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Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

  • Written by Karli Hochstatter, Research Scientist in Epidemiology and Health Services, Columbia University
imageAdulterants such as xylazine, medetomidine and now BTMPS are common in Philly's street fentanyl.Juan Pablo Pino/AFP via Getty Images

As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly’s streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That’s according to our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected in...

Read more: Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in...

The US energy market has its troubles, though it may not be a ‘national emergency’

  • Written by Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs, Penn State
imageThis Montana refinery processes crude oil imported from Canada.AP Photo/Matthew Brown

President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency” on his first day in office – and which he reiterated during his address to Congress on March 4, 2025 – might have seemed to echo other national emergencies, like...

Read more: The US energy market has its troubles, though it may not be a ‘national emergency’

Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought

  • Written by Lauren Lowman, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wake Forest University
imageA hillside burns near Tryon, N.C., on March 3, 2025. Fire season here typically starts in late March or April.Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

Scores of wildfires broke out across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in early March 2025 as strong winds, abnormally dry conditions and low humidity combined to kindle and spread the flames.

The...

Read more: Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods...

The child boss in ‘Severance’ reveals a devastating truth about work and child-rearing in the 21st century

  • Written by Anna Mae Duane, Professor of English, University of Connecticut
imageMiss Huang is, in many ways, capitalism's ideal child.Apple TV+

In the second season of “Severance,” there’s an unexpected character: a child supervisor named Miss Huang, who matter-of-factly explains she’s a child “because of when I was born.”

Miss Huang’s deadpan response is more than just a clever quip....

Read more: The child boss in ‘Severance’ reveals a devastating truth about work and child-rearing in the 21st...

Supreme Court sides with San Francisco, requiring EPA to set specific targets in water pollution permits

  • Written by Robin Kundis Craig, Professor of Law, University of Kansas
imageSwimmers gather at San Francisco's Ocean Beach for a Polar Plunge to start the new year, Jan. 1, 2025.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court has limited how flexible the Environmental Protection Agency and states can be in regulating water pollution under the Clean Water Act in a ruling issued March 4, 2025. However, the...

Read more: Supreme Court sides with San Francisco, requiring EPA to set specific targets in water pollution...

COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a disease

  • Written by Powel H. Kazanjian, Professor of Infectious Diseases and of History, University of Michigan
imageCOVID-19 has become a part of modern life that many people don't pay much attention to.Spencer Platt via Getty Images News

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed over the past five years from a catastrophic threat that has killed over 7 million people to what most people regard today as a tolerable annoyance that doesn’t require precaution....

Read more: COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a...

Learning ethics − one Marvel movie at a time

  • Written by James Calvin Davis, Professor of Religion, Middlebury
imagePhilosophically, there's more to many superhero movies than first meets the eye.Daniel Fung/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

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

Title of course:

Ethics in the MCU

What prompted the idea for the course?

As a die-hard fan of the...

Read more: Learning ethics − one Marvel movie at a time

USAID’s history shows decades of good work on behalf of America’s global interests, although not all its projects succeeded

  • Written by Christian Ruth, America in the World Consortium Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Florida
imageVolunteers at a camp for internally displaced people in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, carry wheat flour donated by USAID in December 2021. J. Countess/Getty Images

The Trump administration’s sudden dismantling of nearly all foreign aid, including the work carried out by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has upended the government...

Read more: USAID’s history shows decades of good work on behalf of America’s global interests, although not...

Influencers have trouble figuring out their tax obligations − and with good reason

  • Written by Sarah Webber, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Dayton
imageIf influencer Jimmy Darts got any of this outdoor furniture for free, the IRS would probably see it as income.AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

The Internal Revenue Service hasn’t issued comprehensive guidance on how the estimated 27 million Americans earning income as influencers should report their income and expenses on their tax returns....

Read more: Influencers have trouble figuring out their tax obligations − and with good reason

Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it

  • Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino
imagePresident Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

If there are any limits to a president’s power, it wasn’t evident from Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025.

In that speech, the first before lawmakers of...

Read more: Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and...

More Articles ...

  1. A potential $110B economic hit: How Trump’s tariffs could mean rising costs for families, strain for states
  2. Extreme heat silently accelerates aging on a molecular level − new research
  3. Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists rebounded to $16B in 2024 − Mike Bloomberg; Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin; and Michael and Susan Dell lead the list of biggest givers
  4. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs advises the president on use of America’s military power
  5. How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care
  6. How Trump’s second term might affect the market and your finances
  7. Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show
  8. Out-of-balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis − the ratio can predict severity of disease
  9. How are clouds’ shapes made? A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help forecast weather
  10. GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard
  11. Who’s who at the Vatican?
  12. What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept
  13. From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington
  14. America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures
  15. What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it stronger
  16. The only ‘winner’ here is Putin: Ukraine unites in response to Trump-Zelenskyy spat and resigns itself to new reality
  17. How Trump’s compulsion to dominate sabotages dealmaking, undermines democracy and threatens global stability
  18. Making English the official US language can’t erase the fact that the US has millions of Spanish speakers and a long multilingual history
  19. As flu cases break records this year, vaccine rates are declining, particularly for children and 65+ adults
  20. Texas records first US measles death in 10 years – a medical epidemiologist explains how to protect yourself and your community from this deadly, preventable disease
  21. Coastal economies rely on NOAA, from Maine to Florida, Texas and Alaska – even if they don’t realize it
  22. Just having a pet doesn’t help mental health – but pet-owners with secure relationships with their pets are less depressed
  23. What are conflicts of interest and what can be done about them?
  24. What’s a constitutional crisis? Here’s how Trump’s recent moves are challenging the Constitution’s separation of powers
  25. As the Kremlin eyes a thaw with the White House, Russia’s pro-war hawks aren’t too happy
  26. The science behind airplane deicing – a mechanical engineer explains how chemistry and physics make flying a more uplifting experience
  27. Maple seeds’ unique spinning motion allows them to travel far even in the rain, a new study shows
  28. Is a united European voice possible in the age of Trump, Putin and far-right politics? Germany’s new leader intends to find out
  29. Brutalism – the architectural style that dared to summon a new world from the ashes of World War II
  30. More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why
  31. Trump administration sets out to create an America its people have never experienced − one without a meaningful government
  32. Managers can help their Gen Z employees unlock the power of meaningful work − here’s how
  33. Identifying brands as Black-owned can pay off for businesses
  34. What is a charter school, really? Supreme Court ruling on whether Catholic charter is constitutional will hinge on whether they’re public or private
  35. Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time
  36. Anti-DEI guidance from Trump administration misinterprets the law and guts educators’ free speech rights
  37. What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it
  38. AIs flunk language test that takes grammar out of the equation
  39. Philadelphia continues long history of Black-led protest meetings aimed at fighting racial inequity and prejudice
  40. Parrotfish support healthy coral reefs, but they’re not a cure-all, and sometimes cause harm
  41. Why people rebuild in Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas despite the risks
  42. In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky locations
  43. States that impose severe prison sentences accomplish the opposite of what they say they want
  44. How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms
  45. Cutting Medicaid and federal programs are among 4 key Trump administration policy changes that could make life harder for disabled people
  46. USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security
  47. How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places
  48. Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting prioritizes ‘real’ independence from the US − but what does that mean and is it achievable?
  49. A hazy legal landscape means people can get high on hemp products, even where pot is prohibited
  50. Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon