The Conversation

5 reasons Stephen Colbert is one of the most important satirists in American history

Written by Sophia A. McClennen, Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature, Penn State

Stephen Colbert tapes a segment for 'The Late Show' at Quicken Loans Arena ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Stephen Colbert’s final episode as host of “The Late Show” on May 21, 2026, won’t mark the end of his career.

But as a scholar of political satire, I...

San Diego mosque shooting reflects how online rhetoric, media depictions and political discourse contribute to increased Islamophobia

Written by Anisah Bagasra, Associate Professor of Psychology, Kennesaw State University

People comfort one another near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Many Muslim Americans are fearful following a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that left three worshipers dead. Investigators reportedly found hate speech and anti-Islamic writing inside the...

New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire

Written by Benjamin Chrisinger, Assistant Professor of Community Health, Tufts University

A man shops at El Recuerdo Market in Los Angeles in 2025, next to a sign indicating that customers may pay with SNAP benefits.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

The more than 250,000 shops and stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits as payment for groceries will have to meet tougher requirements starting on Nov. 4, 2026,...

Formula 1 racing shows the hard part of reaching net-zero carbon emissions isn’t the engineering

Written by Caitlin Grady, Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Systems Engineering, George Washington University

Formula 1 drivers maneuver for position during the 2026 Miami Formula One Grand Prix in Florida.Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images

Formula 1 auto racing is one of the most energy-intensive and logistically complex sports on the planet. The events involve cars, of course, but also long-haul freight, international travel, temporary event...

How a shifting Nile landscape shaped the rise of the ancient empire of Kush in Sudan

Written by Geoff Emberling, Research Scientist in Archaeology, University of Michigan

Jebel Barkal mesa and the archaeological site at its base in the Nile Valley.Sami Elamin

When I first became co-director of an archaeological project at Jebel Barkal in northern Sudan in 2018, I was amazed by the site’s pyramids, temples and palaces. It had been an urban center in the ancient empire of Kush, which dominated the Nile Valley...

Texas Tech’s new limits on how faculty teach gender identity and sexual orientation challenge more than free speech

Written by Henry F. Fradella, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University

Banning students from writing theses and dissertations on sexual orientation and gender identity could be seen as curtailing students' freedom of speech rights.Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images

Texas Tech University, a public university in Lubbock, announced in April 2026 that its five schools would phase out all academic credentials centered on...

AI interviewers can’t connect with people the way human researchers can – they can produce only data, not meaning

Written by Kelley Cotter, Assistant Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State

AI models can pose questions and follow up on them, but the answers they solicit may be limited in scope and depth.Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

Anthropic, the company behind the generative AI tool Claude, claimed in March 2026 that it used an AI interviewer to conduct “the largest and most multilingual qualitative study”...

Self-censorship, more stress, tougher recruiting – we asked US researchers how the Trump administration’s science policies have affected them

Written by Eric Welch, Professor and Director, Center for Science, Technology & Environmental Policy Studies, Arizona State University

93% of surveyed researchers have negative opinions of federal science policies since January 2025.Cavan Images via Getty Images

The American academic research engine has long been the envy of the world. Generally well-funded, labs in the United States have been able to attract the best minds who generate breakthroughs and train the next generation...

Ebola strain spreading in Congo and Uganda has no approved vaccine

Written by Klinger Soares Faico Filho, Professor da Disciplina de Clínica Médica e Medicina Laboratorial, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)

A man washes his hands before being screened to enter Kyeshero Hospital in Goma, Congo, on May 18, 2026. Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Images

As a deadly outbreak of Ebola virus spreads in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 17, 2026, that it is transferring “a small...

Battleground state with few combatants – why Pennsylvania’s primaries lack competition

Written by Kristin Kanthak, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania is only 1 of 13 American states that holds closed primary elections.REBECCA DROKE/AFP Collection via Getty Images

At a time when hard-fought primary elections in Georgia, Kentucky and Indiana and Ohio are making national news, perennial battleground Pennsylvania seems to be nodding through one of the sleepiest primary seasons in a long...