling when it’s more of a...

monday 2

The Conversation

Phil Starks

Why do mountaintops stay snowy, even though they’re closer to the Sun?

Why do mountaintops stay snowy, even though they’re closer to the Sun?

The answer has to do with the air we breathe and that bright white snowpack, as an atmospheric scientist in Colorado explains.

monday 1

The Conversation

Allie mazurek

Social media can draw attention to atrocities – a key factor in reducing risk of recurrence

Social media can draw attention to atrocities – a key factor in reducing risk of recurrence

Scholars studied hashtag campaigns in Canada and Syria.

monday 1

The Conversation

Arnaud kurze

What James Madison can teach Americans about religious freedom today

What James Madison can teach Americans about religious freedom today

For Madison, religious freedom was not a tool for political domination. Rather, he saw it as a constitutional safeguard for liberty and democracy.

monday 0

The Conversation

Corey D. B. Walker

Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts

Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts

Mobile health clinics are a practical but underused solution to the growing number of maternity care deserts in the US.

monday 0

The Conversation

Adetola F. Louis-Jacques

Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket

Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket

Those who stand to benefit from the changes in tax code include workers who earn tips, those receiving overtime pay, purchasers of US-made autos, and...

monday 0

The Conversation

Jim Franklin

I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action‑movie one‑liners and gloating over dominance

I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action‑movie one‑liners and gloating over dominance

Why does Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brag and gloat in his statements about the Iran war? In the MAGA media world, war is a game, a test of...

monday 0

The Conversation

Casey ryan kelly

Silicone wristbands can help scientists track people’s exposure to pollutants like ‘forever chemicals’

Silicone wristbands can help scientists track people’s exposure to pollutants like ‘forever chemicals’

From wearable samplers to passive environmental monitoring, new research is changing how scientists observe chemical exposure – without invasive...

monday 1

The Conversation

Yaw edu essandoh

Arming a Kurdish insurgency would be a risky endeavor – for both the US and Iran’s minority Kurds

Arming a Kurdish insurgency would be a risky endeavor – for both the US and Iran’s minority Kurds

Washington has long worked with Kurdish groups in the Middle East. But without sufficient support, encouraging Iranian Kurds into an uprising now...

07.03.2026 3

The Conversation

John Calabrese

War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy

War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy

Risks for the US economy grow as the war in the Middle East continues to escalate.

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Michael Klein

Public health needs steady budgets – and federal funding uncertainty causes real harms, even if the money is later restored

Public health needs steady budgets – and federal funding uncertainty causes real harms, even if the money is later restored

Public health depends on long-term planning, and when that planning is interrupted, some programs never recover.

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Max Crowley

China’s muted response over war in Iran reflects Beijing’s delicate calculus as a concerned onlooker

China’s muted response over war in Iran reflects Beijing’s delicate calculus as a concerned onlooker

Beijing has denounced US-Israeli action in Iran, but has not rushed to come to the aid of its regional ally.

06.03.2026 4

The Conversation

John Calabrese

Venezuela’s fragile environment faces rising risks as US pushes for oil and critical minerals and illegal gold mining spreads

Venezuela’s fragile environment faces rising risks as US pushes for oil and critical minerals and illegal gold mining spreads

The Orinoco Basin is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. It’s also rich in oil, gold and critical minerals crucial to modern technology.

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Antonio machado allison

Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality

Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality

An economist proposes a new method of estimating the scope of poverty in different countries.

06.03.2026 4

The Conversation

Olivier sterck

How Instagram addictiveness lawsuit could reshape social media – platform design meets product liability

How Instagram addictiveness lawsuit could reshape social media – platform design meets product liability

A lawsuit against Meta and Google avoids the issue of liability for content and focuses on allegations that social media platforms themselves are...

06.03.2026 4

The Conversation

Carolina rossini

Today’s obsession with authenticity isn’t new – being true to yourself has troubled philosophers for centuries

Today’s obsession with authenticity isn’t new – being true to yourself has troubled philosophers for centuries

Contemporary culture seems obsessed with authenticity – but the question of how to be ‘sincere’ in modern society has troubled philosophers for...

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo

Venezuela’s fragile forests face rising risks as US pushes for oil and critical minerals and illegal gold mining spreads

Venezuela’s fragile forests face rising risks as US pushes for oil and critical minerals and illegal gold mining spreads

The Orinoco Basin is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. It’s also rich in oil, gold and critical minerals crucial to modern technology.

06.03.2026 3

The Conversation

Antonio machado allison

Trump offered a restrictive deal to universities that almost all rejected – but the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education may not be entirely dead

Trump offered a restrictive deal to universities that almost all rejected – but the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education may not be entirely dead

The Trump administration is reportedly working on a revised version of the higher education proposal.

06.03.2026 5

The Conversation

Fred L. Pincus

When Washington and the states are in conflict, the ultimate winner is not always certain

When Washington and the states are in conflict, the ultimate winner is not always certain

Conflict between Washington and the states is perennial and by design. Lack of clarity about who’s in charge on what issue keeps power from becoming...

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Kenneth michael white

Telehealth is widely used by older adults insured by Medicare, new research shows

Telehealth is widely used by older adults insured by Medicare, new research shows

Policymakers are still deciding whether to make some types of Medicare coverage for telehealth permanent. Studies show it helps older adults get more...

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Terrence liu

Public health needs steady budgets – and federal funding uncertainty cause real harms, even if the money is later restored

Public health needs steady budgets – and federal funding uncertainty cause real harms, even if the money is later restored

Public health depends on long-term planning, and when that planning is interrupted, some programs never recover.

06.03.2026 2

The Conversation

Max Crowley

Family‑friendly workplaces are great − but ‘families of 1’ get ignored

Family‑friendly workplaces are great − but ‘families of 1’ get ignored

In an era of family-friendly workplaces, how can employers treat single people without kids fairly?

06.03.2026 3

The Conversation

Peter Mcgraw