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Are high school sports living up to their ideals?

High school sports associations want to mold better students and citizens through sport, but are coaches well equipped to deliver on that front?

latest 0

The Conversation

Jedediah Blanton

Balancing kratom’s potential benefits and risks − new legislation in Colorado seeks to minimize harm

Kratom, an herbal product, is a remedy to some and a risk to others.

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The Conversation

David Kroll

How to poop outdoors in a way that won’t harm the environment and other hikers

Most people want to properly dispose of their waste, but they’re typically not prepared. Land managers can help users meet the moment.

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The Conversation

Shari Edelson

How the conservative Federalist Society will affect the Supreme Court for decades to come

How the conservative Federalist Society will affect the Supreme Court for decades to come

During the 2016 presidential election campaign, candidate Donald Trump took the unprecedented move of releasing a list of his potential Supreme...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Paul M. Collins Jr

Earth-size stars and alien oceans – an astronomer explains the case for life around white dwarfs

Earth-size stars and alien oceans – an astronomer explains the case for life around white dwarfs

The Sun will someday die. This will happen when it runs out of hydrogen fuel in its core and can no longer produce energy through nuclear fusion as...

yesterday 5

The Conversation

Juliette Becker

How does your body make poop?

Your food goes on a complex journey as it travels from your mouth to your colon.

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Brian Robert Boulay

Pregnant women face tough choices about medication use due to lack of safety data − here’s why medical research cuts will make it worse

Pregnant women face tough choices about medication use due to lack of safety data − here’s why medical research cuts will make it worse

A panel convened in July 2025 by the Food and Drug Administration sparked controversy by casting doubt about the safety of commonly used...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Almut Winterstein

We’ve been tracking the number of Americans who identify as transgender – soon, there will be no reliable way to measure them

We’ve been tracking the number of Americans who identify as transgender – soon, there will be no reliable way to measure them

Researchers have traditionally had a difficult time tracking the number of Americans who identify as transgender. But over the past decade, our...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Jody L. Herman

As National Park System visitor numbers hit record highs, here’s how visitors can adapt for a better experience

As National Park System visitor numbers hit record highs, here’s how visitors can adapt for a better experience

Visiting America’s national parks is a treasured public pastime. The wetlands of Congaree in South Carolina, the depths of the Grand Canyon in...

yesterday 6

The Conversation

Allie Mccreary

American capitalism is being remade by state power

American capitalism is being remade by state power

Is the Trump administration trying to reshape American capitalism? Recent moves by Washington, such as taking a 10% share of semiconductor maker...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

H. Sami Karaca

Like Reagan, Trump is slashing environment regulations, but his strategy may have a far deeper impact

Like Reagan, Trump is slashing environment regulations, but his strategy may have a far deeper impact

When the Trump administration announced it was moving to eliminate dozens of U.S. climate policies, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Barbara Kates-Garnick

Why religious groups are pushing for psychedelics as sacrament

Why religious groups are pushing for psychedelics as sacrament

Texas passed a landmark law in June 2025, supported by former Gov. Rick Perry, that allocates US$50 million to support research on ibogaine, one of...

previous day 6

The Conversation

Pardis Mahdavi

FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines with new restrictions, potentially limiting access for healthy children

FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines with new restrictions, potentially limiting access for healthy children

Guidance around COVID-19 vaccines has once again shifted after the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 27, 2025, approved updated shots for the...

previous day 4

The Conversation

David Higgins

When federal courts fail to punish lawyers for potential misconduct, states can step in

When federal courts fail to punish lawyers for potential misconduct, states can step in

In early August 2025, a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia stopped efforts by federal trial judge James Boasberg to consider whether...

previous day 6

The Conversation

Ray Brescia

Supporting religious diversity on campus is a surprising consensus among faculty across the red-blue divide

Supporting religious diversity on campus is a surprising consensus among faculty across the red-blue divide

Universities, often perceived as bastions of progressive thought, are increasingly reflecting the broader political polarization gripping the...

previous day 7

The Conversation

Matthew J. Mayhew

When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data

When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data

When the U.S. government signs contracts with private technology companies, the fine print rarely reaches the public. Palantir Technologies,...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Nicole M. Bennett

How stripping diversity, equity and inclusion from health care may make Americans sicker

How stripping diversity, equity and inclusion from health care may make Americans sicker

President Donald Trump’s administration has dramatically reshaped health and medical research by rolling back federal funding from institutions...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Abigail Folberg

Latin American literature contains warnings for American universities that yield to Trump

Latin American literature contains warnings for American universities that yield to Trump

As university leaders work to make deals with the Trump administration, many college presidents are at an ethical crossroads. On the one hand, they...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Charlotte Rogers

Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found – archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt

Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found – archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt

