The Conversation

Mid-Atlantic mushroom foragers collect 160 species for food, medicine, art and science

Written by Amy Wrobleski, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology and Anthropology, Penn State

Pennsylvania is home to a diverse range of wild mushrooms, both edible and poisonous.Vaivirga/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Like many mushroom harvesters, I got interested in foraging for fungi during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I had been preparing for a summer of field work studying foraged desert plants in a remote part of Australia when the pandemic hit,...

We created health guidelines for fighting loneliness - here’s what we recommend

Written by Daniel P. Aldrich, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University

Extensive research shows that social connection is crucial for good health, but there have been no standardized metrics for assessing it.Yaakov Aldrich, CC BY

Social isolation kills. It increases your risk of death by 30% — roughly the same as smoking cigarettes and much worse than factors such as obesity and sedentary living.

Americans are...

Nick Fuentes is a master of exploiting the current social media opportunities for extremism

Written by Alex McPhee-Browne, PhD student studying the American and global far right, University of Cambridge

Right-wing influencer Nick Fuentes, center, speaks in front of flags that say 'America First' at a pro-Trump march on Nov. 14, 2020, in Washington. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File

When Tucker Carlson hosted Nick Fuentes on his show last month, the response followed a familiar script. Critics condemned the platforming of a white nationalist. Defende...

What Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t tell you about ‘Operation Northwoods,’ the false flag operation he loves to denounce

Written by Ken Hughes, Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia

U.S. President John F. Kennedy, right, confers with his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, at the White House on Oct. 1, 1962, during the buildup of military tensions that became the Cuban missile crisis later that month. AP Photo

Something’s missing from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s accounts of “Operation Northwoods.”...

From invasive species tracking to water security – what’s lost with federal funding cuts at US Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Written by Bethany Bradley, Professor of Biogeography and Spatial Ecology, UMass Amherst

Mahonia bealei, also known as Beale's barberry or leatherleaf mahonia, is invasive but still sold for landscaping.HQ Flower Guide via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

When the Trump administration began freezing federal funding for climate and ecosystem research, one of the programs hit hard was ours: the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate...

Just follow orders or obey the law? What US troops told us about refusing illegal commands

Written by Charli Carpenter, Professor of Political Science, UMass Amherst

There are certain situations in which the military should not fall in line.Bo Zaunders/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images

As the Trump administration carries out what many observers say are illegal military strikes against vessels in the Caribbean allegedly smuggling drugs, six Democratic members of Congress issued a video on Nov. 18, 2025,...

Colorado is pumping the brakes on first-of-its-kind AI regulation to find a practical path forward

Written by Stefani Langehennig, Assistant Professor of Practice, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver

Colorado was first to pass comprehensive AI legislation in the U.S.wildpixel/Getty Images

When the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act passed in May 2024, it made national headlines. The law was the first of its kind in the U.S. It was a comprehensive attempt to govern “high-risk” artificial intelligence systems across various...

The plague of frog costumes demonstrates the subversive power of play in protests

Written by Anya M. Galli Robertson, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

Demonstrators in frog costumes during the "No Kings" protest on Oct. 18, 2025, in Portland, Ore. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

When the center of protests against immigration enforcement switched recently to Charlotte, North Carolina, so did the frogs.

Back in October 2025, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency...

John Fetterman is an unusual politician – but his rise from borough mayor to US senator reflects a recent trend

Written by Richardson Dilworth, Professor of Politics, Drexel University

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman arrives on Capitol Hill on Nov. 10, 2025, to vote to open the government. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman – among the eight Democrats who voted to end the federal government shutdown – has always been a unique character and a sly self-promoter.

His political brand is that of an...

Making GLP-1 weight loss drugs cheaper isn’t enough to address America’s obesity problem – here’s why

Written by David B. Sarwer, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University

Polling shows that 1 in 8 Americans have tried GLP-1 drugs.zimmytws/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Trump administration is making a significant effort to reduce the cost of weight loss drugs. Its agreement with pharmaceutical giants, announced Nov. 6, 2025, will reduce the monthly prices of these medications by hundreds of dollars.

For the past...