The Conversation

Stockings once worn by Philly’s wealthiest man show the value of women’s mending in early America

Written by Emily J. Whitted, Ph.D. Candidate in Early American History, UMass Amherst

At the time of his death in 1831, Stephen Girard – a Philadelphia merchant, banker and philanthropist – was the wealthiest man in the United States. In his will, he left the city of Philadelphia an extraordinary gift of roughly US$6 million, which is almost $227 million today.

Girard also left instructions to use a portion of this gift...

Thousands of employed Colorado workers need SNAP benefits to make ends meet

Written by Jennifer C. Greenfield, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Denver

In Colorado, even as the minimum wage has increased, thousands of workers still need food assistance.Mark Felix / AFP via Getty Images

In Colorado, more than 600,000 workers received benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, in October 2025. This federal program protects low-income children, disabled adults and...

Trump’s Medicaid fraud crackdown may sound sensible, but it could harm Americans who require long-term care

Written by Marc Cohen, Professor of Gerontology, UMass Boston

U.S. Vice President JD Vance listens as Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaks about healthcare fraud.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, is ordering all states to step up their efforts to crack down on Medicaid fraud.

His April 21, 2026,...

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

Written by Abraham Nunbogu, Researcher, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWa, United Nations University

An artisanal miner holds a cobalt stone at a mine near Kolwezi, Congo, in 2022. About 20,000 people work there among toxic materials.Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies – everything from AI to wind turbines,...

UAE’s OPEC exit has been long in the works – and may mark the beginning of a Gulf realignment

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

The Emiratis are poised to turn their back on their oil cartel buddies.Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images

The United Arab Emirates’ decision to withdraw from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will leave the oil cartel weakened at a crucial time. It also illustrates the ongoing tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia,...

Facial recognition data is a key to your identity – if stolen, you can’t just change the locks

Written by Jonathan S. Weissman, Principal Lecturer of Cybersecurity, Rochester Institute of Technology

When you're out and about, your face isn't just visible − it's captured.John Keeble/Getty Images

A woman strolls into a grocery store, thinking about grabbing some apples. Before she even reaches the produce aisle, a security camera has scanned her face. Whether the system is checking for shoplifters or simply logging her arrival, her face...

More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than avoiding smoking

Written by Olamide Asifat, Physician and Doctoral Researcher in Public Health, Georgia Southern University

COPD puts people at risk for many other adverse health conditions.AndreyPopov/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Conversation, CC BY-ND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, caused 141,733 deaths in the United States in 2023 – the latest data that has been reported. That number reflects not just the effects of smoking, but a broader...

Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to interpret the numbers

Written by Liao Yue, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Arlington

Continuous glucose monitors once required a prescription but can now be purchased over the counter. Jesus Rodriguez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Keeping tabs on blood sugar throughout the day used to be the exclusive domain of people with diabetes. But in 2026, anyone can buy a user-friendly wearable device that provides minute-by-minute readouts...

How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness

Written by Katrine L. Wallace, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois Chicago

Vaccine mandates in the U.S. military are nearly as old as the country itself.jacoblund/iStock via Getty Images Plus

For the first time in almost 80 years, U.S. service members will no longer be mandated to receive the annual influenza vaccine.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the change on April 22, 2026. Citing medical autonomy and...

Reading gains in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are often touted, but don’t show full picture of literacy

Written by Brittany Adams, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education, University of Alabama

A fourth grade teacher leads a small group of students in a reading exercise in March 2023 at Tuskegee Public School in Tuskegee, Ala.Julie Bennett/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Despite decades of legislation meant to boost children’s reading levels, literacy scores have remained relatively stagnant across the U.S. over the past 30...