“For a long time now, a large number of [escaped slaves] have established themselves on lofty Maroon Hill in the mountains toward the west end of...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Justin Dunnavant

Pregnancy brings unique challenges for people with autoimmune diseases – but with early planning, pregnancy outcomes can be greatly improved

Pregnancy brings unique challenges for people with autoimmune diseases – but with early planning, pregnancy outcomes can be greatly improved

Only a few decades ago, a diagnosis of lupus could mean giving up the dream of having children. Women with systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Kristen Demoruelle

College students are bombarded by misinformation, so this professor taught them fact-checking 101 − here’s what happened

College students are bombarded by misinformation, so this professor taught them fact-checking 101 − here’s what happened

Mike Evans knew something had to change. As the lead instructor for American Government 1101 at Georgia State University in 2021, Evans had watched...

tuesday 1

The Conversation

Sam Wineburg

Trump’s push to fire Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

Trump’s push to fire Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

The fate of Lisa Cook, who is fighting attempts by President Donald Trump to remove her from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, has huge...

tuesday 1

The Conversation

Ana Carolina Garriga

Active Clubs are white supremacy’s new, dangerous frontier

Active Clubs are white supremacy’s new, dangerous frontier

Small local organizations called Active Clubs have spread widely across the U.S. and internationally, using fitness as a cover for a much more...

tuesday 6

The Conversation

Art Jipson

Squash has been played in Philly for 125 years − a sports psychologist explains why it’s one of the city’s best-kept secrets

Squash has been played in Philly for 125 years − a sports psychologist explains why it’s one of the city’s best-kept secrets

What sport combines the intensity of a high-wire circus act with the strategic thinking of a grand master chess match? I’d say the sport of squash,...

tuesday 4

The Conversation

Eric Zillmer

Like Reagan, Trump is slashing US environment regulations, but his strategy may have a far deeper impact

Like Reagan, Trump is slashing US environment regulations, but his strategy may have a far deeper impact

When the Trump administration announced it was moving to eliminate dozens of U.S. climate policies, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator...

tuesday 3

The Conversation

Barbara Kates-Garnick

Trump’s firing of Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

Trump’s firing of Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

The fate of Lisa Cook, who is fighting attempts by President Donald Trump to remove her from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, has huge...

tuesday 4

The Conversation

Ana Carolina Garriga

How federal officials talk about health is shifting in troubling ways – and that change makes me worried for my autistic child

How federal officials talk about health is shifting in troubling ways – and that change makes me worried for my autistic child

The Make America Healthy Again movement has generated a lot of discussion about public health. But the language MAHA proponents use to describe...

25.08.2025 5

The Conversation

Megan Donelson

Monsoon flooding has killed hundreds in Pakistan – climate change is pushing the rainy season from blessing to looming catastrophe

Monsoon flooding has killed hundreds in Pakistan – climate change is pushing the rainy season from blessing to looming catastrophe

Farmers in South Asia rely on the summer monsoon’s rainfall, but extreme monsoon rains in recent years have been destructive and deadly. Since...

25.08.2025 5

The Conversation

Pintu Kumar Mahla

Hurricane Katrina: 3 painful lessons for emergency management are increasingly important 20 years later

Hurricane Katrina: 3 painful lessons for emergency management are increasingly important 20 years later

Hurricane Katrina looms large in the history of American emergency management, both for what went wrong as the disaster unfolded and for the policy...

25.08.2025 7

The Conversation

Eric Kevin Stern

Why is the object of golf to play as little golf as possible?

Why is the object of golf to play as little golf as possible?

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to...

25.08.2025 2

The Conversation

Patrick Tutka

Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967

Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967

Five journalists were among the 22 people killed on Aug. 25, 2025, in Israeli strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip. Following global...

25.08.2025 2

The Conversation

Maha Nassar

Orwell’s opposition to totalitarianism was rooted in his support for freeing workers from poverty and exploitation

Orwell’s opposition to totalitarianism was rooted in his support for freeing workers from poverty and exploitation

George Orwell’s dystopian novels “Animal Farm” and “1984” have remained popular in the U.S. ever since their initial publication in the...

25.08.2025 5

The Conversation

Mark Satta

Rural women are at a higher risk of violence − and less likely to get help

Rural women are at a higher risk of violence − and less likely to get help

I have been teaching a course on rural criminology since 2014, and most of my students are surprised by the information on violence against women...

25.08.2025 1

The Conversation

Walter S. Dekeseredy

Forget the warm fuzzies of finding common ground – to beat polarization, try changing your expectations

Forget the warm fuzzies of finding common ground – to beat polarization, try changing your expectations

More than 70% of voters in Colorado’s Douglas County, conservative and progressive alike, voted “no” on home rule in June 2025. The ballot measure...

25.08.2025 5

The Conversation

Sarah Pessin