The Conversation

Mississippi’s education miracle: A model for global literacy reform

Written by Harry Anthony Patrinos, Professor of Education Policy, University of Arkansas

Mississippi's reforms have led to significant gains in reading and math, despite the state being one of the lowest spenders per pupil in the U.S.Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

In a surprising turnaround, Mississippi, once ranked near the bottom of U.S. education standings, has dramatically improved its student literacy rates.

As of 2023, the state...

Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users

Written by Kory London, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University

Medetomidine is now a key ingredient in street fentanyl sold in Philly.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Philadelphia’s street opioid supply – or “dope” market – is constantly changing. As health care workers and researchers who care for people who use drugs in our community, we have witnessed these shifts firsthand.

New adulterants...

Maritime truce would end a sorry war on the waves for Russia that set back its naval power ambitions

Written by Colin Flint, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Utah State University

A warship is seen docked in the port of the Black Sea city of Sochi.Mikhail Mordasov/AFP via Getty Images

Away from the grueling land battles and devastating airstrikes, the Ukraine war has from its outset had a naval element. Soon after the February 2022 invasion, Russia imposed a de facto naval blockade on Ukraine, only to see its fleet stunningly...

Sudan’s civil war: What military advances mean, and where the country could be heading next

Written by Christopher Tounsel, Associate Professor of History, University of Washington

A Sudanese man celebrates as the military enters the central city of Wad Madani, pushing out the Rapid Support Forces in January 2025. AP Photo/Marwan Ali

A series of advances by the Sudanese military has led some observers to posit that the African nation’s yearslong civil war could be at a crucial turning point.

Even if it were to end...

Deep-sea mining threatens sea life in a way no one is thinking about − by dumping debris into the thriving midwater zone

Written by Alexus Cazares-Nuesser, Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Oceanography, University of Hawaii

A cnidarian is attached to a dead sponge stalk on a manganese nodule in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.Diva Amon and Craig Smith, University of Hawaii at Mānoa

Picture an ocean world so deep and dark it feels like another planet – where creatures glow and life survives under crushing pressure.

This is the midwater zone, a hidden ecosystem...

The solution to workplace isolation might be in the gap − the generation gap

Written by Megan Gerhardt, Professor of Management, Farmer School of Business, Miami University

The potential for friendships and mentorships between colleagues in different stages of life are often overlooked.OwenPrice/E+ via Getty Images

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the United States finds itself in the midst of another public health crisis. This particular pandemic is a psychological one: widespread loneliness and...

Trump is not a king – but that doesn’t stop him from reveling in his job’s most ceremonial and exciting parts

Written by Shannon Bow O'Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

President Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Heads of state are the symbolic leader of a country. Some of them, like King Charles III of the United Kingdom, carry out largely ceremonial roles these days. Others, like Saudi Arabian King Salman,...

Trump’s desire to ‘un-unite’ Russia and China is unlikely to work – in fact, it could well backfire

Written by Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University

Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Russia's Vladimir Putin.Getty Images

Is the U.S. angling for a repeat of the Sino-Russian split?

In an Oct. 31, 2024, interview with right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson, President Donald Trump argued that the United States under Joe Biden had, in his mind erroneously, pushed China and Russia together. Separating the...

Engineering students explore how to ethically design and locate nuclear facilities in this college course

Written by Aditi Verma, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan

While nuclear power can reap enormous benefits, it also comes with some risks. Michel Gounot/GODONG/Stone via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Socially Engaged Design of Nuclear Energy Technologies

What prompted the idea for the course?

T...

Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work

Written by James T. Stroud, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology

After gathering data on the captured anole, the team releases it back to the wild.Neil Losin/Day's Edge Prods.

Every morning in Miami, our fieldwork begins the same way. Fresh Cuban coffee and pastelitos – delicious Latin American pastries – fuel our team for another day of evolutionary detective work. Here we’re tracking...