The Conversation

England’s ‘once in a generation’ housing law takes effect as US housing legislation sits in congressional purgatory

Written by Allyson Gold, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

The U.K. Parliament passed legislation in an effort to control spiraling rental costs and reverse rising homelessness rates. Matt Cardy/Getty Image

Housing costs are eating up more and more of Americans’ monthly budgets.

Half of renters and a quarter of homeowners are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than a third of their income to pay...

Syphilis cases in expectant mothers have dramatically risen since the pandemic – here’s what’s driving the trend

Written by Casey Pinto, Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences, Penn State

A pregnant mother with untreated syphilis can pass it to the unborn fetus.Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum.

During pregnancy, this bacteria can pass from a mother with untreated syphilis, known as maternal syphilis, to her child in utero, causing the...

When immigration detention becomes a system of concentration: Lessons from research on 150 historical cases

Written by Alex Braithwaite, Distinguished Professor & Director, School of Government & Public Policy, University of Arizona

Barbed wire surrounds the GEO Group ICE detention facility in Adelanto, Calif. on July 10, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The phrase “concentration camp” is freighted with dark historical meaning. Most people hear it and instinctively think of concentration camps used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and other minority...

Fiber’s structural integrity keeps plants strong – and its indigestibility keeps your digestive system healthy

Written by Julie Pollock, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond

Vegetables, fruits, beans, seeds and nuts are all fiber-rich foods. tbralnina/iStock via Getty Images Plus

If you’re over the age of 10, the World Health Organization recommends that you consume at least 25 grams of fiber every day. The best fiber-containing foods come from plants: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes.

Whi...

AI data center boom is leaving consumer electronics short of chips − even though they don’t use the same kinds

Written by Vidya Mani, Associate Professor of Business Administration, University of Virginia; Cornell University

It takes a huge investment to be able to manufacture computer chips like these.Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

The boom in data center construction is taking up much of the supply of high-tech components, especially processor and memory chips. This demand is squeezing consumer device makers, which are having trouble acquiring enough chips.

This is...

Cheers! Welcome to the Nepalese village where everybody knows how to distill

Written by Geoff Childs, Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis

Distilling is a way of life in in Nubri, Nepal.Geoff Childs, CC BY

Imagine a place where every home has paraphernalia for distilling spirits, where there is a toast for nearly any occasion, and where your taxes – paid in grain, not cash – are deposited straight into a communal still.

Welcome to Nubri.

A valley in northern Nepal, Nubri...

Synthetic biology promised to rewrite life – with the death of its pioneer, J. Craig Venter, how close are scientists?

Written by André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology

First came the Human Genome Project, then came the field of synthetic biology.Alena Butusava/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When scientist J. Craig Venter and his team announced in 2010 that they had created the first cell controlled by a fully synthetic genome, it marked a turning point in how scientists think about life.

For the first time, DNA...

Gerrymandering is unpopular with Florida voters – my recent survey shows why DeSantis pushed it through anyway

Written by Daniel A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, University of Florida

State Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Fla., speaks against mid-decade redistricting during a special session of the Florida Legislature on April 29, 2026.AP Photo/Mike Stewart

The Sunshine State has joined Texas, California and a handful of other states in the battle of mid-decade redistricting.

On April 29, 2026, in a near party-line vote, the Florida...

Three women sit for Israeli Rabbinate’s exam, amid growing recognition for Orthodox Jewish women’s religious leadership

Written by Michal Raucher, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University

Orthodox Jewish women attend an event celebrating the completion of the 7½-year cycle of daily study of the Talmud, the central text of Jewish law, on Jan. 5, 2020, in Jerusalem.AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov

When people picture a rabbi, they may imagine a man standing in front of a congregation in a synagogue. But “rabbi” means much...

‘A study showed…’ isn’t enough – scientific knowledge builds incrementally as researchers investigate and revisit questions

Written by Jeffrey A. Lee, Professor of Geography and the Environment, Texas Tech University

When you hear about some new research finding, consider how it fits into the context of other related studies.Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Your goofy but lovable cousin just told you that you should stop eating eggs because he read somewhere that a study showed they are bad for you.

How much should you trust your relative on such...