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Secretary of defense must perform a ‘delicate dance’ between the president, Congress and the public

Leading the US Defense Department is a massive job, broadly affecting Americans’ security at home and abroad and overseeing huge numbers of people...

yesterday 4

The Conversation

Evelyn Farkas

Trump gets an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

Trump gets an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

Donald Trump is now a convicted felon, and will be the first president of the United States with a felony conviction. On Jan. 10, 2025, Justice...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Wayne Unger

From anecdotes to AI tools, how doctors make medical decisions is evolving with technology

From anecdotes to AI tools, how doctors make medical decisions is evolving with technology

The practice of medicine has undergone an incredible, albeit incomplete, transformation over the past 50 years, moving steadily from a field...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Aaron J. Masino

Even 1 drink a day elevates your cancer risk – an expert on how alcohol affects the body breaks down a new government report

Even 1 drink a day elevates your cancer risk – an expert on how alcohol affects the body breaks down a new government report

Many people use the new year to reflect on their relationship with alcohol. Just-released government guidelines are giving Americans another reason...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Nikki Crowley

How the EPA administrator protects public health, air, water and the environment

How the EPA administrator protects public health, air, water and the environment

From the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night, and even while you are asleep, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Stan Meiburg

With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research

With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research

In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety....

previous day 1

The Conversation

Ashley Bradford

Many ‘impact investors’ aren’t fully tracking whether their investments are good for society or the environment − new research

Many ‘impact investors’ aren’t fully tracking whether their investments are good for society or the environment − new research

Investors can aim not only to make money but to benefit society while doing so. But few of those impact investors follow up on whether their...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Lauren Kaufmann

Funding public schools based on enrollment in the previous year may help keep their budgets more stable, research shows

Funding public schools based on enrollment in the previous year may help keep their budgets more stable, research shows

Funding for public K-12 schools in the U.S. is based on enrollment. More students mean more money. In 31 states, public schools use the previous...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Angie Nga Le

Philly sports fans consider themselves ‘gritty’ − but it’s merely a myth used to fuel their passion

Philly sports fans consider themselves ‘gritty’ − but it’s merely a myth used to fuel their passion

Philadelphia sports fans like to think of themselves as “gritty.” In Philadelphia, grittiness can be defined as a working-class ideology that...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Timothy J. Brown

An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras

An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras

The Bible’s lex talionis – “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24-27) – has captured the human...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Yunsuh Nike Wee

Wildfires can contaminate drinking water systems with harmful chemicals − here’s what Los Angeles needs to know

Fires can make drinking water, and the water pipes and tanks themselves, unsafe. A researcher who has worked with communities after several...

previous day 5

The Conversation

Andrew J. Whelton

Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry

Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry

Dry conditions across Southern California set the stage for a series of deadly wind-driven wildfires that burned thousands of homes and other...

thursday 8

The Conversation

Ming Pan

2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve

2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve

The oceans are heating up as the planet warms. This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a...

thursday 4

The Conversation

Annalisa Bracco

How the U.S. could in fact make Canada an American territory

How the U.S. could in fact make Canada an American territory

“We take nothing by conquest…Thank God,” wrote the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, an influential Washington newspaper, in...

thursday 20

The Conversation

Robert Huish

Trump won’t rule out force to take Greenland – a country with a complex colonial history

Trump won’t rule out force to take Greenland – a country with a complex colonial history

Donald Trump has long been interested in Greenland becoming part of the United States. Yesterday, he told reporters he would not rule out using...

thursday 10

The Conversation

Darius Von Guttner Sporzynski

I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions

I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions

Several high-profile celebrities were slapped with human-trafficking charges in late 2024, from music mogul Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, to...

thursday 3

The Conversation

Monti Datta

Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

What does the future hold for forests in a warmer, drier world? Over the past 25 years, trees have been dying due to effects of climate change...

thursday 7

The Conversation

Alana Chin

3 myths about rural education that are holding students back

3 myths about rural education that are holding students back

Much has been written about the potential consequences of getting rid of the Department of Education, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s...

thursday 6

The Conversation

Sheneka Williams

How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences – podcast

Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and every year, approximately 57 million tons of plastic pollution is created. And...

thursday 8

The Conversation

Gemma Ware

Trump may receive an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

Trump may receive an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

Donald Trump is set to become the first president of the United States with a felony conviction. On May 30, 2024, a New York County jury found...

thursday 4

The Conversation

Wayne Unger

Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare

Birkin handbags, Walmart’s ‘Wirkin’ and the meme-ification of class warfare

In previous eras of internet culture, mockery of the rich and famous was usually relegated to far-left forums. But as 2025 begins, ridiculing the...

thursday 2

The Conversation

Aarushi Bhandari

Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe

Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe

When wildfires spread into neighborhoods, they burn all kinds of materials found in cars and houses and everything around them – electronics,...

thursday 6

The Conversation

Colleen E. Reid

2024’s extreme ocean heat leaves 2 mysteries to solve

2024’s extreme ocean heat leaves 2 mysteries to solve

The oceans are heating up as the planet warms. This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a...

thursday 7

The Conversation

Annalisa Bracco

Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump

Germany and US have long been allies - that could change with Trump

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in November 2024, the German state-owned news service Deutsche...

thursday 5

The Conversation

Sylvia Taschka

How midlife became a crisis

How midlife became a crisis

In the acknowledgments of her 2024 novel “All Fours,” Miranda July explains that she was inspired by a series of conversations about “physical...

thursday 5

The Conversation

Matthew Redmond

How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California

How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California

Powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching hurricane strength, swept down the mountains outside Los Angeles and spread wildfires into several...

