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Out-of-balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis − the ratio can predict severity of disease

  • Written by Ashutosh Mangalam, Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Iowa
imageThe myelin sheaths insulating neurons are damaged in multiple sclerosis.Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects nearly one million people in the U.S. and over 2.8 million worldwide. While...

Read more: Out-of-balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis − the ratio can predict severity of disease

How are clouds’ shapes made? A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help forecast weather

  • Written by Ross Lazear, Instructor in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York
imageLenticular clouds, like this one over a mountain in Chile, can look like flying saucers.Bilderbuch/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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 are clouds’ shapes...

Read more: How are clouds’ shapes made? A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help...

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

  • Written by Paul Shafer, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University
imageSpeaker of the House Mike Johnson addresses the media on Feb. 25, 2025, after the House narrowly passed his budget resolution calling for big spending cuts. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cutshave stirredwidespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures on Medicaid even...

Read more: GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the...

Who’s who at the Vatican?

  • Written by Daniel Speed Thompson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
imageDeacons take part in a mass in St. Peter's Basilica that was supposed to be presided over by Pope Francis.AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

For more than two weeks, eyes have been on the Vatican, awaiting news about Pope Francis’ health. The pope has been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14, 2025, being treated for double pneumonia and...

Read more: Who’s who at the Vatican?

What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept

  • Written by Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College
imageIsolationism has deep roots in American foreign policy stretching back to George Washington.FotografiaBasica/Getty Images

Few terms in American foreign policy discourse are as misunderstood or politically charged as “isolationism.”

Often used as a political weapon, the term conjures images of a retreating America, indifferent to global...

Read more: What is isolationism? The history and politics of an often-maligned foreign policy concept

From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington

  • Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
imageState attorneys general are teaming up to check Trump's executive power.erhui1979/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

The start of President Donald Trump’s second term has been a bonanza for the attorneys general of blue states. As the president has released his blizzard of executive orders and axed federal funding and programs on which...

Read more: From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have...

America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures

  • Written by G. Patrick O'Brien, Assistant Teaching Professor of History, University of Tampa

Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the specter of annexing Canada since his inauguration to a second term as president.

The president’s rhetoric about making Canada “the 51st state” may seem to project confidence, a 21st-century vision of manifest destiny, a belief in the United States’ right and obligation to expand.

Trump...

Read more: America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures

What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it stronger

  • Written by Verónica Zubillaga, Mellon Visiting Professor, University of Illinois Chicago
imageA viral surveillance video allegedly shows armed members of the Tren de Aragua gang at an apartment building in Aurora, Colo.RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

When the U.S. government deported 177 Venezuelans on Feb. 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that 80 of the deportees were members of the...

Read more: What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it...

The only ‘winner’ here is Putin: Ukraine unites in response to Trump-Zelenskyy spat and resigns itself to new reality

  • Written by Lena Surzhko Harned, Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science, Penn State
imageA trap or a misstep? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sit-down with Donald Trump and JD Vance heads south.AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov

“A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelenskyy.”

That was the verdict of the editorial team at the Kyiv Independent, one of Ukraine’s leading media...

Read more: The only ‘winner’ here is Putin: Ukraine unites in response to Trump-Zelenskyy spat and resigns...

How Trump’s compulsion to dominate sabotages dealmaking, undermines democracy and threatens global stability

  • Written by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor of Communication Studies, Colorado State University
imageU.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, 2025.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Journalists covering the Feb. 28, 2025, Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as a “jaw-dropping” “spectacle” and a...

Read more: How Trump’s compulsion to dominate sabotages dealmaking, undermines democracy and threatens global...

More Articles ...

  1. Making English the official US language can’t erase the fact that the US has millions of Spanish speakers and a long multilingual history
  2. As flu cases break records this year, vaccine rates are declining, particularly for children and 65+ adults
  3. 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
  4. Coastal economies rely on NOAA, from Maine to Florida, Texas and Alaska – even if they don’t realize it
  5. Just having a pet doesn’t help mental health – but pet-owners with secure relationships with their pets are less depressed
  6. What are conflicts of interest and what can be done about them?
  7. What’s a constitutional crisis? Here’s how Trump’s recent moves are challenging the Constitution’s separation of powers
  8. As the Kremlin eyes a thaw with the White House, Russia’s pro-war hawks aren’t too happy
  9. The science behind airplane deicing – a mechanical engineer explains how chemistry and physics make flying a more uplifting experience
  10. Maple seeds’ unique spinning motion allows them to travel far even in the rain, a new study shows
  11. Is a united European voice possible in the age of Trump, Putin and far-right politics? Germany’s new leader intends to find out
  12. Brutalism – the architectural style that dared to summon a new world from the ashes of World War II
  13. More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why
  14. Trump administration sets out to create an America its people have never experienced − one without a meaningful government
  15. Managers can help their Gen Z employees unlock the power of meaningful work − here’s how
  16. Identifying brands as Black-owned can pay off for businesses
  17. What is a charter school, really? Supreme Court ruling on whether Catholic charter is constitutional will hinge on whether they’re public or private
  18. Israel’s bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time
  19. Anti-DEI guidance from Trump administration misinterprets the law and guts educators’ free speech rights
  20. What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it
  21. AIs flunk language test that takes grammar out of the equation
  22. Philadelphia continues long history of Black-led protest meetings aimed at fighting racial inequity and prejudice
  23. Parrotfish support healthy coral reefs, but they’re not a cure-all, and sometimes cause harm
  24. Why people rebuild in Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas despite the risks
  25. In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky locations
  26. States that impose severe prison sentences accomplish the opposite of what they say they want
  27. How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms
  28. Cutting Medicaid and federal programs are among 4 key Trump administration policy changes that could make life harder for disabled people
  29. USAID’s apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security
  30. How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places
  31. Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting prioritizes ‘real’ independence from the US − but what does that mean and is it achievable?
  32. A hazy legal landscape means people can get high on hemp products, even where pot is prohibited
  33. Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon
  34. 500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility
  35. How early voting on campuses can boost election turnout – not only for students but for residents, too
  36. Trump’s claims of vast presidential powers run up against Article 2 of the Constitution and exceed previous presidents’ power grabs
  37. Generative AI is most useful for the things we care about the least
  38. Selenium is an essential nutrient named after the Greek goddess of the Moon − crucial to health, it may help prevent and treat cancer
  39. Colorado is tackling air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods by regulating 5 air toxics
  40. If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a model of global cooperation
  41. Francis − a pope who has cared deeply for the poor and opened up the Catholic Church
  42. The murder rate in Venezuela has fallen − but both Trump and Maduro are wrong about why
  43. How Elon Musk’s deep ties to – and admiration for – China could complicate Trump’s Beijing policy
  44. Rising house prices don’t just make it harder to become a homeowner – they also widen the racial wealth gap
  45. 3 ways Trump is acting like a king and bypassing the Constitution’s checks and balances on presidential authority
  46. Why including people with disabilities in the workforce and higher education benefits everyone
  47. As Pennsylvania inches toward legalizing recreational cannabis, lawmakers propose selling it in state-owned dispensaries similar to state liquor stores
  48. Can animals have mental disabilities?
  49. How Roman society integrated people who altered their bodies and defied gender norms
  50. The quest to extend human life is both fascinating and fraught with moral peril