The Conversation

You probably agree with the animals on which bird calls, frog noises and cricket chirps are most attractive – new research

Written by Logan S. James, Research Associate in Animal Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin; McGill University

Male zebra finch calls attract mates – and maybe, coincidentally, you?Raina Fan

Animals do all sorts of things to attract each other as potential mates. Many birds, for example, produce feathers with elaborate color patterns – from the iridescent plumage of many hummingbirds to the famously brilliant tail of a peacock. Charles Darwin,...

Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states

Written by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University

A view of the liquefied natural gas production at the Ras Laffan facility in Qatar.Stringer/picture alliance via Getty Images

The U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran took a dangerous turn on March 18, 2026, with tit-for-tat strikes on critical energy infrastructure that amount to the most serious regional escalation since the conflict...

Information is a battlefield: 4 questions you can ask to judge the reliability of news reports and social posts about the US-Iran war

Written by Andrea Hickerson, Dean and Professor, School of Journalism and New Media, University of Mississippi

Staff members watch as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Historically, when the U.S. has undertaken military action against foreign governments, journalists have relied heavily on government sources and rallied “’round the flag,” often...

Seattle tried to guarantee higher pay for delivery drivers – here’s why it didn’t work as intended

Written by Andrew Garin, Associate Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University

Boosting pay for food delivery drivers is proving hard to pull off.Kevin Carter/Getty Images

If you’ve ever ordered food through DoorDash, Uber Eats or Instacart, you may have realized the person who delivers it isn’t a salaried employee. They’re gig workers – independent contractors who pick up delivery tasks through an app,...

Trump’s new child care subsidy rules compound an already dire situation for providers and families

Written by Beth Kania-Gosche, Professor of Education, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Students play with toys in a basin of soapy water at a child care center in New Britain, Conn., in March 2025. Mark Mirko/Connecticut Public via Getty Images

I live in the small city of Rolla, Missouri, where half the child care centers have closed in the past six years. In the past year, my state has lost 1,771 child care slots due to closures.

Thi...

Pittsburgh’s air pollution estimated to claim 3,000+ lives per year − and EPA rollbacks aren’t helping

Written by Philip Landrigan, Professor of Biology, Boston College

Pittsburgh's air pollution not only led to increased deaths, but it also had other negative effects, from lowered IQ in children to adverse birth outcomes. G Fiume/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

In October 1948, a thick haze rolled into Donora, Pennsylvania, a steel town in the Monongahela Valley, south of Pittsburgh. For five days, toxic...

Global copper demand outstrips supply, threatening electrification and industrial growth

Written by Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines

Capstone Copper's Pinto Valley Mine in Miami, Arizona.Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Demand for copper is surging because of demand from new technologies, but suppliers are struggling to keep up, and they are likely to fall further behind in the coming years, resulting in shortfalls globally. Even though copper prices are at...

Health insurance jargon can be frustrating and confusing – here’s how to navigate it

Written by Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Policy, UMass Amherst

Sorting through the nuances of copays, deductibles, premiums and other jargon can be frustrating.Tfilm/Moment via Getty Images

Since the Affordable Care Act subsidies expired at the end of 2025, Americans have undoubtedly been encountering a great deal of confusing information surrounding health care costs and insurance plans.

From five-figure...

Gender conformity starts young – and boys and girls fall in line in different ways

Written by Adam Stanaland, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond

The messages children receive about how to properly perform their gender carry into adulthood.Fotografia Basica/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Many people have felt the subtle pressure to be “man enough” or “woman enough” in the eyes of others. And research has shown this pressure can have personal and social consequences.

When...

Moral metrics: Are corporate algorithms becoming our new moral authorities?

Written by Beth DuFault, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Portland

Scores help give us a sense of how we're doing – but they're not always neutral.Dilok Klaisataporn/iStock via Getty Images Plus

You check your credit score before applying for an apartment. Your fitness watch tells you whether you slept well enough. A workplace dashboard measures your productivity. Parents can buy devices that track their...