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Renewable energy is cheaper and healthier – so why isn’t it replacing fossil fuels faster?

Renewable energy is cheaper and healthier – so why isn’t it replacing fossil fuels faster?

You might not know it from the headlines, but there is some good news about the global fight against climate change. A decade ago, the cheapest way...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

Jay Gulledge

If evolution is real, then why isn’t it happening now? An anthropologist explains that humans actually are still evolving

If evolution is real, then why isn’t it happening now? An anthropologist explains that humans actually are still evolving

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...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

Michael A. Little

Florida’s new open carry law combines with ‘stand your ground’ to create new freedoms – and new dangers

Florida’s new open carry law combines with ‘stand your ground’ to create new freedoms – and new dangers

Twenty years ago, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed the first “stand your ground” law, calling it a “good, common-sense, anti-crime issue.” The law’s...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

Caroline Light

White nationalism fuels tolerance for political violence nationwide

White nationalism fuels tolerance for political violence nationwide

Political violence among rival partisans has been a deadly and destabilizing force throughout history and across the globe. It has claimed...

yesterday 8

The Conversation

Murat Haner

Why people trust influencers more than brands – and what that means for the future of marketing

Why people trust influencers more than brands – and what that means for the future of marketing

Not long ago, the idea of getting paid to share your morning routine online would have sounded absurd. Yet today, influencers are big business: The...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Kelley Cours Anderson

Slavery’s brutal reality shocked Northerners before the Civil War − and is being whitewashed today by the White House

Slavery’s brutal reality shocked Northerners before the Civil War − and is being whitewashed today by the White House

Long before the first shots were fired in the Civil War, beginning early in the 19th century, Americans had been fighting a protracted war of words...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Gerry Lanosga

Most colleges score low on helping students of all faiths – or none – develop a sense of belonging. Faculty can help change that

Most colleges score low on helping students of all faiths – or none – develop a sense of belonging. Faculty can help change that

What helps students from all walks of life have a good college experience? Beyond all the concrete things schools can offer – academics, research...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Matthew J. Mayhew

Don’t stress out about overeating during the holidays – a dietitian explains how a day of indulgence won’t harm your overall health

Don’t stress out about overeating during the holidays – a dietitian explains how a day of indulgence won’t harm your overall health

For many, holidays are synonymous with quality time and long-standing traditions. Typically laden with delicious foods, it’s not uncommon to eat...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Bryn Beeder

Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too

Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too

Debates about generative artificial intelligence on college campuses have largely centered on student cheating. But focusing on cheating overlooks...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Jeffrey C. Dixon

Retailers are quietly changing their return policies – here’s why you should be on the lookout this Black Friday

Retailers are quietly changing their return policies – here’s why you should be on the lookout this Black Friday

’Tis the season for giving – and that means ’tis the season for shopping. Maybe you’ll splurge on a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal,...

yesterday 7

The Conversation

Lauren Beitelspacher

Florida’s new open carry ruling combines with ‘stand your ground’ to create new freedoms – and new dangers

Evidence shows that 20 years on, Florida’s stand your ground law hasn’t made communities in the state any safer.

yesterday 40

The Conversation

Caroline Light

Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it

Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it

Everyone has looked up at the clouds and seen faces, animals, objects. Human brains are hardwired for this kind of whimsy. But some people – perhaps...

14.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Calum Lister Matheson

Supply-chain delays, rising equipment prices threaten electricity grid

Supply-chain delays, rising equipment prices threaten electricity grid

Two new data centers in Silicon Valley have been built but can’t begin processing information: The equipment that would supply them with...

14.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Morgan Bazilian

SNAP benefits have been cut and disrupted – causing more kids to go without enough healthy food and harming child development

SNAP benefits have been cut and disrupted – causing more kids to go without enough healthy food and harming child development

About 4 in 10 of the more than 42 million Americans who get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are children under 18. This food aid...

14.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Jenalee Doom

Can the world quit coal?

Can the world quit coal?

As world leaders and thousands of researchers, activists and lobbyists meet in Brazil at the 30th annual United Nations climate conference, there...

14.11.2025 7

The Conversation

Stacy D. Vandeveer

Why two tiny mountain peaks became one of the internet’s most famous images

Why two tiny mountain peaks became one of the internet’s most famous images

It’s happened to you countless times: You’re waiting for a website to load, only to see a box with a little mountain range where an image should...

14.11.2025 5

The Conversation

Christopher Schaberg

Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold

Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold

It starts with a slight scratchiness at the back of your throat. Then, a sneeze. Then coughing, sniffling and full-on congestion, with or without...

14.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Mary J. Scourboutakos

Don’t let food poisoning crash your Thanksgiving dinner

Don’t let food poisoning crash your Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and feasting. However, amid the joy of gathering and indulging in delicious food, it is essential to...

14.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Lisa Cuchara

How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates

How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates

Class portraits line the hallways of the University of Colorado Law School, the faces of former students gazing down at the building’s current...

