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Can you upload a human mind into a computer? A neuroscientist ponders what’s possible

  • Written by Dobromir Rahnev, Associate Professor of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology
imageThe human brain has 86 billion neurons that make trillions of connections.Grafissimo/DigitalVision Vectors 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.

Is it possible to upload the consciousness of your mind into a...

Read more: Can you upload a human mind into a computer? A neuroscientist ponders what’s possible

Here’s how we figured the number of guns illegally trafficked from the US across the border to Mexico

  • Written by Topher L. McDougal, Professor of Economic Development & Peacebuilding, University of San Diego

Since 2008, the U.S. has spent over US$3 billion to help stabilize Mexico and stem its surge in extreme violence. The U.S. gun industry and interest group lobbyists have undercut these efforts by advocating for lax regulation and enforcement. This has created mayhem south of the border, and its effects have ricocheted to the U.S., boosting illegal...

Read more: Here’s how we figured the number of guns illegally trafficked from the US across the border to...

Gun trafficking from the US to Mexico: The drug connection

  • Written by Sean Campbell, Investigative journalist, The Conversation
image These blue pills appear to be oxycodone but are laced with fentanyl.U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah via AP, File

Illegal firearm trafficking is inseparable from the illegal drug trade: Weapons are often bought with drug money, can strengthen cartels and can be traded for drugs.

In the spring of 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and...

Read more: Gun trafficking from the US to Mexico: The drug connection

US gun trafficking to Mexico: Independent gun shops supply the most dangerous weapons

  • Written by Sean Campbell, Investigative journalist, The Conversation
imageA gun shop display includes a variety of assault-style rifles.AP Photo/Andrew Selsky

A gunsmith from a rural town, a former Marine, and half a dozen others were under investigation in San Antonio, Texas, starting in the summer of 2018 for trafficking more than half a million dollars worth of guns and ammunition to the Cartel del Noreste, a drug...

Read more: US gun trafficking to Mexico: Independent gun shops supply the most dangerous weapons

Split Supreme Court blocks Oklahoma’s Catholic charter school − but future cases could hinge on whether charters are, at their core, public or private

  • Written by Preston Green III, John and Maria Neag Professor of Urban Education, University of Connecticut
imageThe Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C.AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

In April 2025, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether the nation’s first religious charter school could open in Oklahoma. The St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would have been funded by taxpayer money but run by a local...

Read more: Split Supreme Court blocks Oklahoma’s Catholic charter school − but future cases could hinge on...

US solar manufacturers lag skyrocketing market demand

  • Written by Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, Associate Research Scientist, University of Michigan
imageAmericans continue to want solar energy.AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

U.S. consumer demand for renewable energy continues to grow, with more solar panel capacity installed in 2024 than in 2023, which saw more than in 2022. But U.S. trade policy is in flux, and high tariffs have been imposed on imported solar panels, which may cause shortages.

I am a scholar...

Read more: US solar manufacturers lag skyrocketing market demand

In 2025, Tornado Alley has become almost everything east of the Rockies − and it’s been a violent year

  • Written by Daniel Chavas, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, Purdue University
imageA deadly tornado hit London, Ky., on May 16, 2025, just a few weeks after another tornado outbreak in the state.Allison Joyce/AFP/Getty Images

Violent tornado outbreaks, like the storms that tore through parts of St. Louis and London, Kentucky, on May 16, have made 2025 seem like an especially active, deadly and destructive year for tornadoes.

The...

Read more: In 2025, Tornado Alley has become almost everything east of the Rockies − and it’s been a violent...

How abortion laws focusing on fetal viability miss the mark on women’s experiences

  • Written by Katrina Kimport, Professor of Sociology, University of California, San Francisco
imageAbortion policy in the U.S. often focuses on fetal viability and fails to address the concerns of actual pregnant people.John Fedele/Tetra Images via GettyImages

During the 2024 presidential campaign, politicians and their surrogates repeatedly raised concerns about abortion later in pregnancy. The topic grabbed media attention and continues to...

Read more: How abortion laws focusing on fetal viability miss the mark on women’s experiences

From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs − how Mother Nature’s cure offers humans a lesson on fever

  • Written by Phil Starks, Associate Professor of Biology, Tufts University
imageSick animals often move to warmer places to raise their body temperature.GK Hart/Vikki Hart/Stone via Getty Images

Why do people get fevers when we get sick?

It’s a common misconception that pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2 or the flu, cause fevers. But as biologyprofessors, we know it’s not that simple. Pathogens cause fevers only...

