The Conversation

Michelle Miller, University of Wisconsin-Madison When picking up groceries requires a two-hour round trip, fresh produce can become a luxury. As a food systems researcher, I see this tension firsthand: People need fresh food to be healthy, but rural regions increasingly lack access to it. Food insecurity among rural households increased from 12% in 2019

John J. Martin, Quinnipiac University Mail voting in the 2026 midterm elections will go on as usual – now that the Trump administration’s major efforts to disrupt how Americans vote by mail have been blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Postal Service had recently implemented new rules placing unprecedented restrictions on the practice

Jennifer Talarico, Lafayette College Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of the September 11 terrorist attacks that occurred 25 years ago? President George W. Bush reacts in a Sarasota, Fla., classroom after being told of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001.

Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California At the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, 1.3 million individuals from 17 countries were living and working in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. TPS is a humanitarian form of protection from deportation for people who cannot return to their home countries because of

John J. Martin, Quinnipiac University The reaction to a procedural ruling by the Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026, was immediate and sharp. The conservative justices’ decision in the 6-3 ruling to lift a block on implementation of President Donald Trump’s March 2026 executive order imposing restrictions on mail voting had voting rights advocates and

Kirk McClure, University of Kansas and Alex Schwartz, The New School A sweeping housing measure, which became law on July 11, 2026, is being widely celebrated as a crucial step in addressing the nation’s housing crisis. The ROAD to Housing Act is one of the few substantive bills passed by Congress in recent years, and

John Kubale, University of Michigan Public health relies on data – whether it is tracking the effectiveness of a given year’s flu vaccine, monitoring blood lead levels around the country or estimating the prevalence of diabetes. This data forms the basis for decisions such as whether a community should expand screening for diabetes and which

Katherine Ott, Smithsonian Institution Trade the tricorn hats, bonnets and homespun shirts for flip flops, sneakers and soccer jerseys, and the intrepid revolutionaries of 1776 would have looked a lot like the people of 2026. But their sense of embodiment and experience of health was markedly different from Americans today. Life went on in the

By Zak Kassas, The Ohio State University Few people want to get lost when traveling. But if there are places where being lost feels especially unsettling, they tend to be the sea, desert and sky. These environments share a defining feature: the absence of distinctive visual cues. Where horizons blur, landmarks disappear and every direction

Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology; Payam Saeedi, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Stacey Watson, University of Waterloo Think about the last smartphone, tablet or smartwatch you stopped using. Odds are it is not in a recycling bin or a new owner’s hands; it is sitting in a drawer. This look familiar? Peter Dazeley/Photodisc via

Achim Zeileis, University of Innsbruck In times past, when we wanted to know which team would win the World Cup, we had to turn to seers with crystal balls, use divination via tea leaves, or hope for Paul the Octopus to tell us what would happen. But modern data science can provide a better alternative.

Yuval Hadash, Carnegie Mellon University and J. David Creswell, Carnegie Mellon University Imagine being asked to sit alone in a quiet room for 15 minutes with nothing to do – no phone, no music, no external distraction. In a well-known 2014 study, many participants found that task so challenging that they chose to press a

Andrew Latham, Macalester College President Donald Trump is reportedly setting his sights on a Christmas peace deal in the Ukraine-Russia war. British and German troops observe a temporary truce on Christmas Day 1914. Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images The timing is apt. Every December, political leaders reach instinctively for the language of goodwill. Meanwhile, diplomats

Ivis García, Texas A&M University Picture this: You’re looking to buy a place to live, and you have two options. Option A is a beautiful home in California near good schools and job opportunities. But it goes for nearly a million dollars – the median California home sells for US$906,500 – and you’d be paying

Gerry Lanosga, Indiana University 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 over slavery. On one side, Southern planters and slavery apologists portrayed the practice of human bondage as sanctioned by God and beneficial even to enslaved

By Kenneth M. Evans, Rice University U.S. science always suffers during government shutdowns. Funding lapses send government scientists home without pay. Federal agencies suspend new grant opportunities, place expert review panels on hold, and stop collecting and analyzing critical public datasets that tell us about the economy, the environment and public health. In 2025, the

David Smilde, Tulane University Few can doubt the courage María Corina Machado has shown in fighting for a return to democracy in Venezuela. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a protest in Caracas on Jan. 9, 2025. Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images The 58-year-old politician and activist is the undisputed leader of the

Sage Meredith Goodwin, Purdue University, and Oscar Winberg, University of Turku “Is there any way we can screw him?” asked President Richard M. Nixon. “We’ve been trying to,” an aide replied, alluding to the White House’s efforts to remove from the airwaves an ABC talk show host whose critiques of the administration had placed that

Deborah Fuller, University of Washington At a Sept. 4, 2025, hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced heated questions from numerous senators about his vaccine policies, including his stance on COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA vaccine technology generally. RFK Jr. canceled $500 million of funding for research

Paul Mwebaze, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign If your morning can’t begin without coffee, you’re in good company. The world drinks about 2 billion cups of coffee a day. However, a European Union law might soon affect your favorite coffee beans – and the farmers who grow them. The beans that created this cup of

Anna Kirkland, University of Michigan For almost 40 years, people who suspect they’ve been harmed by a vaccine have been able to turn to a little-known system called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program – often simply called the vaccine court. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was established in 1986 by an act of Congress. MarsBars/iStock

Aaron French, Kennesaw State University Back in 2008, The Atlantic sparked controversy with a provocative cover story: Is Google Making Us Stupid? Technology is no substitute for independent thought. SvetaZi/Getty Images In that 4,000-word essay, later expanded into a book, author Nicholas Carr suggested the answer was yes, arguing that technology such as search engines

Kevin Morris, University of Denver and Jaci Gandenberger, University of Denver In a 2022 survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, more than one-third of respondents reported that on most days, they feel “completely overwhelmed” by stress. At the same time, a growing body of research is documenting the negative health consequences of higher stress levels, which

Karen Tan, Middle Tennessee State University “My dedication was questioned.” “Managers or upper management have looked down upon taking time off.” “People think that maybe you’re not as invested in the job, that you’re shirking your duties or something.” The U.S. is the only advanced economy that doesn’t legally mandate a minimum number of vacation

Jadey O’Regan, University of Sydney Brian Wilson, leader, songwriter and producer of the Beach Boys, has passed away at age 82. The Beach Boys in 1962 in Los Angeles, California. Brian Wilson is on the left. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images He leaves behind a legacy of beautiful, joyous, bittersweet and enduring music, crafted over a

by Adam Behr, Newcastle University There’s immense variety in popular music careers, even beyond the extremes of one-hit wonders and the long-haulers touring stadiums into their dotage. There are those who embody a specific era, burning briefly and brightly, and those whose legacy spans decades. Sly Stone performing at Woodstock in August 1969. Zuma Press /

Mark Finlayson, Florida International University and Azwad Anjum Islam, Florida International University It is not often that cold, hard facts determine what people care most about and what they believe. Instead, it is the power and familiarity of a well-told story that reigns supreme. Whether it’s a heartfelt anecdote, a personal testimony or a meme

Danielle K. Brown, Michigan State University On the evening of May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police outside a grocery store in Minneapolis. Flowers, painted benches, and handmade memorials surround a mural of George Floyd at George Floyd Square on May 18, 2025. Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images From the outset, the incident

Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, Catholic Theological Union The world of sport is “a constellation of many stars,” Pope Francis told La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian daily sports newspaper, during a wide-ranging interview in January 2021. Players observe a minute of silence in memory of Pope Francis before the Spanish league soccer match between Real Madrid

Maureen K. Day, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Shortly after 6 P.M. in Rome, the longed-for sight appeared above the Sistine Chapel: white smoke. Over the course of a day and a half, the more than 130 members of the College of Cardinals had come to a decision on who should lead

Kirby Farah, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Mexicans representing indigenous soldiers and the French army re-enact the battle of Puebla during Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Mexico City. AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo Many Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but how many actually know the story of the holiday? Contrary to popular belief, Cinco

Josh Shepperd, University of Colorado Boulder The Trump administration’s drive to slash government spending on everything from the arts to cancer research also includes efforts to carry through on the Republican Party’s long-standing goal of ending federal funding for NPR, the nation’s public radio network, and PBS, its television counterpart. Cast members of the children’s

Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Negotiators from Iran and the United States are set to meet again in Oman on April 26, 2025, prompting hopes the two countries might be moving, albeit tentatively, toward a new nuclear accord. The front pages of Iran’s newspapers in a sidewalk newsstand in Tehran,

by Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff, has died, the Vatican announced on April 21, 2025. He was 88. Francis had served as pope for 12 eventful years, after being elected on March 13, 2013 after the surprise resignation of Benedict XVI. Prior to becoming

Iveta Silova, Arizona State University Many American universities, widely seen globally as beacons of academic integrity and free speech, are giving in to demands from the Trump administration, which has been targeting academia since it took office. Columbia University has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. Rudi Von Briel/Photodisc via Getty Images In

Niven Winchester, Auckland University of Technology We now have a clearer picture of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and how they will affect other trading nations, including the United States itself. Getty Images The US administration claims these tariffs on imports will reduce the US trade deficit and address what it views as unfair and

Callie Maddox, Miami University For most baseball fans, hope springs eternal on Opening Day. American women have been playing baseball since at least the 1860s. Ullstein Bild/Getty Images Many of those fans – more than you might think – are women. A 2024 survey found that women made up 39% of those who attended or

Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino If there are any limits to a president’s power, it wasn’t evident from Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images In that speech, the first before lawmakers of Trump’s second term, the president declared vast accomplishments during the brief six weeks