14.11.2025 4

The Conversation

Rebecca Ciota

Hybrid workers are putting in 90 fewer minutes of work on Fridays – and an overall shift toward custom schedules could be undercutting collaboration

Hybrid workers are putting in 90 fewer minutes of work on Fridays – and an overall shift toward custom schedules could be undercutting collaboration

Do your office, inbox and calendar feel like a ghost town on Friday afternoons? You’re not alone. I’m a labor economist who studies how technology...

14.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Christos Makridis

Trump’s proposed cuts to work study threaten to upend a widely supported program that helps students offset college costs

Trump’s proposed cuts to work study threaten to upend a widely supported program that helps students offset college costs

Work study works, doesn’t it? Federal work study is a government program that gives colleges and universities approximately US$1 billion in...

14.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Samantha Hicks

Making progress is more than making policy – what Mamdani can learn from de Blasio about the politics of urban progress

Making progress is more than making policy – what Mamdani can learn from de Blasio about the politics of urban progress

After a decisive election win, Zohran Mamdani will become mayor of New York on Jan. 1, 2026. His impressive grassroots campaign made big promises...

14.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Nicole West Bassoff

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket landed its booster on a barge at sea – an achievement that will broaden the commercial spaceflight market

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket landed its booster on a barge at sea – an achievement that will broaden the commercial spaceflight market

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully made its way to orbit for the second time on Nov. 13, 2025. Although the second launch is never as...

14.11.2025 20

The Conversation

Wendy Whitman Cobb

The shutdown has ended – but this economist isn’t rejoicing quite yet

The shutdown has ended – but this economist isn’t rejoicing quite yet

After 43 days, the U.S. government shutdown finally came to an end late on Nov. 12, 2025, when Congress voted through a long-overdue funding bill,...

13.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal

Black and Latino homeowners in Philly face discrimination when appraisers assess their properties

Black and Latino homeowners in Philly face discrimination when appraisers assess their properties

For most families, owning a home is the primary way to accumulate wealth and transfer that wealth to future generations. But in Philadelphia and...

13.11.2025 1

The Conversation

Gregory Squires

What’s a ‘black box’ warning? A pharmacologist explains how these labels protect patients

What’s a ‘black box’ warning? A pharmacologist explains how these labels protect patients

A “black box” warning on a health product sounds pretty scary – maybe even more so when it’s suddenly being taken off the packaging. Americans were...

13.11.2025 10

The Conversation

C. Michael White

‘Simulation theory’ brings an AI twist out of ‘The Matrix’ to ideas mystics and religious scholars have voiced for centuries

‘Simulation theory’ brings an AI twist out of ‘The Matrix’ to ideas mystics and religious scholars have voiced for centuries

In the most talked-about film from the final year of the 20th century, “The Matrix,” a computer hacker named Neo finds that the world he lives and...

13.11.2025 7

The Conversation

Rizwan Virk

Global companies are still committing to protect the climate – and they’re investing big money in clean tech

Global companies are still committing to protect the climate – and they’re investing big money in clean tech

The Trump administration has given corporations plenty of convenient excuses to retreat from their climate commitments, with its moves to withdraw...

13.11.2025 5

The Conversation

Lily Hsueh

Why rural Maine may back Democrat Graham Platner’s populism in the Senate campaign − but not his party

Why rural Maine may back Democrat Graham Platner’s populism in the Senate campaign − but not his party

Every few years, Democrats try to convince themselves they’ve found the one – a candidate who can finally speak fluent rural, who looks and sounds...

13.11.2025 3

The Conversation

Nicholas Jacobs

Space debris struck a Chinese spacecraft – how the incident could be a wake-up call for international collaboration

Space debris struck a Chinese spacecraft – how the incident could be a wake-up call for international collaboration

China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft took a hit from a piece of space debris floating through orbit, causing Chinese officials to delay the spacecraft’s...

13.11.2025 2

The Conversation

R. Lincoln Hines

The rise of the autistic detective – why neurodivergent minds are at the heart of modern mysteries

The rise of the autistic detective – why neurodivergent minds are at the heart of modern mysteries

There never seems to be a shortage of good crime shows on TV, and network television is teeming with detectives who think – and act – differently....

13.11.2025 1

The Conversation

Soohyun Cho

Let’s go on an ESCAPADE – NASA’s small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere

Let’s go on an ESCAPADE – NASA’s small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere

Envision a time when hundreds of spacecraft are exploring the solar system and beyond. That’s the future that NASA’s ESCAPADE, or Escape and Plasma...

13.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Christopher Carr

How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind

How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind

Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans...

13.11.2025 3

The Conversation

Thomas Tweed

NASA goes on an ESCAPADE – twin small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere

NASA goes on an ESCAPADE – twin small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere

Envision a time when hundreds of spacecraft are exploring the solar system and beyond. That’s the future that NASA’s ESCAPADE, or Escape and Plasma...

13.11.2025 2

The Conversation

Christopher Carr

What is Fusarium graminearum, the fungus a Chinese scientist pleaded guilty to smuggling into the US?

What is Fusarium graminearum, the fungus a Chinese scientist pleaded guilty to smuggling into the US?

A Chinese plant scientist at the University of Michigan who drew national attention in June 2025 when she was arrested and accused along with...

12.11.2025 20

The Conversation

Tom W. Allen