The Conversation

• 2 shootings, 2 states, minutes apart − a trauma psychiatrist explains how exposure to shootings changes all of us
  As social media platforms make it easier for millions of people near and far to witness public violence, the harmful effects have far greater reach.
• The Moon is getting slightly farther away from the Earth each year − a physicist explains why
  The Moon influences ocean tides – and ocean tides, in some ways, influence the Moon back.
• Harm-reduction vending machines offer free naloxone, pregnancy tests and hygiene kits
  The Health To Go machines in Pennsylvania are in a YMCA in Reading and outside an emergency department in Harrisburg.
• Even professional economists can’t escape political bias
  Partisan bias doesn’t stop with voters. When Republicans hold the White House, Republican economists consistently overshoot on growth forecasts.
• Xi’s show of unity with Putin and Kim could complicate China’s delicate diplomatic balance
  China’s carefully staged display of unity with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un at a parade marking China’s victory over Japan in WWII projected strength abroad, but it also risks unintended consequences.
• Transgender policies struggle to balance fairness with inclusion in women’s college sports
  Redefining sports eligibility around gender identity risks erasing the protections that have helped women’s college sports flourish, a scholar argues.
• Solving the world’s microplastics problem: 4 solutions cities and states are trying after global treaty talks collapsed
  The world puts a lot of unnecessary microplastics into the environment − such as glitter in makeup. Even better filters in washing machines could help.
• What Native-held lands in California can teach about resilience and the future of wildfire
  Indigenous forest management practices can help control wildfires’ frequency and severity, while also restoring people’s connections to the land.
• Charlie Kirk talked with young people at universities for a reason – he wanted American education to return to traditional values
  Charlie Kirk’s education beliefs have deep roots that predate the MAGA movement and trace back to the 1960s.
• How hardships and hashtags combined to fuel Nepal’s violent response to social media ban
  Social media acted as both a magnifier and accelerator to protests, linking perceived injustice to on-the-ground activism.
• How to avoid seeing disturbing content on social media and protect your peace of mind
  The video of Charlie Kirk’s murder went far and wide, and many people ended up seeing it when they would rather have avoided it.
• Scientists detected a potential biosignature on Mars – an astrobiologist explains what these traces of life are, and how researchers figure out their source
  Unique, spotted rocks in Mars’ Jezero Crater could indicate that the planet once hosted life.
• Yes, this is who we are: America’s 250-year history of political violence
  The US has long fused politics and violence, often through firearms. To claim that such shootings betray ‘who we are’ is to forget that the US was founded on this form of political violence.
• ‘Publish or perish’ evolutionary pressures shape scientific publishing, for better and worse
  Scientists write papers to share their results – and gain prestige and advance their careers. In this competitive field, selection can favor AI-written papers, citation cartels, paper mills and more.
• Parasitic worms bury themselves in the brains of moose and elk – a new test can help diagnose these animals to prevent disease spread
  White-tailed deer host these brain worms, but they don’t actually get the disease, which makes it harder for biologists to monitor its prevalence.
• Proposed cuts to NIH funding would have ripple effects on research that could hamper the US for decades
  Taxpayer-funded investment supports basic research that can yield crucial medical advancements down the line and make lifesaving drugs and technologies affordable for everyday people.
• Beauty sleep isn’t a myth – a sleep medicine expert explains how rest keeps your skin healthy and youthful
  Your sleep habits are reflected in your skin’s health and appearance.
• Fewer international students are coming to the US, costing universities and communities that benefit from these visitors
  An estimated 150,000 fewer international students are expected to be attending American universities and colleges this fall because of visa restrictions and other Trump administration policies.
• Social scientists have long found women tend to be more religious than men – but Gen Z may show a shift
  The religion gap between American men and women may be narrowing, a scholar explains – reflecting a seeming ‘God gap’ in US politics.
• Bolsonaro joins a rogues’ gallery of coup plotters held to account for their failed power grab
  Supreme Court justices voted 4-1 to convict former Brazilian president over a 2023 plot to overturn election.
• ‘This will not end here’: A scholar explains why Charlie Kirk’s killing could embolden political violence
  Kirk’s killing reflects a broader political impasse in the US, where a significant percentage of the population supports political violence of some form.
• Detroit is the most challenging place in the country for people with asthma − here’s how to help kids in the Motor City breathe easier
  An emergency medical plan, labeling an inhaler, and learning how to use different medications can help children with asthma manage their symptoms.
• Who was Charlie Kirk? The activist who turned campus politics into national influence
  Charlie Kirk and his organization connected students and the GOP in new and effective ways. But the slain conservative spread misinformation and thrived on outrage and intimidation.
• Federal subpoenas for transgender care records raise medical privacy concerns and put providers in a legal bind – a health law expert explains what’s at stake
  The government has provided little information about its allegations or about the criminal charges it is seeking to pursue against transgender care providers.
• A federal program helps older people get jobs, but the Trump administration wants to get rid of it
  The Senior Community Service Employment Program helps older Americans balance their checkbooks, enjoy better health and engage more with their own communities.
