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Google’s proposed data center in orbit will face issues with space debris in an already crowded orbit

Google’s Project Suncatcher would need sophisticated collision avoidance capabilities to navigate a junk-filled landscape.

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The Conversation

Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti

Why one 16th-century theologian’s advice for a bitterly divided nation holds true today

Sebastian Castellio penned one of the first arguments for religious freedom – but it went unheeded for centuries.

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Michael Bruening

Yes, the government can track your location – but usually not by spying on you directly

A privacy researcher breaks down how your phone reveals your location, how that data is collected and sold, and how the government gets ahold of it...

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Emilee Rader

Federal funding cuts are only one problem facing America’s colleges and universities

Amid federal funding cuts, the enrollment of both domestic and foreign students is falling at American colleges and universities.

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Roger Meiners

The marketing genius of Spotify Wrapped

Spotify has hit a marketing sweet spot: Users feel compelled to share their annual listening habits and, in doing so, advertise the streaming...

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Ishani Banerji

Lasting peace in Ukraine may hinge on independent monitors – yet Trump’s 28-point plan barely mentions them

Building in safeguards, including third-party monitoring, can increase the chances of a successful peace by almost a third, research shows.

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Peter J. Quaranto

A hard year for federal workers offers a real-time lesson in resilience

During a year of extraordinary uncertainty, workers built resilient networks within and across boundaries and distance. An anthropologist explains...

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Anne Pisor

What are small modular reactors, a new type of nuclear power plant sought to feed AI’s energy demand?

Rising electricity demand has researchers exploring a wide range of methods to generate more power, including a type of nuclear reactor that’s...

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Leonel Lagos

Labeling dissent as terrorism: New US domestic terrorism priorities raise constitutional alarms

A new Trump administration policy threatens free speech and association by targeting individuals and groups as potential domestic terrorists based...

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Melinda Haas

Empathy and reasoning aren’t rivals – new research shows they work together to drive people to help more

Those driven by both heart and mind help the most people, even far beyond their own circle.

yesterday 5

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Kyle Fiore Law

Ranked choice voting outperforms the winner-take -all system used to elect nearly every US politician

Ranked choice voting outperforms the winner-take -all system used to elect nearly every US politician

American democracy is straining under countless pressures, many of them rooted in structural problems that go back to the nation’s founding. Chief...

yesterday 40

The Conversation

Ismar Volić

Why do family companies even exist? They know how to ‘win without fighting’

Why do family companies even exist? They know how to ‘win without fighting’

When you hear the phrase “family business,” you might think of the backstabbing Roys of “Succession” or the dysfunctional Duttons of “Yellowstone.”...

yesterday 10

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Vitaliy Skorodziyevskiy

Sugar starts corroding your teeth within seconds – here’s how to protect your pearly whites from decay

Sugar starts corroding your teeth within seconds – here’s how to protect your pearly whites from decay

Between Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies and holiday cookies, the end of the year is often packed with opportunities to consume sugar. But what...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

José Lemos

Planning life after high school isn’t easy – 4 tips to help students and families navigate the process

Planning life after high school isn’t easy – 4 tips to help students and families navigate the process

Many high school seniors are now focusing on what they will do once they graduate – or how they don’t at all know what is to come. Families trying...

yesterday 4

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Shannon Pickett

Why protecting Colorado children from dying of domestic violence is such a hard problem

Why protecting Colorado children from dying of domestic violence is such a hard problem

A record number of Colorado children died in 2024 as a result of domestic violence, despite a statewide reduction in overall homicide. Of the eight...

yesterday 4

The Conversation

Kaitlyn M. Sims

We are hardwired to sing − and it’s good for us, too

We are hardwired to sing − and it’s good for us, too

On the first Sunday after being named leader of the Catholic Church in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome...

yesterday 4

The Conversation

Elinor Harrison

Larry Summers’ sexism is jeopardizing his power and privilege, but the entire economics profession hinders progress for women

Larry Summers’ sexism is jeopardizing his power and privilege, but the entire economics profession hinders progress for women

