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The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth orbit satellites

The closer to Earth a satellite flies, the clearer a picture it can take of the surface. But low-flying satellites also have to deal with...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Sven Bilén

From record warming to rusting rivers, 2025 Arctic Report Card shows a region transforming faster than expected

The 20th anniversary of the annual report tracks how sea ice, snow cover and many other vital signs of the Arctic have changed, and the impact...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Matthew L. Druckenmiller

How rogue nations are capitalizing on gaps in crypto regulation to finance weapons programs

North Korea was behind a $1.5 billion digital bank heist in February 2025. Other countries are similarly stealing crypto to fund nefarious activities.

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Nolan Fahrenkopf

If tried by court-martial , senator accused of ‘seditious behavior’ would be deprived of several constitutional rights

US Sen. Mark Kelly correctly articulated military law when he said service members have a duty to not obey unlawful orders, according to a military...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Joshua Kastenberg

The North Pole keeps moving – here’s how that affects Santa’s holiday travel and yours

There are actually two North Poles. One has been wandering over northern Canada and north of there for years. An earth scientist explains why and...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Scott Brame

2 superpowers, 1 playbook: Why Chinese and US bureaucrats think and act alike

The men and women tasked with implementing policy are governed by the same incentives and constraints − whether in Beijing or Washington.

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Daniel E. Esser

A, B, C or D – grades might not say all that much about what students are actually learning

Grades can magnify inequities that exist in American schools, making it harder for some students to succeed.

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Joshua Rowe Eyler

Gazing into the mind’s eye with mice – how neuroscientists are seeing human vision more clearly

It was once believed that mice had relatively poor vision. Turns out mice are far from blind – and studying how their vision is shaped by their...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Bilal Haider

My prescription costs what?! Pharmacists offer tips that could reduce your out-of -pocket drug costs

High prescription drug costs are leaving many patients frustrated and unable to afford their medications.

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Sujith Ramachandran

Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’

Powerful men connected to Jeffrey Epstein are named, dissected and speculated about. The survivors, unless they work hard to step forward, remain a...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Stephanie A. Martin

How are dark matter and antimatter different?

How are dark matter and antimatter different?

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...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Dipangkar Dutta

Pardons are political, with modern presidents expanding their use

Pardons are political, with modern presidents expanding their use

President Donald Trump is making full use of his pardon power. This year, Trump has issued roughly 1,800 pardons, or nearly six times the number he...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Stewart Ulrich

2025’s extreme weather had the jet stream’s fingerprints all over it, from flash floods to hurricanes

2025’s extreme weather had the jet stream’s fingerprints all over it, from flash floods to hurricanes

The summer of 2025 brought unprecedented flash flooding across the U.S., with the central and eastern regions hit particularly hard. These storms...

previous day 9

The Conversation

Shuang-Ye Wu

How the NIH became the backbone of American medical research and a major driver of innovation and economic growth

How the NIH became the backbone of American medical research and a major driver of innovation and economic growth

As a young medical student in 1975, I walked into a basement lab at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to interview for a...

previous day 9

The Conversation

Fred D. Ledley

Pandas, pingpong and ancient canals: President Xi’s hosting style says a lot about Chinese diplomacy

Pandas, pingpong and ancient canals: President Xi’s hosting style says a lot about Chinese diplomacy

When French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to China in early December for his fourth state visit, the itinerary began with the expected...

previous day 5

The Conversation

Xianda Huang

The ‘one chatbot per child’ model for AI in classrooms conflicts with what research shows: Learning is a social process

The ‘one chatbot per child’ model for AI in classrooms conflicts with what research shows: Learning is a social process

In the Star Trek universe, the audience occasionally gets a glimpse inside schools on the planet Vulcan. Young children stand alone in pods...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Niral Shah

From civil disobedience to networked whistleblowing: What national security truth-tellers reveal in an age of crackdowns

From civil disobedience to networked whistleblowing: What national security truth-tellers reveal in an age of crackdowns

Across the world, governments are tightening controls on speech, expanding surveillance and rolling back rights once thought to be secure. From...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Kate Kenny

Coup contagion? A rash of African power grabs suggests copycats are taking note of others’ success

Coup contagion? A rash of African power grabs suggests copycats are taking note of others’ success

In a scene that has become familiar across parts of Africa of late, a group of armed men in military garb appeared on state TV on Dec. 7, 2025, to...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Salah Ben Hammou

Getting peace right: Why justice needs to be baked into ceasefire agreements – including Ukraine’s

Getting peace right: Why justice needs to be baked into ceasefire agreements – including Ukraine’s

Efforts to end the war in Ukraine have grabbed global attention, fueled by debates over U.S. President Donald Trump’s 28-point plan – which many...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Valerie Morkevicius

Science has always been marketed, from 18th-century coffeehouse demos of Newton’s ideas to today’s TikTok explainers

Science has always been marketed, from 18th-century coffeehouse demos of Newton’s ideas to today’s TikTok explainers

People often see science as a world apart: cool, rational and untouched by persuasion or performance. In this view, scientists simply discover...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Beth Dufault

Christmas trees are more expensive than ever in Colorado — what gives?

