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Death by firing squad set to resume in the US – but no matter the method, all means of execution come with a troubling history

Death by firing squad set to resume in the US – but no matter the method, all means of execution come with a troubling history

Barring any late developments, the U.S. is set to see its first execution by firing squad in 15 years on March 7, 2025. Photos released by the...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Austin Sarat

Why Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors during Ramadan

Why Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors during Ramadan

As Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, an important aspect of their faith is their role as stewards of God on Earth. One way Muslims do...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Shariq Siddiqui

What’s that microplastic? Advances in machine learning are making identifying plastics in the environment more reliable

What’s that microplastic? Advances in machine learning are making identifying plastics in the environment more reliable

Microplastics – the tiny particles of plastic shed when litter breaks down – are everywhere, from the deep sea to Mount Everest, and many...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Ambuj Tewari

DOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power

DOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Allison Stanger

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US

If the joy of seeing butterflies seems increasingly rare these days, it isn’t your imagination. From 2000 to 2020, the number of butterflies fell...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Eliza Grames

Anger is a flow of emotion like water through a hose − at work, it helps to know when to turn it up or down and how to direct it

Anger is a flow of emotion like water through a hose − at work, it helps to know when to turn it up or down and how to direct it

Pretty much everyone will sometimes struggle with anger at work. People fear the wrath of abusive supervisors, suppress anger to maintain a façade...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Laura Rees

As tuberculosis cases rise in the US and worldwide, health officials puzzle over the resurgence of a disease once in decline

As tuberculosis cases rise in the US and worldwide, health officials puzzle over the resurgence of a disease once in decline

An outbreak of tuberculosis, or TB – a lung disease that is often accompanied by a hacking cough – began in January 2024 in Kansas City, Kansas,...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Karen Dobos

Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly’s streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That’s according to our...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Karli Hochstatter

How 18F transformed government technology − and why its elimination matters

How 18F transformed government technology − and why its elimination matters

Healthcare.gov, the government health insurance marketplace website, launched in October 2013 only to buckle under the weight of just 2,000...

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Kayla Schwoerer

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US – there are ways you can help save them

The causes involve more than just habitat loss, but there are steps you can take to help save these delicate creatures

yesterday 0

The Conversation

Eliza Grames

Learning ethics − one Marvel movie at a time

Learning ethics − one Marvel movie at a time

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Ethics in the MCU As a die-...

previous day 10

The Conversation

James Calvin Davis

The child boss in ‘Severance’ reveals a devastating truth about work and child-rearing in the 21st century

The child boss in ‘Severance’ reveals a devastating truth about work and child-rearing in the 21st century

In the second season of “Severance,” there’s an unexpected character: a child supervisor named Miss Huang, who matter-of-factly explains she’s...

previous day 8

The Conversation

Anna Mae Duane

USAID’s history shows decades of good work on behalf of America’s global interests, although not all its projects succeeded

USAID’s history shows decades of good work on behalf of America’s global interests, although not all its projects succeeded

The Trump administration’s sudden dismantling of nearly all foreign aid, including the work carried out by the U.S. Agency for International...

previous day 7

The Conversation

Christian Ruth

Influencers have trouble figuring out their tax obligations − and with good reason

Influencers have trouble figuring out their tax obligations − and with good reason

The Internal Revenue Service hasn’t issued comprehensive guidance on how the estimated 27 million Americans earning income as influencers should...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Sarah Webber

COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a disease

COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a disease

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed over the past five years from a catastrophic threat that has killed over 7 million people to what most people...

previous day 5

The Conversation

Powel H. Kazanjian

Supreme Court sides with San Francisco, requiring EPA to set specific targets in water pollution permits

Supreme Court sides with San Francisco, requiring EPA to set specific targets in water pollution permits

The U.S. Supreme Court has limited how flexible the Environmental Protection Agency and states can be in regulating water pollution under the Clean...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Robin Kundis Craig

The US energy market has its troubles, though it may not be a ‘national emergency’

The US energy market has its troubles, though it may not be a ‘national emergency’

President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency” on his first day in office – and which he reiterated during his address to...

previous day 4

The Conversation

Seth Blumsack

Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought

Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought

Scores of wildfires broke out across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in early March 2025 as strong winds, abnormally dry conditions and...

