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What both sides of America’s polarized divide share: Deep anxieties about the meaning of life and existence itself

  • Written by Carl F. Weems, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University
imageWhatever your beliefs, existential anxiety is likely the fear at the root of why certain issues trigger you.francescoch/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Opening my social media feed, I’m often confronted with a jarring contrast: intense, diametrically opposed perspectives from different friends. The comments can be laced with insult, character...

Read more: What both sides of America’s polarized divide share: Deep anxieties about the meaning of life and...

Where does human thinking end and AI begin? An AI authorship protocol aims to show the difference

  • Written by Eli Alshanetsky, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Temple University
imageIf students can't demonstrate their thinking, how can professors know whether they are learning? SDI Productions via Getty Images

The latest generation of artificial intelligence models is sharper and smoother, producing polished text with fewer errors and hallucinations. As a philosophy professor, I have a growing fear: When a polished essay no...

Read more: Where does human thinking end and AI begin? An AI authorship protocol aims to show the difference

Signature size and narcissism − a psychologist explains a long-ago discovery that helped establish the link

  • Written by Richie Zweigenhaft, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Guilford College
image'I love my signature, I really do,' President Donald Trump said on Sept. 30, 2025. 'Everyone loves my signature.'Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP

For years, Donald Trump’s distinctive, large and bold signature has captured the public’s attention. Not only did it recently come to light that his signature appeared in a book that Jeffrey...

Read more: Signature size and narcissism − a psychologist explains a long-ago discovery that helped establish...

With more Moon missions on the horizon, avoiding crowding and collisions will be a growing challenge

  • Written by Mariel Borowitz, Associate Professor of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageMany companies and space agencies want to send satellites to orbit the Moon, and crowding could become a concern. European Space Agency ©ESA, CC BY-NC

Interest in the Moon has been high – just in the past two years there have been 12 attempts to send missions to the Moon, nearly half of which private companies undertook. With so much...

Read more: With more Moon missions on the horizon, avoiding crowding and collisions will be a growing challenge

Water bears survive cosmic radiation with one DNA-protecting protein – learning how could boost human resilience, too

  • Written by Tyler J. Woodward, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Iowa
imageTardigrades – also known as moss piglets – prefer damp environments, but they can survive just about anywhere.Thomas Shahan/Flickr, CC BY-SA

A newly discovered protein from Earth’s toughest animal is inspiring breakthrough therapies for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are...

Read more: Water bears survive cosmic radiation with one DNA-protecting protein – learning how could boost...

How autism rates are rising – and why that could lead to more inclusive communities

  • Written by Joshua Anbar, Clinical Assistant Professor in Healthcare Administration and Policy, Arizona State University
imageA wider variety of symptoms are included in the diagnostic definition of autism spectrum disorder today than when autism was first introduced as a mental health condition in 1980.Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images

I can say from personal experience that being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder can feel very isolating. Increasingly,...

Read more: How autism rates are rising – and why that could lead to more inclusive communities

Polarizing political events are leading Americans to increasingly call for a national divorce

  • Written by Ryan D. Griffiths, Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University
imageA recent poll found that 64% of Americans think the country is too politically divided to solve the nation’s problems.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The United States government has been shut down for nearly a month, yet another indication that the political system has become deeply dysfunctional.

President Donald Trump has blamed the Democrats...

Read more: Polarizing political events are leading Americans to increasingly call for a national divorce

Nuclear-powered missiles: An aerospace engineer explains how they work – and what Russia’s claimed test means for global strategic stability

  • Written by Iain Boyd, Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
imageRussia's earlier tests of the Burevestnik missile include this 2018 launch.Screencapture of Russian Defense Ministry video, CC BY

Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in a military uniform, announced on Oct. 26, 2025, that Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-powered missile. If true, such a weapon could provide Russia with a unique...

Read more: Nuclear-powered missiles: An aerospace engineer explains how they work – and what Russia’s claimed...

Why are 4.7 million Floridians insured through ACA marketplace plans, and what happens if they lose their subsidies?

  • Written by Robert Applebaum, Senior Research Scholar, Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University
image4.7 million Floridians use health insurance plans obtained from the ACA marketplace.Joe Raedle/Getty Images News

Significant Figures is a series from The Conversation in which scholars explain an important number in the news.

imageThe Conversation, CC BY-ND

When the Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA or Obamacare, was enacted in 2010, lawmakers...

Read more: Why are 4.7 million Floridians insured through ACA marketplace plans, and what happens if they...

Rediscovery of African American burial grounds provides long-overdue opportunities for collective healing

  • Written by Joanna Gilmore, Adjunct Professor in Museum Studies and Bioarchaeology, College of Charleston

In the course of construction work in 2013, the remains of 36 individuals of African descent were uncovered in the heart of downtown Charleston, South Carolina. They had lain hidden for some 200 years in an unmarked 18th-century burial ground.

