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Nearly 2 million Americans are using kratom yearly, but it is banned in multiple states: A pharmacologist explains the controversy

  • Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut
imageKratom products are sold online and at smoke shops and gas stations, like this one in Lone Tree, Colo.Amanda Mascarelli

The herbal substance kratom, derived from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree, is used by nearly 2 million people in the United States annually. It can be easily purchased at gas stations and convenience stores, smoke shops and...

Read more: Nearly 2 million Americans are using kratom yearly, but it is banned in multiple states: A...

FAFSA website meltdown: How to avoid additional frustration with financial aid applications

  • Written by Dawn Medley, Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management, Drexel University
imageSome colleges are extending the traditional May 1 deadline for students to accept offers.valentinrussanov via Getty Images

When Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020, it was touted as making it easier for more families to access the government funding they need to send their children to college. But as recent events have shown, it...

Read more: FAFSA website meltdown: How to avoid additional frustration with financial aid applications

Why does a leap year have 366 days?

  • Written by Bhagya Subrayan, PhD Student in Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
imageLeap Day is coming.Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock, via Getty imagesimage

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 curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why does a leap year have 366 days? Does the Earth move slower every four years? – Aarush, age 8, Milpitas,...

Read more: Why does a leap year have 366 days?

Is Russia looking to put nukes in space? Doing so would undermine global stability and ignite an anti-satellite arms race

  • Written by Spenser A. Warren, Postdoctoral Fellow in Technology and International Security, University of California, San Diego

Fresh U.S. intelligence circulating in Congress reportedly indicates that Russia is developing an anti-satellite weapon in space with a nuclear component.

News reports speculating about what the weapon could be abounded after Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, released a cryptic but alarming statement on Feb. 14,...

Read more: Is Russia looking to put nukes in space? Doing so would undermine global stability and ignite an...

Navalny dies in prison − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on

  • Written by Regina Smyth, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University
imageThe legacy of Alexei Navalny lives on.Ian Langsdon/AFP via Getty Images

Long lines of Russians endured subzero temperatures in January 2024 to demand that anti-Ukraine war candidate Boris Nadezhdin be allowed to run in the forthcoming presidential election. It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the...

Read more: Navalny dies in prison − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on

How tax breaks strangle American schools − billions of dollars that could help students vanish from budgets, especially hurting districts that serve poor students

  • Written by Christine Wen, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, Texas A&M University

At James Elementary in Kansas City, Missouri, principal Marjorie Mayes escorts a visitor to a classroom with exposed brick walls and pipes. Bubbling paint mars some walls, evidence of leaks spreading inside the aging building.

“It’s living history,” Mayes said. “Not the kind of living history we want.”

The district...

Read more: How tax breaks strangle American schools − billions of dollars that could help students vanish...

Cult of the drone: At the two-year mark, UAVs have changed the face of war in Ukraine – but not outcomes

  • Written by Paul Lushenko, Assistant Professor and Director of Special Operations, US Army War College
imageSmall, cheap, explosives-laden drones have become ubiquitous in the war in Ukraine.Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have been central to the war in Ukraine. Some analysts claim that drones have reshaped war, yielding not just tactical-level effects, but shaping operational and strategic...

Read more: Cult of the drone: At the two-year mark, UAVs have changed the face of war in Ukraine – but not...

What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?

  • Written by Christine Larson, Assistant Professor of Journalism, University of Colorado Boulder
imageAmerica's biggest book publishers originally viewed LGBTQ+ romance as a niche market.Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty ImagesimageCC BY-SA

A major transformation is underway in Romancelandia.

Once upon a time, romance novels from major U.S. publishers featured only heterosexual couples. Today, the five biggest publishers regularly release same-sex...

Read more: What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?

Forest Service warns of budget cuts ahead of a risky wildfire season – what that means for safety

  • Written by Camille Stevens-Rumann, Associate Professor of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University
imageMembers of the Snake River Hotshot crew monitor a prescribed fire near Roberts, Idaho. Austin Catlin/BLM

A wet winter and spring followed by a hot, dry summer can be a dangerous combination in the Western U.S. The rain fuels bountiful vegetation growth, and when summer heat dries out that vegetation, it can leave grasses and shrubs ready to burn.

I...

Read more: Forest Service warns of budget cuts ahead of a risky wildfire season – what that means for safety

Mexico is suing US gun-makers for arming its gangs − and a US court could award billions in damages

  • Written by Timothy D. Lytton, Regents' Professor & Professor of Law, Georgia State University
imageA sign in Laredo, Texas, reminds motorists not to smuggle guns into Mexico.Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

The government of Mexico is suing U.S. gun-makers for their role in facilitating cross-border gun trafficking that has supercharged violent crime in Mexico.

