Sign in
The Conversation
Two men, one in traditional Gulf state attire, walk in front of some trees.

Oman serves as a crucial back channel between Iran and the US as tensions flare in the Middle East

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

A hand turns on a faucet and water splashes form a full glass.

Removing PFAS from public water will cost billions and take time – until then, here are ways to filter out harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at home

Kyle Doudrick, University of Notre Dame

Reagan’s great America shining on a hill twisted into Trump’s dark vision of Christian nationalism

Diane Winston, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

A man in a white suit shakes hands with a younger man in a navy suit while a woman in a pink dress looks on.
Know thyself − all too well: Why Taylor Swift’s songs are philosophy

Jessica Flanigan, University of Richmond

A blond woman smiles as she sings in a sparkly purple robe and blue bodysuit.
Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus is able to support life − my research team is working out how to detect extraterrestrial cells there

Fabian Klenner, University of Washington

A close-up of the surface of a gray moon, with plumes of light shining off it.
Ireland at the crossroads: Can the ancient Brehon laws guide the republic away from anti-immigrant sentiment?

Christine Kinealy, Quinnipiac University

A green shamrock is painted on stone pavement surrounded by people in 'I heart Ireland' T-shirts.

Get evidence-based news in your inbox, for free

Subscribe to our newsletters
People stand in the streets and hold signs that say, 'It's not 1864 in Arizona,' 'Freedom healthcare abortion,' and 'November November November November.'

Other states, like Arizona, could resurrect laws on abortion, LGBTQ+ issues and more that have been lying dormant for more than 100 years

Dara E. Purvis, Penn State

A financial graph.

To understand the risks posed by AI, follow the money

Tim O'Reilly, UCL; Ilan Strauss, UCL; Mariana Mazzucato, UCL, and Rufus Rock, UCL

Native American voices are finally factoring into energy projects – a hydropower ruling is a victory for environmental justice on tribal lands

Emily Benton Hite, Saint Louis University and Denielle Perry, Northern Arizona University

A large dam with a spillway stretches in front of a reservoir
‘The former guy’ versus ‘Sleepy Joe’ – why Biden and Trump are loath to utter each other’s name

Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis

An elderly man in a suit spreads his arms as he speaks. He is flanked by a middle-aged woman and two middle-aged men.
Worried about housing shortages and soaring prices? Your community’s zoning laws could be part of the problem

Jessica Trounstine, Vanderbilt University

A bird's-eye view of a relatively new suburban neighborhood.
Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage

Andrew Flachs, Purdue University and Joseph Orkin, Université de Montréal

Close-up of person putting shredded cabbage in a jar of other shredded vegetables.
A man walks past a tent on a grassy field, with a school in the background

Supreme Court to consider whether local governments can make it a crime to sleep outside if no inside space is available

Clare Pastore, University of Southern California

Indian protesters pull from poetic tradition to resist Modi’s Hindu nationalism

Krupa Shandilya, Amherst College

Woman dressed in blue and yellow screams at security personnel.
In the age of cancel culture, shaming can be healthy for online communities – a political scientist explains when and how

Jennifer Forestal, Loyola University Chicago

ten figure-like wooden cylinders topped by spheres with nine beige ones arranged in a circle around one red one
Exploding stars send out powerful bursts of energy − I’m leading a citizen scientist project to classify and learn about these bright flashes

Amy Lien, University of Tampa

A burst of bright light coming out of a hazy cloud.
Drugs that aren’t antibiotics can also kill bacteria − new method pinpoints how

Mariana Noto Guillen, UMass Chan Medical School

Array of multicolored pills in blister packs
Read all our latest articles

More from The Conversation

The best of The Conversation U.S., each Sunday
Sign up
Graphic with speech bubbles and the text 'Weekly Highlights' in the center.
Experts answer the fascinating questions of kids
Graphic that says 'connecting experts with curious kids', with words in background saying 'how? why? who?'
What you need to know to guide your donations
Sign up

The Conversation,The Associated Press & The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Graphic featuring heart and hand symbols. The text reads 'Giving Today'.
We’ll send you one great story every day
I'll try it
Graphic showing phones with the texting app open and words 'Let's Text'
All our newsletters

War in Gaza

people in helmets and riot gear carrying guns stand outside a white building.