Read more: From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs − how Mother Nature’s...

Like many populist leaders, Trump accuses judges of being illegitimate obstacles to safety and democracy

  • Written by Michael Gregory, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Clemson University
imageThe front entrance of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Court House, the workplace of Judge James Boasberg, along with other federal and appeals court judges, is seen in Washington, D.C. Philip Yabut/Getty Images

Federal judges and at times Supreme Court justices have repeatedly challenged – and blocked – President Donald...

Read more: Like many populist leaders, Trump accuses judges of being illegitimate obstacles to safety and...

More Articles ...

  1. Golden Dome: An aerospace engineer explains the proposed nationwide missile defense system
  2. Golden Dome: An aerospace engineer explains the proposed US-wide missile defense system
  3. Israelis have a skewed view on extent of Gaza’s hunger plight − driven by censorship and media that downplay humanitarian crisis
  4. NOAA’s 2025 hurricane forecast warns of a busy season – a storm scientist explains why and what meteorologists are watching
  5. WHO is finalizing a new treaty that prepares for the next pandemic − but the US isn’t signing
  6. Young food entrepreneurs are changing the face of rural America
  7. At Cannes, decency and dress codes clash with fashion’s red carpet revolution
  8. Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength
  9. Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs
  10. Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them
  11. A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration
  12. Lifecycle of a research grant – behind the scenes of the system that funds science
  13. FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules
  14. What does it mean for Biden’s prostate cancer to be ‘aggressive’? A urologic surgeon explains
  15. Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds – an ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions
  16. Russia’s invasion united different parts of Ukraine against a common enemy – 3 years on, that unanimity still holds
  17. Trump treats laws as obstacles, not limits − and the only real check on his rule-breaking can come from political pressure
  18. Too much sitting increases risk of future health problems in chest pain patients – new research
  19. Why your electricity bill is so high and what Pennsylvania is doing about it
  20. Rethinking engineering education: Why focusing on learning preferences matters for diversity
  21. Israel has promised ‘basic amount’ of food into Gaza − but its policies have already created catastrophic starvation risk for millions
  22. 19th-century Catholic teachings, 21st-century tech: How concerns about AI guided Pope Leo’s choice of name
  23. Making eye contact and small talk with strangers is more than just being polite − the social benefits of psychological generosity
  24. Aristotle would scoff at Mark Zuckerberg’s suggestion that AI can solve the loneliness epidemic
  25. Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide
  26. Independence Hall, Gettysburg and – Epcot? How Reagan helped elevate Disney to America’s roster of honored patriotic sites
  27. Nonprofit news media leaders are struggling to stop leaning on the foundations that say they should branch out more
  28. The one-size-fits-all diversity training model is broken – here’s a better alternative
  29. Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy
  30. An 18th-century rebellion for liberty, equality and freedom − not in France or the United States, but Ireland
  31. Teens of any age who drink alcohol with their parents’ permission drink more as young adults, new research shows
  32. How 3D printing is personalizing health care
  33. Ancient pollen reveals stories about Earth’s history, from the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs to the Mayan collapse
  34. Governors are leading the fight against climate change and deforestation around the world, filling a void left by presidents
  35. Cutting HIV aid means undercutting US foreign and economic interests − Nigeria shows the human costs
  36. Tomato trade dispute between the US and Mexico is boiling over again – with 21% tariffs due in July
  37. Leaders can promote gender equity without deepening polarization − here’s how
  38. Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions is a win for Turkey, too – pointing to outsized role middle powers can play in regional affairs
  39. Space tourism’s growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains how
  40. Believe it or not, there was a time when the US government built beautiful homes for working-class Americans to deal with a housing crisis
  41. In what order did the planets in our solar system form?
  42. H-bomb creator Richard Garwin was a giant in science, technology and policy
  43. Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies
  44. Touch can comfort and heal, but also harm − a psychologist explains why gestures don’t always land as intended
  45. Why we fall for fake health information – and how it spreads faster than facts
  46. Cultivating obedience: Using the Justice Department to attack former officials consolidates power and deters dissent
  47. New chancellor, old constraints: Germany’s Friedrich Merz will have a hard time freeing the country from its self-imposed shackles
  48. Trump’s vision for Air Force One will turn it from the ‘Flying White House’ to a ‘palace in the sky’
  49. ‘Manu jumping’: The physics behind making humongous splashes in the pool
  50. Trump’s battle with elite universities overlooks where most students actually go to college