The Conversation

• Not all mindfulness is the same – here’s why it matters for health and happiness
  Mindfulness is taught everywhere, from schools to workplaces. But scientists define and measure it in very different ways. Here’s why that matters.
• It’s easy making green: Muppets continue to make a profit 50 years into their run
  The most sensational, inspirational, celebrational and Muppetational show was originally rejected by all the big US TV networks.
• Should medical marijuana be less stringently regulated? A drug policy expert explains what’s at stake
  The proposed rescheduling of marijuana could have far-reaching implications in science, medicine and criminal justice. What is the best policy option?
• Innovations in asthma care can improve the health of Detroiters living with this chronic disease
  Detroiters are hospitalized for asthma four times more often than Michigan residents overall. A proactive approach to care can improve symptom management.
• Russia’s drone pipeline: How Iran helps Moscow produce an ever-evolving unmanned fleet
  Ukraine has warned that Russia could soon be pumping out 1,000 drones a day. Iranian technology has driven that growth.
• Trump’s framing of Nigeria insurgency as a war on Christians risks undermining interfaith peacebuilding
  President Donald Trump described a Dec. 25 airstrike on suspected insurgent camps as a ‘Christmas present’ from the US. Many in Nigeria are not viewing it as such.
• The end of ‘Pax Americana’ and start of a ‘post-American’ era doesn’t necessarily mean the world will be less safe
  The US may be stepping back from some engagements on the world stage. That’s not necessarily bad news for the rest of the world, an analyst argues.
• PFAS are turning up in the Great Lakes, putting fish and water supplies at risk – here’s how they get there
  Some of these ‘forever chemicals’ are toxic at very low levels. They can get into water systems and bioaccumulate in fish, ultimately posing risks to people.
• There are long-lasting, negative effects for children like Liam Ramos who are detained, or watch their parents be deported
  Children with a parent or family member who is detained, or are part of a drawn-out immigration court case, are twice as likely to have anxiety as young adults.
• How government killings and kidnappings in Argentina drove mothers to resist and revolt − and eventually win
  After the regime ‘disappeared’ their children, Argentina’s Madres de la Plaza de Maya relentlessly demanded justice – and exposed the atrocities of a dictatorship.
• Greenland’s Inuit have spent decades fighting for self-determination
  Greenland’s inhabitants call it Kalaallit Nunaat, or land of the Kalaallit. It is an Indigenous nation whose relatively few people now mostly govern themselves.
• The pioneering path of Augustus Tolton, the first Black Catholic priest in the US – born into slavery, he’s now a candidate for sainthood
  Augustus Tolton was ordained in Rome in 1886. Previously, the only Black Catholic priests in the US had been men who presented themselves as white.
• Gifts of gym memberships and Botox treatments can lead to hurt feelings – and bad reviews for the businesses
  Thinking of giving a gym membership or Botox gift card for Valentine’s Day? Think again.
• Colorado ski resorts got some welcome snowfall from Winter Storm Fern, but not enough to turn a dry and warm winter around
  Ski resorts in Colorado can make snow, but it only goes so far.
• White men held less than half the board seats on the top 50 Fortune list for the third straight year — but their numbers are rising
  The slight decrease in diversity in corporate boardrooms in 2025 comes as the Trump administration and its allies have pushed to unwind diversity initiatives.
• Oversalting your sidewalk or driveway harms local streams and potentially even your drinking water – 3 tips to deice responsibly
  Excess road and sidewalk salt flows into storm drains and ultimately into area streams and rivers, affecting fish and other aquatic organisms.
• How fire, people and history shaped the South’s iconic longleaf pine forests
  One of North America’s richest ecosystems, sustained and shaped by Native peoples before European contact, nearly disappeared. A recovery is underway.
• All foods can fit in a balanced diet – a dietitian explains how flexibility can be healthier than dieting
  Social media and advertising is full of messages about what you should or shouldn’t eat. But making health and nutrition so black and white can do more harm than good.
• Can shoes alter your mind? What neuroscience says about foot sensation and focus
  Your feet can send a lot of sensory information to your brain. But whether you believe that your footwear is affecting your cognition may matter more than what shoes you wear.
• NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon shows how US space strategy has changed since Apollo – and contrasts with China’s closed program
  Today, there aren’t just two countries competing to get to the Moon. More countries have space programs, and private industry plays a larger role.
• Repeated government lying, warned Hannah Arendt, makes it impossible for citizens to think and to judge
  When officials lie time and again, people don’t know what to trust. And when this happens, citizens cannot deliberate, approve or dissent coherently, because a shared world no longer exists.
• Minnesota raises unprecedented constitutional issues in its lawsuit against Trump administration anti-immigrant deployment
  A US district judge is weighing whether the surge of ICE agents in the state violates the US Constitution or falls within the executive’s power to enforce federal law.
• Groundhogs are lousy forecasters but valuable animal engineers – and an important food source
  Groundhogs predict spring with the same accuracy as flipping a coin. But they’re vital to their ecosystems, feasting through summer to store enough fat to last through their winter hibernation.
• A more complete Latin American history, including centuries of US influence, helps students understand the complexities surrounding Nicolás Maduro’s arrest
  High school students in the US often learn about Latin America through the lens of the US, as a main character that exerts power.
