The Conversation

Neuropathic pain has no immediate cause – research on a brain receptor may help stop this hard-to-treat condition

Written by Pooja Shree Chettiar, Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Sciences, Texas A&M University

Neuropathic pain is experienced both physically and emotionally.Salim Hanzaz/iStock via Getty Images

Pain is easy to understand until it isn’t. A stubbed toe or sprained ankle hurts, but it makes sense because the cause is clear and the pain fades as you heal.

But what if the pain didn’t go away? What if even a breeze felt like fire, or...

I’m an expert in crafting public health messages: Here are 3 marketing strategies I use to make Philadelphia healthier

Written by Sarah Bauerle Bass, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University

A comic book produced for Black transgender women in Philadelphia explains the benefits of using PrEP to prevent HIV infection.Wriply Bennet for the Risk Communication Laboratory, Temple University

In Philadelphia, the leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer and unintentional drug overdose. While some of these deaths are caused by things...

How do atoms form? A physicist explains where the atoms that make up everything around come from

Written by Stephen L. Levy, Associate Professor of Physics and Applied Physics and Astronomy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Many heavy atoms form from a supernova explosion, the remnants of which are shown in this image. NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

How do atoms form? – Joshua, age 7, Shoreview, Minnesota

Richa...

The sleeper Supreme Court decision that could have profound impacts on the Trump administration agenda – and restore faith in the high court

Written by Ray Brescia, Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life, Albany Law School

The Trump administration has tried to punish or suppress speech and opposition to administration policies.Baac3nes/Getty Images

The American public’s trust in the Supreme Court has fallen precipitously over the past decade. Many across the political spectrum see the court as too political.

This view is only strengthened when Americans see...

No country for old business owners: Economic shifts create a growing challenge for America’s aging entrepreneurs

Written by Nancy Forster-Holt, Clinical Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Rhode Island

Americans love small businesses. We dedicate a week each year to applauding them, and spend Small Business Saturday shopping locally. Yet hiding in plain sight is an enormous challenge facing small business owners as they age: retiring with dignity and foresight. The current economic climate is making this even more difficult.

As a professor who...

After the smoke clears, a wildfire’s legacy can haunt rivers for years, putting drinking water at risk

Written by Ben Livneh, Associate Professor of Hydrology, University of Colorado Boulder

Burned ground can become hydrophobic and almost waxlike, allowing rainfall to quickly wash contaminants downslope.Carli Brucker

Picture a wildfire raging across a forested mountainside. The smoke billows and the flames rise. An aircraft drops vibrant red flame retardant. It’s a dramatic, often dangerous scene. But the threat to water supplies...

US bombs Iran’s nuclear sites: What led to Trump pulling the trigger – and what happens next?

Written by Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice of Public Policy, University of Michigan

US President Donald Trump addresses the nation on Iran strikes on June 21, 2025Carlos Barria/AFP via Getty Images

In the early hours of June 22, 2025, local time, the United States attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran with “bunker buster” bombs and Tomahawk missiles.

Following more than a week of Israeli strikes on various targets...

Outsourcing cost of ‘impact’ data could mean 13% more bang for every charitable buck

Written by George E. Mitchell, Professor of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College, CUNY

Trying to measure a charity's impact requires the right tools.MirageC/Moment via Getty Images

Charitable donors often make gifts despite having little information about the organizations they support. Without relevant data, that money may not flow to the charities that evidence suggests are delivering the biggest bang for donors’ bucks.

But...

A militarily degraded Iran may turn to asymmetrical warfare – raising risk of proxy and cyber attacks

Written by Nakissa Jahanbani, Adjunct Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University, Penn State

Iran's ability to launch surface-to-surface missiles has been degraded by Israeli action.Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Israel’s air assault on Iran has focused largely on degrading the Islamic Republic’s military and would-be nuclear capabilities.

In the space of several days, Israel has totally or partially destroyed at...

How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

Written by Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University

Evidence suggests that insurance companies use AI to delay or limit health care that patients need.FatCameraE+ via Getty Images

Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use...