Christmas trees are more expensive than ever in Colorado — what gives?

The holiday season sparks a significant increase in consumer spending. This year, Black Friday alone saw consumers shell out a record US$11.8...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Ali Besharat

Best way for employers to support employees with chronic mental illness is by offering flexibility

Best way for employers to support employees with chronic mental illness is by offering flexibility

More than 20% of Americans will be diagnosed with mental illness in their lifetimes. They will, that is, experience conditions that influence the...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Sherry Thatcher

Chile elects most right-wing leader since Pinochet – in line with regional drift, domestic tendency to punish incumbents

José Antonio Kast, who has run for the presidency several times, successfully seized on widespread dissatisfaction over issues like crime and...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Andra B. Chastain

Sharks and rays get a major win with new international trade limits for 70+ species

Sharks and rays get a major win with new international trade limits for 70+ species

The world’s oceans are home to an exquisite variety of sharks and rays, from the largest fishes in the sea – the majestic whale shark and manta...

12.12.2025 30

The Conversation

Gareth J. Fraser

Trump administration replaces America 250 quarters honoring abolition and women’s suffrage with Mayflower and Gettysburg designs

Trump administration replaces America 250 quarters honoring abolition and women’s suffrage with Mayflower and Gettysburg designs

The culture wars have arrived at the U.S. Mint. Commemorative coins aimed at celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 were unveiled by the...

12.12.2025 30

The Conversation

Seth T. Kannarr

A Colorado guaranteed income program could help families, but the costs are high

A Colorado guaranteed income program could help families, but the costs are high

In Colorado, full-time workers need to earn an hourly wage of at least $36.79 to afford $2,000 in monthly rent, which is below the federal fair...

12.12.2025 20

The Conversation

Jennifer C. Greenfield

Data centers need electricity fast, but utilities need years to build power plants – who should pay?

Data centers need electricity fast, but utilities need years to build power plants – who should pay?

The amount of electricity data centers use in the U.S. in the coming years is expected to be significant. But regular reports of proposals for new...

12.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Theodore J. Kury

Whether Netflix or Paramount buys Warner Bros., entertainment oligopolies are back – bigger and more anticompetitive than ever

Whether Netflix or Paramount buys Warner Bros., entertainment oligopolies are back – bigger and more anticompetitive than ever

News of Netflix’s bid to buy Warner Bros. last week sent shock waves through the media ecosystem. The pending US$83 billion deal is being described...

12.12.2025 7

The Conversation

Matthew Jordan

How a niche Catholic approach to infertility treatment became a new talking point for MAHA conservatives

How a niche Catholic approach to infertility treatment became a new talking point for MAHA conservatives

Along the 2024 presidential campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to make in vitro fertilization, or IVF, free – part of his party’s wider push for...

12.12.2025 7

The Conversation

Emma Kennedy

West Bank violence is soaring, fueled by a capitulation of Israeli institutions to settlers’ interests

West Bank violence is soaring, fueled by a capitulation of Israeli institutions to settlers’ interests

Owais Hammam was walking near his home in Khirbet Bani Harith in the West Bank on Dec. 3, 2025, when, according to media reports, he was kidnapped...

12.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Arie Perliger

Can scientists detect life without knowing what it looks like? Research using machine learning offers a new way

Can scientists detect life without knowing what it looks like? Research using machine learning offers a new way

When NASA scientists opened the sample return canister from the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample mission in late 2023, they found something astonishing....

12.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Amirali Aghazadeh

How I rehumanize the college classroom for the AI-augmented age

How I rehumanize the college classroom for the AI-augmented age

It’s week one of the semester, the first day of class: 20 students, mostly freshmen, sit silently waiting for our English 101 Writing Composition...

12.12.2025 4

The Conversation

Sean Cho Ayres

Sleep problems and depression can be a vicious cycle, especially during pregnancy − here’s why it’s important to get help

Sleep problems and depression can be a vicious cycle, especially during pregnancy − here’s why it’s important to get help

Imagine you got a rough night of sleep. Perhaps you went to bed too late, needed to wake up early or still felt tired when you woke up from what...

12.12.2025 1

The Conversation

Jenalee Doom

What’s at stake in Trump’s executive order aiming to curb state-level AI regulation

What’s at stake in Trump’s executive order aiming to curb state-level AI regulation

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 11, 2025, that aims to supersede state-level artificial intelligence laws that the...

12.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Anjana Susarla

Donor-advised funds have more money than ever – and direct more of it to politically active charities

Donor-advised funds have more money than ever – and direct more of it to politically active charities

Charitable giving in the United States has changed significantly in recent years. Two of the biggest changes are the swift growth of donor-advised...