08.01.2025 10

The Conversation

Jon Keeley

Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality

Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality

Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at...

08.01.2025 3

The Conversation

Patrick Van Esch

3 ways Trump’s EPA could use the language of science to weaken pollution controls

3 ways Trump’s EPA could use the language of science to weaken pollution controls

Environmental issues were conspicuously absent from the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, but moves by President-elect Donald Trump’s first...

08.01.2025 4

The Conversation

Eric Nost

Jean-Marie Le Pen died knowing his extremist far-right politics have been successfully mainstreamed in France

Jean-Marie Le Pen died knowing his extremist far-right politics have been successfully mainstreamed in France

The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the party once known as the National Front, occurs at a time when the mainstreaming of far-right...

08.01.2025 3

The Conversation

Aurelien Mondon

Trump’s push to control Greenland echoes US purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867

Trump’s push to control Greenland echoes US purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867

President-elect Donald Trump is again signaling his interest in Greenland through a series of provocative statements in which he’s mused about...

08.01.2025 7

The Conversation

William L. Iggiagruk Hensley

Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies

Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies

Lots of people who vape want to quit, but there’s very little guidance on how best to do so. In the U.S., recent reports estimate that 5.9% of...

08.01.2025 6

The Conversation

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce

Interior secretary manages vast lands that all Americans share − and can sway the balance between conservation and development

Interior secretary manages vast lands that all Americans share − and can sway the balance between conservation and development

The Department of the Interior was created in 1849 as the United States was rapidly expanding and acquiring territory. It became known as “the...

08.01.2025 2

The Conversation

Emily Wakild

Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have

Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have

In the first few days after Donald Trump’s election in November 2024, purchases of emergency contraceptives spiked, with two companies reporting...

08.01.2025 1

The Conversation

Jack Jiang

Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way

Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way

The way scientists think about fusion changed forever in 2022, when what some called the experiment of the century demonstrated for the first time...

08.01.2025 2

The Conversation

George R. Tynan

Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find

Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find

Imagine going on a road trip and passing several seemingly identical McDonald’s restaurants. Despite their uniform appearance, their ownership...

08.01.2025 2

The Conversation

Chelsea Sherlock

Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere

Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere

The share of computer science and engineering degrees going to women has increased at the most selective American universities over the past 20...

08.01.2025 1

The Conversation

Joseph Cimpian

Brain monitoring may be the future of work – how it’s used could improve employee performance or worsen discrimination

Brain monitoring may be the future of work – how it’s used could improve employee performance or worsen discrimination

Despite all the attention on technologies that reduce the hands-on role of humans at work – such as self-driving vehicles, robot workers,...

07.01.2025 7

The Conversation

Paul Brandt-Rauf

Vitamin deficiency may be why you’re so tired – a nutritional neuroscientist explains how to kickstart your energy by getting essential nutrients in a well-rounded diet, along with more sleep and exercise

Vitamin deficiency may be why you’re so tired – a nutritional neuroscientist explains how to kickstart your energy by getting essential nutrients in a well-rounded diet, along with more sleep and exercise

Feeling drained and lethargic is common: A 2022 national survey found that 13.5% of U.S. adults said they felt “very tired” or “exhausted”...

07.01.2025 3

The Conversation

Lina Begdache

Technology is supposed to decrease teacher burnout – but we found it can sometimes make it worse

Technology is supposed to decrease teacher burnout – but we found it can sometimes make it worse

When we set out to study pandemic-related changes in schools, we thought we’d find that learning management systems that rely on technology to...

07.01.2025 2

The Conversation

David T. Marshall

Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows

Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows

When states give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, it affects nondrivers, too — even the littlest ones. Babies born to immigrants...

07.01.2025 2

The Conversation

Margot Moinester

Unlikely bedfellows: How platform companies shortchange porn performers and ride-hailing drivers alike

Unlikely bedfellows: How platform companies shortchange porn performers and ride-hailing drivers alike

On a porn set in California’s San Fernando Valley, a performer we’ll call Jake explains why he joined the industry after dabbling in escorting....

07.01.2025 3

The Conversation

Hannah Wohl

Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards

Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards

In order to reproduce, most flowering plants rely on animals to move their pollen. In turn, pollinators rely on flowers for food, including both...

07.01.2025 3

The Conversation

Laura Russo

Trudeau taps out: How Trump’s taunts and tariff threats added to domestic woes confronting Canada’s long-standing PM

Trudeau taps out: How Trump’s taunts and tariff threats added to domestic woes confronting Canada’s long-standing PM

After weeks of speculation over his future, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign on Jan. 6, 2025. His departure...

06.01.2025 5

The Conversation

Patrick James

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