The Conversation

When grief involves trauma − a social worker explains how to support survivors of the recent floods and other devastating losses

Written by Liza Barros-Lane, Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Houston-Downtown

Rain falls over a makeshift memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River on July 13, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.AP Photo/Eric Gay

The July 4, 2025, floods in Kerr County, Texas, swept away children and entire families, leaving horror in their wake. Days later, flash floods struck Ruidoso, New Mexico, killing three people, including two young...

Supreme Court news coverage has talked a lot more about politics ever since the 2016 death of Scalia and GOP blocking of Obama’s proposed nominee

Written by Joshua Boston, Associate Professor of Political Science, Bowling Green State University

Reporters used to treat the Supreme Court as a nonpolitical institution, but not anymore.Tetra Images/Getty

The U.S. Supreme Court has always ruled on politically controversial issues. From elections to civil rights, from abortion to free speech, the justices frequently weigh in on the country’s most debated problems.

And because of the...

Children living near oil and gas wells face higher risk of rare leukemia, studies show

Written by Lisa McKenzie, Associate Professor of Health, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The U.S. has nearly 1 million oil and natural gas wells. Some, like the one here in Commerce City, Colo., are within a few thousand feet of schools and neighborhoods. RJ Sangosti/Getty Images

Acute lymphocytic leukemia is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in children, although it is rare. It begins in the bone marrow and rapidly...

Research replication can determine how well science is working – but how do scientists replicate studies?

Written by Amanda Kay Montoya, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

Some research teams work on replicating prior studies to assess the value of a body of work. AzmanL/E+ via Getty Images

Back in high school chemistry, I remember waiting with my bench partner for crystals to form on our stick in the cup of blue solution. Other groups around us jumped with joy when their crystals formed, but my group just waited....

Philly’s City Council turned down a new rental inspection program − studies show that might harm tenants’ health

Written by Gabriel L. Schwartz, Assistant Professor of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University

Tenants who complain to landlords about housing conditions can risk eviction.Photo Jeff Fusco/The Conversation U.S., CC BY-NC-ND

As Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s US$2 billion housing plan moves forward, heated debates continue about another set of municipal housing proposals that could transform Philadelphia tenants’ rights.

In...

Data can show if government programs work or not, but the Trump administration is suppressing the necessary information

Written by Sarah James, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Gonzaga University

Do government programs work? It's impossible to find out with no data.Andranik Hakobyan/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal mortality among developed nations. Since 1987, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has administered the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System to better understand when, where...

College ‘general education’ requirements help prepare students for citizenship − but critics say it’s learning time taken away from useful studies

Written by Kelly Ritter, Professor of Writing and Communication, Georgia Institute of Technology

Students learn about the arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics in general education.Olga Pankova/Moment via Getty Images

What do Americans think of when they hear the words “general education”?

By definition, general education covers introductory college courses in arts and humanities, social sciences, and...

Catholic clergy are speaking out on immigration − more than any other political issue except abortion

Written by Evan Stewart, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UMass Boston

Catholic bishops invited by Mark Seitz, center, the bishop of El Paso, Texas, lead a march in solidarity with migrants on March 24, 2025, in downtown El Paso.AP Photo/Andres Leighton

Catholic priests across the U.S. discuss immigration with their congregations more than leaders in many other faith traditions, according to our new research published...

Why drones and AI can’t quickly find missing flood victims, yet

Written by Robin R. Murphy, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University

The landscape in the aftermath of a flood makes it challenging to spot victims.AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

For search and rescue, AI is not more accurate than humans, but it is far faster.

Recent successes in applying computer vision and machine learning to drone imagery for rapidly determining building and road damage after hurricanes or shifting...

The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi

Written by Aishwarya Veerabahu, Ph.D. Candidate in Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Golden oyster mushrooms can be cultivated, but they can also escape into the wild.DDukang/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home from mushroom kits.

But this food craze has also unleashed an invasive species into...