• A new world order isn’t coming, it’s already here − and this is what it looks like
  China’s recent shows of strength and solidarity with Russia and North Korea have prompted speculation of a global changing of the guard.
• A massive eruption 74,000 years ago affected the whole planet – archaeologists use volcanic glass to figure out how people survived
  Researchers can study volcanic deposits at archaeological sites to piece together how ancient people responded to catastrophic events.
• How Giorgio Armani mastered the art of outfitting Hollywood stars to sell clothes to the masses
  The Italian designer dressed actors and actresses in items from his more affordable lines, ensuring audiences could go on to imitate the style of their favorite stars.
• How ‘South Park’ could help Democrats win back the young voters the party lost to Trump
  A cartoon built on skewering the powerful and self-righteous isn’t taking its foot off the pedal.
• Drugged driving – including under the influence of cannabis and prescription drugs – is quietly becoming one of the most dangerous road hazards
  Driving under the influence of drugs is just as deadly as alcohol impairment, but regulations lag far behind.
• Poland responds to Russian drones incursion by invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty − what happens next?
  NATO jets scrambled to shoot down at least 10 Russian drones after they were spotted in Polish airspace.
• Israeli strike in Doha crosses a new line from which relations with Gulf may not recover
  Gulf nations were already becoming anxious about Israel’s apparently unconstrained regional activities. Now, a one-time thaw in relations may revert to a deep freeze.
• The discovery of a gravitational wave 10 years ago shook astrophysics – these ripples in spacetime continue to reveal dark objects in the cosmos
  A decade after the first discovery, scientists have used these waves to find a unique merger, a massive binary system and a crystal-clear gravitational wave signal.
• Sacred texts and ‘little bells’: The building blocks of Arvo Pärt’s musical masterpieces
  The Estonian composer has written some of the world’s most performed contemporary classical music. Many fans may not realize how deep the religious influences on his work are.
• Where does your glass come from?
  Glass seems simple − it’s just sand and a few more ingredients. Yet mining and production are rarely local, raising questions about sustainability.
• 40 years ago, the first AIDS movies forced Americans to confront a disease they didn’t want to see
  In the fall of 1985, two pioneering films offered radically different portrayals of AIDS – one intimate and confrontational, the other more cautious and network-friendly.
• Doctors are joining unions in a bid to improve working conditions and raise wages in a stressful health care system
  An estimated 8% of US doctors had joined a union in 2024, up from 5.7% a decade earlier.
• How does AI affect how we learn? A cognitive psychologist explains why you learn when the work is hard
  Chatbots can facilitate ‘cognitive offloading,’ or taking shortcuts when learning. But emerging research on AI and cognitive science shows that learning is like a workout.
• Bail reforms across the US have shown that releasing people pretrial doesn’t harm public safety
  President Trump wants to punish states and cities that eliminate bail money, but releasing defendants pretrial without having to post bail doesn’t lead to higher crime rates, data shows.
• Why journalists are reluctant to call Trump an authoritarian – and why that matters for democracy
  Media framing shapes people’s understanding of the world. A political communication scholar says that journalistic outlets’ failure to call Donald Trump an authoritarian is a problem for democracy.
• Israel’s attack in Doha underscores a stark reality for Gulf states looking for stability and growth: They remain hostage to events
  The region’s authoritarian leaders have been buoyed by the loss of Iranian power. But such victories mask a region that is still very much beset by danger.
• New report ranks Philadelphia and Allentown among toughest cities in America for people with asthma
  The ranking of ‘asthma capitals’ in the US is released each September, the peak time of year for asthma attacks and hospitalizations.
• What causes muscle cramps during exercise? Athletes and coaches may want to look at the playing surface
  Despite good hydration and nutrition, many athletes across sports still suffer from unexpected cramps. The courts and fields they’re playing on may be the missing link.
• We tracked every overseas trip by world leaders since the end of the Cold War – here’s what we found
  Presidents and prime ministers are traveling more than their counterparts of a generation ago. And where they go tells us about global priorities.
• The surprising recovery of once-rare birds
  It’s not every day that you see a 4-foot-tall bird, but it’s happening more often. Several fascinating species are nesting in and near towns once again.
• Techno-utopians like Musk are treading old ground: The futurism of early 20th-century Europe
  Italian and Russian futurists of the early 20th century imagined that technology would remake humanity. Today’s techno-utopians are not so different.
• Trump reversed policies supporting electric vehicles − it will affect the road to clean electricity, too
  An analysis finds that fewer electric vehicles will also mean less investment to clean up the electricity sector.
• Brazil’s Bolsonaro may soon join ranks of failed coup plotters held to account − hampering the chance of any political comeback
  Failed coup leaders don’t always face punishment – and some who do receive treatment outside of courts.
• Trump’s radical argument that he alone can interpret vague laws fails its first court test in dismissal of Fed governor
  Donald Trump’s unprecedented firing of a Federal Reserve board member isn’t just about her job status. It’s about what checks remain on a president bent on vastly expanding his office’s power.
• Philly’s Puerto Rican Day Parade embodies strength of the mainland’s second-largest Boricua community
  An island-born, Philly-based theologian explains why being Puerto Rican is a source of both pride and ambivalence.