• US hospitality and tourism professors don’t mirror the demographics of the industry they serve
  Nearly three-quarters of tourism professors are white, a recent analysis found, and nearly half are white men.
• Ending tax refunds by check will speed payments, but risks sidelining people who don’t have bank accounts
  For Americans in so-called ‘banking deserts,’ ending paper tax refund checks could be a costly move.
• Malaria researchers are getting closer to outsmarting the world’s deadliest parasite
  After decades of stalled progress, new vaccines, treatments and genetic tools are helping scientists protect children and save lives worldwide.
• Where do seashells come from?
  Seashells are the skeletons of sea creatures – and they’re older than you might think.
• Artificial metacognition: Giving an AI the ability to ‘think’ about its ‘thinking’
  What if an AI system could recognize when it’s confused or when to think more carefully? Researchers are working to give large language models these metacognitive abilities.
• How Trump’s Greenland threats amount to an implicit rejection of the legal principles of Nuremberg
  The claim that national security can justify territorial acquisition marks a sharp break from the principles the US championed after World War II.
• What we get wrong about forgiveness – a counseling professor unpacks the difference between letting go and making up
  Forgiveness is key to relationships – but it’s not as simple as deciding you’d like to forget and move on. A counselor breaks down misconceptions.
• Political polarization in Pittsburgh communities is rooted in economic neglect − not extremism
  Voters in places like Aliquippa and Braddock aren’t becoming more radical; they’re responding to decades of disinvestment and institutional failure.
• Rebirth of the madman theory? Unpredictability isn’t what it was when it comes to foreign policy
  During the Cold War, projecting a readiness to act erratically may have served a purpose. But it has diminishing returns if used too often.
• Marine protected areas aren’t in the right places to safeguard dolphins and whales in the South Atlantic
  Despite Brazil’s recent expansions of protected areas, research shows that the favorite habitats of whales and dolphins are still threatened by human activities.
• Why too much phosphorus in America’s farmland is polluting the country’s water
  Plants need phosphorus, and other nutrients, to grow. But soil tests can’t tell if there’s too much.
• How the polar vortex and warm ocean intensified a major US winter storm
  The atmosphere is a complicated place. Warm temperatures in one spot can contribute to brutally cold storms somewhere else.
• ICE immigration tactics are shocking more Americans as US-Mexico border operations move north
  Militarized immigration enforcement used to be confined to near the US-Mexico border, far away from most Americans’ front lawns.
• ‘We want you arrested because we said so’ – how ICE’s policy on raiding whatever homes it wants violates a basic constitutional right, according to a former federal judge
  Since the republic’s beginning, it has been uncontested law that to invade someone’s home, the government needs a warrant reviewed and signed by a judicial officer. ICE is turning that law on its head.
• Your brain can be trained, much like your muscles – a neurologist explains how to boost your brain health
  Challenging the brain by exposing it to new situations, tasks and skills can improve its efficiency, much like strength training does for our muscles. But maximum efficiency requires optimal rest.
• Dogs can need more than kibble, walks and love − consider the escalating expenses of their medical care before you adopt
  The decision to bring a dog into the family should recognize that, like other family members, they will require medical care.
• Doing things alone is on the rise, and businesses should pay more attention to that – even on Valentine’s Day
  With solo living on the rise, more consumers are dining, traveling and spending on their own. Yet most brands still design their offerings year-round for couples.
• Is being virtuous good for you – or just people around you? A study suggests traits like compassion may support your own well-being
  Philosophers from Aristotle to Nietzsche have debated whether being virtuous only helps others, or if it benefits the virtuous person, too.
• Feeling unprepared for the AI boom? You’re not alone
  As businesses race to adopt AI, you might worry that the experience and expertise you’ve built up has become a lot less valuable. But you still have more control over your future than you think.
• Rheumatoid arthritis has no cure – but researchers are homing in on preventing it
  New research could allow health care providers to identify and treat patients at risk for rheumatoid arthritis before the disease progresses.
• Dealing with a difficult relationship? Here’s how psychology says you can shift the dynamic
  A bit of understanding – plus effort to regulate yourself and give compassionate feedback – can shift a stuck relationship into something more bearable, perhaps even meaningful.
• The rise of Reza Pahlavi: Iranian opposition leader or opportunist?
  A scholar of modern Iran looks at Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah of Iran, and examines what he believes and why his profile has been elevated during the recent anti-government protests.
• ‘Expertise’ shouldn’t be a bad word – expert consensus guides science and society
  Expertise comes with training, experience and accreditation. And expert consensus is the best guide modern democracies have for making decisions about complicated challenges.
• AI-induced cultural stagnation is no longer speculation − it’s already happening
  AI-mediated culture is already being filtered in ways that favor the familiar, the describable and the conventional.
• Companies are already using agentic AI to make decisions, but governance is lagging behind
  More organizations are letting AI act on their behalf, but far fewer have mature governance to manage the consequences.
• Lebanon’s orchards have been burnt, wildlife habitat destroyed by Israeli strikes – raising troubling international law questions
  Ongoing conflict, particularly in a three-month period in late 2024, caused widespread environmental destruction and the spread of toxic materials.