The Conversation

Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality

Written by Patrick van Esch, Associate Professor of Marketing, Coastal Carolina University

'Gone but not forgotten' could become a big understatement in the age of AI.Marina113/iStock via Getty Images

Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022.

Thanks to an AI technology...

Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way

Written by George R. Tynan, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego

Inside the target chamber at the National Ignition Facility, where researchers work on getting higher energy outputs from fusion power.Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, and the Department of Energy − National Ignition Facility

The way scientists think about fusion changed forever in 2022, when...

Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have

Written by Jack Jiang, PhD Student in Anthropology, The New School

In anti-natalists' eyes, not having children is the ethical choice.Iryna Tolmachova/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In the first few days after Donald Trump’s election in November 2024, purchases of emergency contraceptives spiked, with two companies reporting sales about 1,000% higher than the preceding week. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood...

Interior secretary manages vast lands that all Americans share − and can sway the balance between conservation and development

Written by Emily Wakild, Cecil D. Andrus Endowed Chair for the Environment and Public Lands, Boise State University

Visitors trek the Sand to Snow National Monument in Southern California, a popular area for camping, hiking, hunting and other activities.Bob Wick, BLM/Flickr

The Department of the Interior was created in 1849 as the United States was rapidly expanding and acquiring territory. It became known as “the department of everything else” for...

Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere

Written by Joseph Cimpian, Professor of Economics and Education Policy, New York University

At the most selective schools, the gender gap in computer science and engineering is nearly closed. skynesher/E+ via Getty Images

The share of computer science and engineering degrees going to women has increased at the most selective American universities over the past 20 years and is approaching gender parity, while the proportion has declined at...

Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find

Written by Chelsea Sherlock, Assistant Professor of Management, Mississippi State University

Imagine going on a road trip and passing several seemingly identical McDonald’s restaurants. Despite their uniform appearance, their ownership may vary widely: One might be run by a family, another by an individual entrepreneur, and others owned directly by the corporation.

This is possible because McDonald’s, like many other well-known...

Jean-Marie Le Pen died knowing his extremist far-right politics have been successfully mainstreamed in France

Written by Aurelien Mondon, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Bath

The death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the party once known as the National Front, occurs at a time when the mainstreaming of far-right politics in France seems almost complete.

Le Pen was, for most of his career, considered the devil in French politics. Yet today, his party, headed by his daughter and now called National Rally...

Vitamin deficiency may be why you’re so tired – a nutritional neuroscientist explains how to kickstart your energy by getting essential nutrients in a well-rounded diet, along with more sleep and exercise

Written by Lina Begdache, Associate Professor of Health and Wellness Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York

It's not necessarily overwork that is exhausting you.Daniel de la Hoz/Moment via Getty Images

Feeling drained and lethargic is common: A 2022 national survey found that 13.5% of U.S. adults said they felt “very tired” or “exhausted” most days or every day over a three-month period.

Women ages 18 to 44 had the highest rate of...

Unlikely bedfellows: How platform companies shortchange porn performers and ride-hailing drivers alike

Written by Hannah Wohl, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Flexibility is a big draw for workers in the gig economy.d3sign via Getty Images

On a porn set in California’s San Fernando Valley, a performer we’ll call Jake explains why he joined the industry after dabbling in escorting. He says he was drawn to porn work because of the freedom he finds as an independent contractor.

He works 10 to 15...

Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows

Written by Margot Moinester, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis

When states give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, it affects nondrivers, too — even the littlest ones. Babies born to immigrants from Mexico and Central America are bigger and healthier in states that make that change, our research shows. The longer a law is in effect before a baby is conceived, the stronger the effect.

We...