The Conversation

Earth-size stars and alien oceans – an astronomer explains the case for life around white dwarfs

Written by Juliette Becker, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

White dwarf stars, like this one shown shrouded by a planetary nebula, are much smaller than stars like our Sun.NASA/R. Ciardullo (PSU)/H. Bond (STScI)

The Sun will someday die. This will happen when it runs out of hydrogen fuel in its core and can no longer produce energy through nuclear fusion as it does now. The death of the Sun is often thought...

As National Park System visitor numbers hit record highs, here’s how visitors can adapt for a better experience

Written by Allie McCreary, Assistant Professor of Parks and Recreation, Auburn University

Crowds often form at popular places in U.S. national parks, like the entrance to Yosemite Valley in California.Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Visiting America’s national parks is a treasured public pastime. The wetlands of Congaree in South Carolina, the depths of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the vistas provided by...

American capitalism is being remade by state power

Written by H. Sami Karaca, Professor of Business Analytics, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Is the Trump administration trying to reshape American capitalism? Recent moves by Washington, such as taking a 10% share of semiconductor maker Intel, point to a shift in that direction. For decades, Washington has supported free-market capitalism. Today, the government appears to be supporting a new direction – state-directed capitalism.

As a...

FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines with new restrictions, potentially limiting access for healthy children

Written by David Higgins, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The FDA's move comes as, for the first time in decades, guidance from federal health authorities and pediatric experts diverge.PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Guidance around COVID-19 vaccines has once again shifted after the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 27, 2025, approved updated shots for the fall season, but for a more limited...

Supporting religious diversity on campus is a surprising consensus among faculty across the red-blue divide

Written by Matthew J. Mayhew, Professor of Higher Education, The Ohio State University

University faculty are the most important people influencing student learning, development, persistence and degree attainment. Maskot/Getty Images

Universities, often perceived as bastions of progressive thought, are increasingly reflecting the broader political polarization gripping the nation.

Faculty members represent a university’s core...

When federal courts fail to punish lawyers for potential misconduct, states can step in

Written by Ray Brescia, Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life, Albany Law School

James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025.Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images

In early August 2025, a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia stopped efforts by federal trial judge James Boasberg to consider whether to hold Trump...

Latin American literature contains warnings for American universities that yield to Trump

Written by Charlotte Rogers, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Virginia

Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, who fled Colombia after learning that the government planned to arrest him, returns to his hometown, Aracataca, in 2007 for the first time in 20 years.Alejandra Vega/AFP via Getty Images

As university leaders work to make deals with the Trump administration, many college presidents are at an...

Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found – archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt

Written by Justin Dunnavant, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles

The red square on this 1767 map of St. Croix marks where Danes believed the Maroon settlement was.Paul Kuffner/Royal Danish Library

“For a long time now, a large number of [escaped slaves] have established themselves on lofty Maroon Hill in the mountains toward the west end of the island [of St. Croix]. … They are there protected by...

When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data

Written by Nicole M. Bennett, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography and Assistant Director at the Center for Refugee Studies, Indiana University

Palantir's technology allows government agencies to connect the dots about individuals.Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images

When the U.S. government signs contracts with private technology companies, the fine print rarely reaches the public. Palantir Technologies, however, has attracted more and more attention over the past decade because of the...

Pregnancy brings unique challenges for people with autoimmune diseases – but with early planning, pregnancy outcomes can be greatly improved

Written by Kristen Demoruelle, Associate Professor of Rheumatology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Early discussions and proactive planning for pregnancy are critically important for those with autoimmune diseases.d3sign/Moment via Getty Images

Only a few decades ago, a diagnosis of lupus could mean giving up the dream of having children. Women with systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus were warned that pregnancy was too risky – both for...