The Conversation

Trump says climate change doesn’t endanger public health – evidence shows it does, from extreme heat to mosquito-borne illnesses

Written by Jonathan Levy, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University

Rising global temperatures are increasing the risk of heat stroke on hot days, among many other human harms.Ronda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration took a major step in its efforts to unravel America’s climate policies on Feb. 12, 2026. It moved to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding, a formal determination that...

FDA rejects Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application - for reasons with no basis in the law

Written by Ana Santos Rutschman, Professor of Law, Villanova University

In December 2025, Moderna submitted an application to the FDA to approve the first mRNA-based flu vaccine.Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration has refused to review an application from the biotech company Moderna to approve its mRNA-based flu vaccine.

The agency’s decision, which Moderna announced...

Nearly every state in the US has dyslexia laws – but our research shows limited change for struggling readers

Written by Eric Hengyu Hu, Research Scientist of Educational Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York

Between 5% and 15% of children have symptoms of dyslexia, but schools are often slow at identifying and responding to it with targeted education. mrs/Stock Photos/Getty Images

Families with children who have dyslexia have long pushed lawmakers to respond to a pressing concern: Too many young students struggle for years to learn to read, before...

How the 9/11 terrorist attacks shaped ICE’s immigration strategy

Written by Pawan Dhingra, Professor of U.S. Immigration Studies, Amherst College

Tear gas fills the air in south Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026, after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti.Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Stephen Miller’s January 2026 announcement to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers – telling them that they have “immunity to perform your duties” and that no...

Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE America Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote

Written by John J. Martin, Assistant Professor of Law, Quinnipiac University

The House has passed a new version of an election security bill, but it faces an uphill climb in the Senate.Getty Images/Apu Gomes

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted Feb. 11, 2026 to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act – or SAVE America Act. The bill would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship...

Polymers from earth can make cement more climate-friendly

Written by Alcina Johnson Sudagar, Research Scientist in Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis

Portland cement, widely used for concrete, is responsible for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Photovs/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Concrete is all around you – in the foundation of your home, the bridges you drive over, the sidewalks and buildings of cities. It is often described as the second-most used material by volume on Earth...

Exiled Iranians and Venezuelans may well support regime change – but diasporas don’t always reflect the politics back home

Written by Michael Paarlberg, Associate Professor, Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University

Venezuelans in South Florida protest Nicolás Maduro in August 2024.Carlos Escalona/Anadolu via Getty Images

As protest and military action raised the prospect of regime change in Iran and Venezuela, the voices of both countries’ diasporas were heard loud and clear through the media of their host nations.

Venezuelan exiles in the U.S....

How business students learn to make ethical decisions by studying a soup kitchen in one of America’s toughest neighborhoods

Written by Tim Swift, Professor of Management, St. Joseph's University

Guests line up for a hot meal at St. Francis Inn on Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia.Timothy Swift, CC BY-SA

For the past decade I have volunteered at St. Francis Inn, a soup kitchen in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Kensington, for those not from Philly, has long had a reputation for potent but affordable street drugs....

More than a feeling – thinking about love as a virtue can change how we respond to hate

Written by Tucker J. Gregor, Doctoral Candidate in Religious Studies, University of Iowa

Seeing hate as a feeling tied to love, rather than being its opposite, might help us choose how to respond.Lusky/E+ via Getty Images

Love and hate seem like obvious opposites. Love, whether romantic or otherwise, involves a sense of warmth and affection for others. Hate involves feelings of disdain. Love builds up, whereas hate destroys.

However,...

Addiction affects your brain as well as your body – that’s why detoxing is just the first stage of recovery

Written by Emma Fenske, DO, Addiction Medicine Fellow and Internal Medicine Physician, Oregon Health & Science University

Addiction treatment after detoxification may include techniques such as counseling, group therapy and medication.seksan Mongkhonkhamsao via Getty Images

Addiction is one of the most common and consequential chronic medical conditions in the United States. Nationwide, more than 46 million people met the criteria for a substance abuse disorder as of...