Are embassies off-limits? Ecuadorian and Israeli actions suggest otherwise − and that sets a dangerous diplomatic precedent

Jorge Heine, Boston University

Rebuilding Gaza was seen as a ‘Herculean’ task before Oct. 7; six months of bombing has led to crises that will long outlive the war

Dima Nazzal, Georgia Institute of Technology

Workers and residents stand on a pile of rubble with one building standing in the background.
Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen aid convoy shows growing danger of humanitarian work in conflict zones

Elizabeth Stites, Tufts University

A man stands near a white vehicle that has a large hole in its top and its doors open. The road is empty and the ocean is nearby.
Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida

A girl holds out an empty pan while boys surround her.
US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

Dana El Kurd, University of Richmond

Two men sit with a table between them with Palestinian and US flags on.
Read more stories about the Israel-Hamas war

Caregiving

A smiling elderly woman in a wheelchair is hugged by her daughter.

Family caregivers can help shape the outcomes for their loved ones – an ICU nurse explains their vital role

Courtney Graetzer, Vanderbilt University

New studies suggest millions with mild cognitive impairment go undiagnosed, often until it’s too late

Soeren Mattke, University of Southern California and Ying Liu, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A senior woman in a wheelchair sits outside in a garden.
For-profit nursing homes are cutting corners on safety and draining resources with financial shenanigans − especially at midsize chains that dodge public scrutiny

Sean Campbell, The Conversation and Charlene Harrington, University of California, San Francisco

An elderly person's hands are folded in the person's lap.
Family caregivers face financial burdens, isolation and limited resources − a social worker explains how to improve quality of life for this growing population

Kathy L. Lee, University of Texas at Arlington

Young African American woman smiles at her father who is in a wheelchair.
Michigan Gov. Whitmer proposes a caregiver tax credit − an idea many Americans support

Sarah E. Patterson, University of Michigan and Adriana Reyes, Cornell University

Woman embraces elderly man from behind.
Read more about health

Are you an academic expert who wants to share your knowledge?

Pitch an article

Baltimore bridge collapse

A cargo ship carrying stacks of boxes crashes into a metal structure.

Dali hit Key Bridge with the force of 66 heavy trucks at highway speed

Amanda Bao, Rochester Institute of Technology

Failure of Francis Scott Key Bridge provides future engineers a chance to learn how to better protect the public

Michael J. Chajes, University of Delaware

A cargo ship is ensnared in a mangled steel bridge.
Port of Baltimore bridge collapse rattles supply chains already rocked by troubles in Panama and the Red Sea

Simona Stan, University of Montana

American flags hang off cranes with one reading Port of Baltimore USA.
Bridges can be protected from ship collisions – an expert on structures in disasters explains how

Sherif El-Tawil, University of Michigan

a car sits at an angle on a bridge roadway at the edge of a collapsed section with a cargo ship in the background
I’ve captained ships into tight ports like Baltimore, and this is how captains like me work with harbor pilots to avoid deadly collisions

Allan Post, Texas A&M University

the front of a container ship floats with large chunks of the bridge it crashed into lying on top
Read more about the bridge that collapsed

The Conversation is a nonprofit, independent news organization supported by readers

I'd like to donate

Earth Month

A colored image show methane leaking form a source with buildings nearby.

More climate-warming methane leaks into the atmosphere than ever gets reported – here’s how satellites can find the leaks and avoid wasting a valuable resource

Riley Duren, University of Arizona

As climate change and pollution imperil coral reefs, scientists are deep-freezing corals to repopulate future oceans

Mary Hagedorn, Smithsonian Institution

Underwater photo of healthy corals
Climate change is shifting the zones where plants grow – here’s what that could mean for your garden

Matt Kasson, West Virginia University

Branches of a magnolia tree with blooms that have turned brown and withered
New York City greenlights congestion pricing – here’s how this toll plan is expected to improve traffic, air quality and public transit

John Rennie Short, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Cars and trucks move across a multi-level bridge in two directions
Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be prepared

Ben Kravitz, Indiana University and Tyler Felgenhauer, Duke University

The sun sets over Chicago on a hot day.
Read more stories about the environment

Election 2024

How jurors will be selected in Trump’s legal cases - a criminal law expert explains

Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Harvard University

A white man wearing a dark business suit is surrounded by other men wearing dark suits.
Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces – including threatening judges and their families

Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst

A man in a business suit points into a crowd.
From Reagan to Obama, presidents have left office with ‘strategic regret’ − will leaving troops in Iraq and Syria be Biden or Trump’s?