The lawsuit seeks US$10 billion in damages and a court order to force the companies named...

Read more: Mexico is suing US gun-makers for arming its gangs − and a US court could award billions in damages

More Articles ...

  1. As a rabbi, philosopher and physician, Maimonides wrestled with religion and reason – the book he wrote to reconcile them, ‘Guide to the Perplexed,’ has sparked debate ever since
  2. Candidates’ aging brains are factors in the presidential race − 4 essential reads
  3. A Bronx school district offers lessons in boosting student mental health
  4. Text with us and get one great link every day
  5. Children are expensive – not just for parents, but the environment – so how many is too many?
  6. Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place
  7. Stock indexes are breaking records and crossing milestones – making many investors feel wealthier
  8. Students lose out as cities and states give billions in property tax breaks to businesses − draining school budgets and especially hurting the poorest students
  9. Bacteria in your gut can improve your mood − new research in mice tries to zero in on the crucial strains
  10. Why the United States needs NATO – 3 things to know
  11. Turkey will stop sending imams to German mosques – here’s why this matters
  12. For graffiti artists, abandoned skyscrapers in Miami and Los Angeles become a canvas for regular people to be seen and heard
  13. ‘It is hijacking my brain’ – a team of experts found ways to help young people addicted to social media to cut the craving
  14. Nitazenes are a powerful class of street drugs emerging across the US
  15. Gold, silver and lithium mining on federal land doesn’t bring in any royalties to the US Treasury – because of an 1872 law
  16. Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues
  17. Don’t let ‘FDA-approved’ or ‘patented’ in ads give you a false sense of security
  18. We designed wormlike, limbless robots that navigate obstacle courses − they could be used for search and rescue one day
  19. Bringing AI up to speed – autonomous auto racing promises safer driverless cars on the road
  20. Real-world experiments in messaging show that getting low-income people the help they need is more effective when stigma is reduced
  21. Revving up tourism: Formula One and other big events look set to drive growth in the hospitality industry
  22. Back in the day, being woke meant being smart
  23. Who will be picked for vice president? Let’s discuss who’s qualified for the job
  24. Recognizing when someone is having a seizure – and how you can help during those first critical moments
  25. Wildlife selfies harm animals − even when scientists share images with warnings in the captions
  26. Mayorkas impeached: Is Congress on a witch hunt? 5 ways to judge whether oversight is legitimate or politicized
  27. Immigrants do work that might not otherwise get done – bolstering the US economy
  28. Why is free time still so elusive?
  29. Saving the news media means moving beyond the benevolence of billionaires
  30. Electric vehicles are suddenly hot − but the industry has traveled a long road to relevance
  31. Why having human remains land on the Moon poses difficult questions for members of several religions
  32. Global health research suffers from a power imbalance − decolonizing mentorship can help level the playing field
  33. Immigration reform has always been tough, and rarely happens in election years - 4 things to know
  34. In the face of severe challenges, democracy is under stress – but still supported – across Latin America and the Caribbean
  35. Philadelphia hopes year-round schooling can catch kids up to grade level – will it make a difference?
  36. Flowers grown floating on polluted waterways can help clean up nutrient runoff and turn a profit
  37. Our robot harvests cotton by reaching out and plucking it, like a lizard’s tongue snatching flies
  38. Early polls can offer some insight into candidates’ weak points – but are extremely imprecise
  39. Are you really in love? How expanding your love lexicon can change your relationships and how you see yourself
  40. AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships
  41. Family caregivers face financial burdens, isolation and limited resources − a social worker explains how to improve quality of life for this growing population
  42. A brief history of Dearborn, Michigan – the first Arab-American majority city in the US
  43. Can anyone make a citizen’s arrest? The history and legalities of catching criminals yourself
  44. Lorne Michaels, the man behind the curtain at ‘Saturday Night Live,’ has been minting comedy gold for nearly 50 years
  45. Are you seeing news reports of voting problems? 4 essential reads on election disinformation
  46. Pakistan’s post-election crisis – how anti-army vote may deliver an unstable government that falls into the military’s hands
  47. Atlantic Ocean is headed for a tipping point − once melting glaciers shut down the Gulf Stream, we would see extreme climate change within decades, study shows
  48. Love songs in Hindu devotion – the Tamil poets who took on the female voice to express their intense longing for the divine
  49. Love may be timeless, but the way we talk about it isn’t − the ancient Greeks’ ideas about desire challenge modern-day readers, lovers and even philosophers
  50. Lack of access to health care is partly to blame for skyrocketing HIV rates among gay Black men