House lawmakers released damning correspondence between economist Larry Summers and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Nov. 12,...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers

Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works

Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works

As AI data centers spring up across the country, their energy demand and resulting greenhouse gas emissions are raising concerns. With servers and...

yesterday 6

The Conversation

Ramesh Agarwal

High-speed rail moves millions throughout the world every day – but in the US, high cost and low use make its future bumpy

High-speed rail moves millions throughout the world every day – but in the US, high cost and low use make its future bumpy

High-speed rail systems are found all over the globe. Japan’s bullet train began operating in 1964. China will have 31,000 miles (50,000...

yesterday 4

The Conversation

Stephen Mattingly

Flat Earth, spirits and conspiracy theories – experience can shape even extraordinary beliefs

Flat Earth, spirits and conspiracy theories – experience can shape even extraordinary beliefs

On Feb. 22, 2020, “Mad” Mike Hughes towed a homemade rocket to the Mojave Desert and launched himself into the sky. His goal? To view the flatness...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Eli Elster

Winter storms blanket the East, while the US West is wondering: Where’s the snow?

Winter storms blanket the East, while the US West is wondering: Where’s the snow?

Ski season is here, but while the eastern half of the U.S. digs out from wintery storms, the western U.S. snow season has been off to a very slow...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Adrienne Marshall

Winter storms blanket the East, while the U.S. West is wondering: Where’s the snow?

Winter storms blanket the East, while the U.S. West is wondering: Where’s the snow?

Ski season is here, but while the eastern half of the U.S. digs out from wintery storms, the western U.S. snow season has been off to a very slow...

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The Conversation

Adrienne Marshall

When the world’s largest battery power plant caught fire, toxic metals rained down – wetlands captured the fallout

When the world’s largest battery power plant caught fire, toxic metals rained down – wetlands captured the fallout

When fire broke out at the world’s largest battery energy storage facility in January 2025, its thick smoke blanketed surrounding wetlands, farms...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Ivano W. Aiello

Speaker Johnson’s choice to lead by following the president goes against 200 years of House speakers building up the office’s power

Speaker Johnson’s choice to lead by following the president goes against 200 years of House speakers building up the office’s power

When the framers of what became the U.S. Constitution set out to draft the rules of our government on a hot, humid day in the summer of 1787,...

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The Conversation

Sorelle Wyckoff Gaynor

Why do people get headaches and migraines? A child neurologist explains the science of head pain and how to treat it

Why do people get headaches and migraines? A child neurologist explains the science of head pain and how to treat it

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...

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The Conversation

Katherine Cobb-Pitstick

Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – how Tehran got into water bankruptcy

Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – how Tehran got into water bankruptcy

Fall marks the start of Iran’s rainy season, but large parts of the country have barely seen a drop as the nation faces one of its worst droughts...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Ali Mirchi

New York’s wealthy warn of a tax exodus after Mamdani’s win – but the data says otherwise

New York’s wealthy warn of a tax exodus after Mamdani’s win – but the data says otherwise

New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, campaigned on a promise to raise the city’s income tax on its richest residents from 3.9% to 5.9%. Combined...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Cristobal Young

Stalin’s postwar terror targeted Soviet Jews – in the name of ‘anti-cosmopolitanism ’

Stalin’s postwar terror targeted Soviet Jews – in the name of ‘anti-cosmopolitanism ’

Many Americans know of Josef Stalin’s Terror of the late 1930s, during which more than 1 million people were arrested for political crimes, and...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Wendy Z. Goldman

Texas cities have some of the highest preterm birth rates in the US, highlighting maternal health crisis nationwide

Texas cities have some of the highest preterm birth rates in the US, highlighting maternal health crisis nationwide

Seven years ago, at 30 weeks into a seemingly low-risk pregnancy, I unexpectedly began to bleed. Doctors diagnosed me with complete placenta...