Charles Walldorf, Wake Forest University

Men and women in fatigues embrace on a military ship.
Talking to Americans reveals the diversity behind the shared opinion ‘the country is on the wrong track’

Dante Chinni, Michigan State University and Ari Pinkus, Michigan State University

Three people holding images of thumbs down, one with a thumbs up.
Read more election coverage

New research in health and science

Illustration of a fisheye lens view of a mass of purple blobs, a beam of light shining through.

Personalized cancer treatments based on testing drugs quickly leads to faster treatment, better outcomes

Diana Azzam, Florida International University

PFAS ‘forever chemicals’: Why EPA set federal drinking water limits for these health-harming contaminants

Kathryn Crawford, Middlebury

Hands in purple gloves pour a water sample into a bottle for testing.
Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

Dustin Long, University of Washington and Chloe Bryson-Cahn, University of Washington

Patient wearing mask lying on hospital bed, hand extended toward camera
Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history – a geologist excavates the Himalayas with a microscope

Matthew J. Kohn, Boise State University

Microscopy heat map of an oblong sliver, with violet at the edges and yellow toward its center, with numbers indicating millions of years superimposed.
Fossilized dinosaur eggshells can preserve amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, over millions of years

Evan Thomas Saitta, University of Chicago

A cross section showing long, multicolor columnar structures.
Read more new science research

You might also like…

A white keyboard with a finger about to press cancel.

4 reasons the practice of canceling weakens higher education

Mordechai Gordon, Quinnipiac University

Taylor Swift’s homage to Clara Bow

Deirdre Clemente, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Annie Delgado, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Black and white portrait of young woman bathed in light resting her head on her hands.
Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions

Michelle Szydlowski, Miami University

Woman laughs as an elephant puts the tip of its trunk to her cheek.
Power outages leave poor communities in the dark longer: Evidence from 15 million outages raises questions about recovery times

Chuanyi Ji, Georgia Institute of Technology and Scott C. Ganz, Georgetown University

A couple stand in the doorway of their home with water surrounding it, including up the front step.
Domestic violence survivors seek homeless services from a system that often leaves them homeless

Nkiru Nnawulezi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Lauren Cattaneo, George Mason University

Anguished person sits at their bedside, their hand holding their head.

Most read this week

1.
Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being preemptively ordered to rehire baristas who say they were fired for union-promoting activities

Michael Z. Green, Texas A&M University

Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being preemptively ordered to rehire baristas who say they were fired for union-promoting activities
2.
Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

Dustin Long, University of Washington and Chloe Bryson-Cahn, University of Washington

Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research
3.
Brain scans of Philly jazz musicians reveal secrets to reaching creative flow

John Kounios, Drexel University and Yvette Kounios, Widener University

Brain scans of Philly jazz musicians reveal secrets to reaching creative flow
4.
Newly discovered genetic variant that causes Parkinson’s disease clarifies why the condition develops and how to halt it

Matthew Farrer, University of Florida

Newly discovered genetic variant that causes Parkinson’s disease clarifies why the condition develops and how to halt it
5.
Debunking the Dunning-Kruger effect – the least skilled people know how much they don’t know, but everyone thinks they are better than average

Eric C. Gaze, Bowdoin College

Debunking the Dunning-Kruger effect – the least skilled people know how much they don’t know, but everyone thinks they are better than average
6.
Drugs that aren’t antibiotics can also kill bacteria − new method pinpoints how

Mariana Noto Guillen, UMass Chan Medical School

Drugs that aren’t antibiotics can also kill bacteria − new method pinpoints how

Our partners and funders

West Virginia UniversityAuburn UniversityUSC Annenberg School for Communication and JournalismUniversity of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular EngineeringBinghamton University, State University of New YorkUniversity of IowaUniversity of VirginiaAmerican University School of CommunicationDonors to The Conversation U.S.
View all partners

The Conversation democratizes knowledge by helping academic experts to write for the public. Free to read. Free to republish. No ads or paywalls.

Find out more about us