12.12.2025 3

The Conversation

Brian Mittendorf

The Bible says little about Jesus’ childhood – but that didn’t stop medieval Christians from enjoying tales of him as holy ‘rascal’

The Bible says little about Jesus’ childhood – but that didn’t stop medieval Christians from enjoying tales of him as holy ‘rascal’

Manger scenes displayed around Christmastime usually feature an ox and an ass beside the infant Jesus. According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary placed...

12.12.2025 3

The Conversation

Mary Dzon

Black-market oil buyers will push Venezuela for bigger discounts following US seizure – starving Maduro of much-needed revenue

Black-market oil buyers will push Venezuela for bigger discounts following US seizure – starving Maduro of much-needed revenue

The U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast looks designed to further squeeze the economy of President Nicolás Maduro’s country. The...

11.12.2025 9

The Conversation

Francisco J. Monaldi

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

Polytechnic universities focus on practical, career-oriented skills, offering an alternative to traditional universities

For decades, a four-year college degree was widely seen as the standard path to getting most midlevel jobs in the United States. It was the...

11.12.2025 90

The Conversation

Kelly Droege

Time banks could ease the burden of elder care and promote connection

Time banks could ease the burden of elder care and promote connection

Long-term care for older people is challenging for everyone. The costs are high and the quality of care is unpredictable at best, often falling...

11.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Chao Guo

The dystopian Pottersville in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is starting to feel less like fiction

The dystopian Pottersville in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is starting to feel less like fiction

Along with millions of others, I’ll soon be taking 2 hours and 10 minutes out of my busy holiday schedule to sit down and watch a movie I’ve seen...

11.12.2025 9

The Conversation

Nora Gilbert

Even with Trump’s support, coal power remains expensive – and dangerous

Even with Trump’s support, coal power remains expensive – and dangerous

As projections of U.S. electricity demand rise sharply, President Donald Trump is looking to coal – historically a dominant force in the U.S....

11.12.2025 8

The Conversation

Hannah Wiseman

The Ivies can weather the Trump administration’s research cuts – it’s the nation’s public universities that have the most to lose

The Ivies can weather the Trump administration’s research cuts – it’s the nation’s public universities that have the most to lose

Most of the media coverage of the federal government’s recent cuts in federal research money for universities has focused on its effects on a...

11.12.2025 7

The Conversation

Todd L. Pittinsky

Hanukkah celebrates both an ancient military victory and a miracle of light – modern Jews can pick from either tradition

Hanukkah celebrates both an ancient military victory and a miracle of light – modern Jews can pick from either tradition

Friends and family will come together to celebrate, share gifts and eat traditional foods as the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah begins on...

11.12.2025 2

The Conversation

Joshua Shanes

AI’s errors may be impossible to eliminate – what that means for its use in health care

AI’s errors may be impossible to eliminate – what that means for its use in health care

In the past decade, AI’s success has led to uncurbed enthusiasm and bold claims – even though users frequently experience errors that AI makes. An...

11.12.2025 7

The Conversation

Carlos Gershenson

Tariffs 101: What they are, who pays them, and why they matter now

Tariffs 101: What they are, who pays them, and why they matter now

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing a case to determine whether President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are legal. Until recently,...

11.12.2025 4

The Conversation

Kent Jones

‘Are you married?’ Why doctors ask invasive questions during treatment

‘Are you married?’ Why doctors ask invasive questions during treatment

It’s a rare occasion when my worlds of biomedical informatics and serialized lesbian melodrama fandom collide. But that’s exactly what happened...

11.12.2025 5

The Conversation

Jill Inderstrodt

As a former federal judge, I’m concerned by a year of challenges to the US justice system

As a former federal judge, I’m concerned by a year of challenges to the US justice system

The public has been hearing from a lot of federal judges over the past year, much more than normal. That’s because many of them are concerned about...

11.12.2025 1

The Conversation

John E. Jones Iii

AI-generated political videos are more about memes and money than persuading and deceiving

AI-generated political videos are more about memes and money than persuading and deceiving

Zohran Mamdani as a creepy trick-or-treater, Gavin Newsom body-slamming Donald Trump and Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero. This is not the setup to an...

11.12.2025 1

The Conversation

Lisa Fazio

How one Florida program reduced preterm births – and how it could serve as a model for other communities

How one Florida program reduced preterm births – and how it could serve as a model for other communities

One in 10 babies in the U.S. – nearly 374,000 infants – were born preterm in 2023, meaning before 37 weeks of pregnancy. More than 15% were very...

11.12.2025 5

The Conversation

Loveline Chizobam Phillips

Songbirds swap colorful plumage genes across species lines among their evolutionary neighbors

Songbirds swap colorful plumage genes across species lines among their evolutionary neighbors

People typically think about evolution as a linear process where, within a species, the classic adage of “survival of the fittest” is constantly at...

11.12.2025 2

The Conversation

David Toews