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The Conversation

Kobi V. Ajayi

Guinea-Bissau ’s military takeover highlights the nation’s sorry history of coups and a deepening crisis across the region

Guinea-Bissau ’s military takeover highlights the nation’s sorry history of coups and a deepening crisis across the region

Army generals in Guinea-Bissau seized power on Nov. 26, 2025 – the eve of a scheduled official declaration of the winner in the West African...

previous day 1

The Conversation

John Joseph Chin

Rural high school students are more likely than city kids to get their diplomas, but they remain less likely to go to college

Rural high school students are more likely than city kids to get their diplomas, but they remain less likely to go to college

Many high school seniors are currently in the midst of the college application process or are already waiting to hear back from their selected...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Sheneka Williams

Drones, physics and rats: Studies show how the people of Rapa Nui made and moved the giant statues – and what caused the island’s deforestation

Drones, physics and rats: Studies show how the people of Rapa Nui made and moved the giant statues – and what caused the island’s deforestation

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The rationale is clear: The tiny, remote island in the...

26.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Carl Lipo

As US hunger rises, Trump administration’s ‘efficiency’ goals cause massive food waste

As US hunger rises, Trump administration’s ‘efficiency’ goals cause massive food waste

The U.S. government has caused massive food waste during President Donald Trump’s second term. Policies such as immigration raids, tariff changes...

26.11.2025 50

The Conversation

Tevis Garrett Graddy-Lovelace

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence – and that affects what scientific journals choose to publish

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence – and that affects what scientific journals choose to publish

Should you believe the findings of scientific studies? Amid current concerns about the public’s trust in science, old arguments are resurfacing...

26.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Mark Louie Ramos

How does Narcan work? Mapping how it reverses opioid overdose can provide a molecular blueprint for more effective drugs

How does Narcan work? Mapping how it reverses opioid overdose can provide a molecular blueprint for more effective drugs

Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is one of the most important drugs in the United States’ fight against the opioid crisis. It...

26.11.2025 1

The Conversation

Saif Khan

George Plimpton’s 1966 nonfiction classic ‘Paper Lion’ revealed the bruising truths of Detroit Lions training camp

George Plimpton’s 1966 nonfiction classic ‘Paper Lion’ revealed the bruising truths of Detroit Lions training camp

As the Detroit Lions barrel toward a Thanksgiving Day game with the Green Bay Packers, some die-hard fans may be fantasizing about what it would be...

26.11.2025 3

The Conversation

Stephen Siff

A year on, the Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire looks increasingly fragile − could a return to cyclical violence come next?

A year on, the Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire looks increasingly fragile − could a return to cyclical violence come next?

An already troubled ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is looking shakier than ever. Since the truce was announced on Nov. 27, 2024,...

26.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Asher Kaufman

Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly revives Cold War persecution of Americans with supposedly disloyal views

Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly revives Cold War persecution of Americans with supposedly disloyal views

In an unprecedented step, the Department of Defense announced online on Nov. 24, 2025, that it was reviewing statements by U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a...

25.11.2025 7

The Conversation

Gregory A. Daddis

‘Without prejudice’: What this 2-word legalese means for the dismissed charges against James Comey and Letitia James

‘Without prejudice’: What this 2-word legalese means for the dismissed charges against James Comey and Letitia James

A federal judge on Nov. 24, 2025, dismissed the indictments against former FBI Director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James,...

25.11.2025 6

The Conversation

Ray Brescia

What makes a true Santa is inside – and comes with the red suit

What makes a true Santa is inside – and comes with the red suit

When you picture Santa Claus, a white, bearded, overweight and jolly man who dashes around delivering gifts to children during the Christmas season...

25.11.2025 1

The Conversation

Christina Hymer

How food assistance programs can feed families and nourish their dignity

How food assistance programs can feed families and nourish their dignity

The 2025 government shutdown drew widespread attention to how many Americans struggle to get enough food. For 43 days, the more than 42 million...

25.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Joslyn Brenton

A database could help revive the Arapaho language before its last speakers are gone

A database could help revive the Arapaho language before its last speakers are gone

I was hired at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1995 as a language professor. I relocated from Hawaii, where I had learned the Hawaiian...

25.11.2025 4

The Conversation

Andrew Cowell