previous day 0

The Conversation

Lauren Lowman

A potential $110B economic hit: How Trump’s tariffs could mean rising costs for families, strain for states

A potential $110B economic hit: How Trump’s tariffs could mean rising costs for families, strain for states

Get ready to pay more for avocados, maple syrup and – well – almost everything. The U.S. officially imposed new 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on...

tuesday 10

The Conversation

Bedassa Tadesse

How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care

How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care

“Violence is just part of the job. Every nurse and health care worker experiences it at some point.” Sentiments like this echo across American...

tuesday 30

The Conversation

Jason Blomquist

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs advises the president on use of America’s military power

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs advises the president on use of America’s military power

The dismissal of Gen. Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was startling, if not unexpected, at the beginning of President...

tuesday 7

The Conversation

Dwight Stirling

How Trump’s second term might affect the market and your finances

How Trump’s second term might affect the market and your finances

Ever since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, stock market expectations have been volatile – driven in part by a healthy dose of...

tuesday 4

The Conversation

Art Durnev

Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show

Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show

Denver saw an increase in youth homelessness from 10% to 25% between 2017 and 2021, according to our study recently published in the peer-reviewed...

tuesday 3

The Conversation

Matthew Westfall

Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it

Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it

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,...

tuesday 80

The Conversation

Maurizio Valsania

Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists rebounded to $16B in 2024 − Mike Bloomberg; Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin; and Michael and Susan Dell lead the list of biggest givers

Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists rebounded to $16B in 2024 − Mike Bloomberg; Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin; and Michael and Susan Dell lead the list of biggest givers

The 50 American individuals and couples who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2024 committed US$16.2 billion to foundations, universities,...

tuesday 4

The Conversation

David Campbell

Extreme heat silently accelerates aging on a molecular level − new research

Extreme heat silently accelerates aging on a molecular level − new research

What if extreme heat not only leaves you feeling exhausted but actually makes you age faster? Scientists already know that extreme heat increases...

tuesday 1

The Conversation

Eunyoung Choi

What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it stronger

What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it stronger

When the U.S. government deported 177 Venezuelans on Feb. 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that 80 of the deportees were...

03.03.2025 9

The Conversation

Verónica Zubillaga

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cuts have stirred widespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures...

03.03.2025 20

The Conversation

Paul Shafer

Who’s who at the Vatican?

Who’s who at the Vatican?

For more than two weeks, eyes have been on the Vatican, awaiting news about Pope Francis’ health. The pope has been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital...

03.03.2025 10

The Conversation

Daniel Speed Thompson

What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept

What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept

Few terms in American foreign policy discourse are as misunderstood or politically charged as “isolationism.” Often used as a political weapon, the...

03.03.2025 9

The Conversation

Andrew Latham

How are clouds’ shapes made? A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help forecast weather

How are clouds’ shapes made? A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help forecast weather

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...

03.03.2025 4

The Conversation

Ross Lazear

From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington

From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington

The start of President Donald Trump’s second term has been a bonanza for the attorneys general of blue states. As the president has released his...

03.03.2025 2

The Conversation

Austin Sarat

Out-of -balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis − the ratio can predict severity of disease

Out-of -balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis − the ratio can predict severity of disease

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects nearly one million...

03.03.2025 1

The Conversation

Ashutosh Mangalam

America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures

America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures

Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the specter of annexing Canada since his inauguration to a second term as president. The president’s rhetoric...

03.03.2025 7

The Conversation

G. Patrick O&39Brien

How Trump’s compulsion to dominate sabotages dealmaking, undermines democracy and threatens global stability

How Trump’s compulsion to dominate sabotages dealmaking, undermines democracy and threatens global stability

Journalists covering the Feb. 28, 2025, Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy...

02.03.2025 6

The Conversation

Karrin Vasby Anderson

The only ‘winner’ here is Putin: Ukraine unites in response to Trump-Zelenskyy spat and resigns itself to new reality

The only ‘winner’ here is Putin: Ukraine unites in response to Trump-Zelenskyy spat and resigns itself to new reality

“A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelenskyy.” That was the verdict of the editorial team at the Kyiv...

02.03.2025 70

The Conversation

Lena Surzhko Harned