The Conversation

How new foreign worker visa fees might worsen doctor shortages in rural America

Written by Patrick Aguilar, Managing Director of Health, Washington University in St. Louis

Many physicians who aren't U.S. citizens come to the U.S. to do medical residency programs.SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

There are almost 1.1 million licensed physicians in the United States. That may sound like a lot, but the country has struggled for decades to train enough physicians to meet its needs – and, in particular, to provide...

Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data

Written by C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

If consumed in high doses, lead and other heavy metals have serious, well-documented health risks.whitebalance.space/E+ via Getty Images

Powder and ready-to-drink protein sales have exploded, reaching over US$32 billion globally from 2024 to 2025. Increasingly, consumers are using these protein sources daily.

A new study by Consumer Reports,...

Baseball returns to a Japanese American detention camp after a historic ball field was restored

Written by Susan H. Kamei, Adjunct Professor of History and Affiliated Faculty, USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Cultures, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

In a 2024 exhibition game at Manzanar, players – many of them descendants of internment camp detainees – donned custom 1940s-style uniforms.Aaron Rapoport, CC BY-SA

In the spring of 1942, 15-year-old Momo Nagano needed a way to fill her time.

She was imprisoned at the Manzanar Relocation Center along with approximately 10,000 other...

Antioxidants help stave off a host of health problems – but figuring out how much you’re getting can be tricky

Written by Nathaniel Johnson, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Dakota

Many fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants.istetiana/Moment via Getty Images

When it comes to describing what an antioxidant is, it’s all in the name: Antioxidants counter oxidants.

And that’s a good thing. Oxidants can damage the structure and function of the chemicals in your body critical to life – like the proteins and...

AI-generated lesson plans fall short on inspiring students and promoting critical thinking

Written by Torrey Trust, Professor of Learning Technology, UMass Amherst

When teachers rely on commonly used artificial intelligence chatbots to devise lesson plans, it does not result in more engaging, immersive or effective learning experiences compared with existing techniques, we found in our recent study. The AI-generated civics lesson plans we analyzed also left out opportunities for students to explore the...

Trump administration’s layoffs would gut department overseeing special education, eliminating parents’ last resort

Written by Joshua Cowen, Professor of Education Policy, Michigan State University

A sign marks the outside of the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C.J. David Ake/Getty Images

A federal judge on Oct. 16, 2025, paused the Trump administration’s latest round of layoffs, which targeted more than 4,000 federal workers at a range of agencies, including 466 workers at the Department of Education.

U.S. District...

New Pentagon policy is an unprecedented attempt to undermine press freedom

Written by Amy Kristin Sanders, John and Ann Curley Professor of First Amendment Studies, Penn State

An American flag is unfurled on the side of the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2025, in Arlington, Va.Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Throughout modern American history, reporters who cover the Pentagon have played an invaluable role shining a light on military actions when the government has not been forthright with the public.

For instance, reporters co...

Madagascar’s military power grab shows Africa’s coup problem isn’t restricted to the Sahel region

Written by John Joseph Chin, Assistant Teaching Professor of Strategy and Technology, Carnegie Mellon University

Military Col. Michael Randrianirina joins protesters as he announces that the armed forces are taking control of Madagascar on Oct. 14, 2025. AP Photo/Brian Ingang

Those who rise to power through a coup often fall by the same means.

That is one of the takeaways from events in Madagascar, where on Oct. 14, 2025, the military seized power after weeks...

Why and how does personality emerge? Studying the evolution of individuality using thousands of fruit flies

Written by Shraddha Lall, Ph.D. Candidate in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

Even fruit flies have personal preferences.Antagain/E+ via Getty Images

As a Ph.D. student, I wanted to understand the evolution of individual differences in fruit fly behavior – the building blocks of personality. My experiments involved measuring how my tiny subjects acted in a maze.

So each day in the lab began with using a thin paintbrush...

Why countries struggle to quit fossil fuels, despite higher costs and 30 years of climate talks and treaties

Written by Kate Hua-Ke Chi, Doctoral Fellow, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Renewable energy is expanding, but a fossil fuel phaseout appears to still be far in the future.Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images

Fossil fuels still power much of the world, even though renewable energy has become cheaper in most places and avoids both pollution and the climate damage caused by burning coal, oil and natural gas.

To...