For more than two centuries, such burial grounds, especially those in the former American slave states,...

Read more: Rediscovery of African American burial grounds provides long-overdue opportunities for collective...

More Articles ...

  1. Trump’s anti-Venezuela actions lack strategy, justifiable targets and legal authorization
  2. SNAP benefit freeze will leave millions nationwide struggling to pay for food – including 472,711 people in Philadelphia
  3. US leaders view China as a ‘pacing threat’ − has Washington enough stamina to last the race?
  4. Hurricane Melissa turned sharply to devastate Jamaica − how forecasters knew where it was headed
  5. Washington state settles controversy over child abuse law that tested the limits of ‘priest-penitent’ privilege
  6. How Hershey’s chocolate survived an attack from Mars − and adopted a business strategy alien to its founder
  7. CDC’s ability to prevent injuries like drowning, traumatic brain injury and falls is severely compromised by Trump cuts
  8. Agricultural drones are taking off globally, saving farmers time and money
  9. More than 40 years after police killed Eleanor Bumpurs in her Bronx apartment, people still #sayhername
  10. Fed struggles to assess state of US economy as government shutdown shuts off key data
  11. Fed lowers interest rates as it struggles to assess state of US economy without key government data
  12. Why you can salvage moldy cheese but never spoiled meat − a toxicologist advises on what to watch out for
  13. Future of nation’s energy grid hurt by Trump’s funding cuts
  14. Solar storms have influenced our history – an environmental historian explains how they could also threaten our future
  15. The Glozel affair: A sensational archaeological hoax made science front-page news in 1920s France
  16. AI reveals which predators chewed ancient humans’ bones – challenging ideas on which ‘Homo’ species was the first tool-using hunter
  17. How the Philadelphia Art Museum is reinventing itself for the Instagram age
  18. AI chatbots are becoming everyday tools for mundane tasks, use data shows
  19. Children learn to read with books that are just right for them – but that might not be the best approach
  20. Why the Trump administration’s comparison of antifa to violent terrorist groups doesn’t track
  21. Xi-Trump summit: Trade, Taiwan and Russia still top agenda for China and US presidents – 6 years after last meeting
  22. How the explosion of prop betting threatens the integrity of pro sports
  23. The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant housing policy reflects a long history of xenophobia in public housing
  24. An Indigenous approach shows how changing the clocks for daylight saving time runs counter to human nature – and nature itself
  25. AI is changing who gets hired – what skills will keep you employed?
  26. Despite naysayers and rising costs, data shows that college still pays off for students – and society overall
  27. Woven baskets aren’t just aesthetically pleasing – materials science research finds they’re sturdier and more resilient than stiff containers
  28. What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and history reflect society’s supernatural beliefs
  29. Trump’s ‘golden age’ economic message undercut by his desire for much lower interest rates – which typically signal a weak jobs market
  30. Pumpkins’ journey from ancient food staple to spicy fall obsession spans thousands of years
  31. Dinosaur ‘mummies’ help scientists visualize the fleshy details of these ancient animals
  32. The lost history of Latin America’s role in averting catastrophe during the Cuban missile crisis
  33. Relying heavily on contractors can cut attendance by 27% for museums, theaters and other arts nonprofits – new research
  34. Influencers could learn a thing or two from traditional journalism about disclosing who’s funding their political coverage
  35. Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be tricky, but employees are entitled to accommodations
  36. Demolishing the White House East Wing to build a ballroom embodies Trump’s heritage politics
  37. You’ve just stolen a priceless artifact – what happens next?
  38. 2 iconic coral species are now functionally extinct off Florida, study finds – we witnessed the reef’s bleaching and devastation
  39. Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas about the country
  40. Surrealism is better known for its strangeness than the radical politics and revolutionary ambitions of its creators
  41. Building a stable ‘abode of thought’: Kant’s rules for virtuous thinking
  42. Why your late teens and early 20s are crucial times for lifelong heart health
  43. Coal plants emitted more pollution during the last government shutdown, while regulators were furloughed
  44. James Comey’s lawyers face an uphill battle to prove selective or vindictive prosecution in his high-profile case
  45. 1 in 3 US nonprofits that serve communities lost government funding in early 2025
  46. A flexible lens controlled by light-activated artificial muscles promises to let soft machines see
  47. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research
  48. Office of Space Commerce faces an uncertain future amid budget cuts and new oversight
  49. Is it wrong to have too much money? Your answer may depend on deep-seated values – and your country’s economy
  50. The disgraceful history of erasing Black cemeteries in the United States