The Conversation

• The shutdown has ended – but this economist isn’t rejoicing quite yet
  Billions of dollars have likely been wiped off the US gross domestic product.
• What is Fusarium graminearum, the fungus a Chinese scientist pleaded guilty to smuggling into the US?
  When Fusarium graminearum infects wheat, it can pose a risk to humans, animals and agriculture.
• No time to recover: Hurricane Melissa and the Caribbean’s compounding disaster trap as the storms keep coming
  Melissa was just the latest blow, following close on the heels of Beryl. Many islands today have little time to recover before the next disaster hits.
• New technologies like AI come with big claims – borrowing the scientific concept of validity can help cut through the hype
  Scientists across all fields make various types of claims about their innovations. Validity tests check whether they deliver on what they promise.
• Turn shopping stress into purposeful gift giving by cultivating ‘consumer wisdom’ during the holidays
  A psychology team distills the 6 principles of ‘consumer wisdom’: a set of habits that promotes well-being by aligning our values and behaviors.
• What is time? Rather than something that ‘flows,’ a philosopher suggests time is a psychological projection
  Is time real, or an illusion? The best answer may be neither: Both physics and philosophy suggest that time is a projection of the mind onto a timeless reality.
• Want to make America healthy again? Stop fueling climate change
  From extreme heat to mosquito-borne illnesses, climate change is making people sicker and more vulnerable to disease. Health scientists explain what individuals and governments can do about it.
• Sulfur-based batteries could offer electric vehicles a greener, longer-range option
  Battery researchers are seeking options with better performance, improved environmental sustainability and lower cost than lithium-ion batteries.
• Bad Bunny is the latest product of political rage — how pop culture became the front line of American politics
  Culture wars once arose from impromptu events that struck a nerve among Americans, but they are now started by partisan agitators who introduce them to politicians and watch them take hold.
• Community health centers provide care for 1 in 10 Americans, but funding cuts threaten their survival
  Millions of Americans rely on this network of federally funded health clinics for their primary care.
• Colorado’s rural schools serve more than 130,000 students, and their superintendents want more pay for their teachers
  Rural school leaders are most concerned about recruiting and retaining teachers.
• Students of color are at greater risk for reading difficulties – even in kindergarten
  The achievement gap in reading is evident by students’ first year of school, according to a new study – making early intervention all the more important.
• Under Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida leads the nation in executions in 2025
  Florida leads the nation in executions in a year that has seen an increase in the number of inmates put to death nationwide.
• Star-shaped cells make a molecule that can ‘rewire’ the brains of mice with Down syndrome – understanding how could lead to new treatments
  Down syndrome results in changes to the structure and function of neural circuits in the brain. Delivering a specific protein to neurons could reverse these changes.
• The UN is reinventing peacekeeping – Haiti is the testing ground
  A recent Security Council resolution to curb violence in Haiti was not just a local issue but a broader idea about how to stay relevant as a global organization.
• Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems
  Moving tiny particles through materials quickly can improve the efficiency of a variety of technologies.
• Blame the shutdown on citizens who prefer politicians to vanquish their opponents rather than to work for the common good
  Politicians get blamed for government shutdowns. But does the fault lie also with citizens, who are more invested in punishing partisan rivals than in demanding competent government?
• A bold new investment fund aims to channel billions into tropical forest protection – one key change can make it better
  The Tropical Forest Forever Facility is designed to reward countries for preventing deforestation. Charts show the magnitude of the problem.
• Canada loses its official ‘measles-free’ status – and the US will follow soon, as vaccination rates fall
  Decreased vaccination rates have led to measles outbreaks in Canada and other countries.
• What America’s divided and tumultuous politics of the late-19th century can teach us
  There are lessons from history for today’s divided America. Political division in the second half of the 19th century produced more problems than solutions. But it did end − at the ballot box.
• What does ‘pro-life’ mean? There’s no one answer – even for advocacy groups that oppose abortion
  The term ‘pro-life’ can seem simple – but how Americans and advocacy groups interpret it varies widely.
• The ‘supercenter’ effect: How massive, one-stop retailers fuel overconsumption − and waste
  The arrival of a supercenter results in a 7% bump in consumer waste, a study found.
• Turning motion into medicine: How AI, motion capture and wearables can improve your health
  Motion data is well known for improving athletic performance and rehab. Thanks to AI, it’s also turning motion into another vital sign for general health.
• Why do people have baby teeth and adult teeth?
  A pediatric dentist and an anthropologist explain how baby teeth and adult teeth help humans chomp their food over a long lifespan.
• What AI earbuds can’t replace: The value of learning another language
  AI-fueled technologies make communicating in other languages easier than ever, but it still can’t replace the transformative value of learning a new language.
• Allen Iverson’s 2001 Sixers embodied Philly’s brash, gritty soul − and changed basketball culture forever
  The 76ers celebrate the 25th anniversary of an iconic team that lost the championship but captured the heart of the city.
• Trump was already cutting low-income energy assistance – the shutdown is making things worse as cold weather arrives
  Nearly a quarter of US households struggle to pay their energy bills at the same time as America’s social safety nets, including home heat aid, are disappearing.
• James Watson exemplified the best and worst of science – from monumental discoveries to sexism and cutthroat competition
  James Dewey Watson is best known for his Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the structure of DNA. Controversy around who should be credited highlights the challenges of scientific collaboration.
• What to know as hundreds of flights are grounded across the US – an air travel expert explains
  Get to airports early and go easy on the luggage. Also, expect delays.
• National 211 hotline calls for food assistance quadrupled in a matter of days, a magnitude typically seen during disasters
  As the government shutdown wore on in October, calls began surging, signaling that Americans are very concerned about paying their bills and feeding their families.
• Seashells from centuries ago show that seagrass meadows on Florida’s Nature Coast are thriving
  Scientists are using mollusk shells to evaluate the health of Florida’s seagrass ecosystems.
• Always watching: How ICE’s plan to monitor social media 24/7 threatens privacy and civic participation
  ICE’s dragnet is expanding across social media, putting everyone’s digital lives into the realm of border and immigration enforcement.
• FDA recall of blood pressure pills due to cancer-causing contaminant may point to higher safety risks in older generic drugs
  As the generics market for a particular drug gets crowded, competition on price might be driving quality issues that could harm patients.
• Pennsylvania counties face tough choices on spending $2B opioid settlement funds
  Local governments have a lot of freedom on how to spend the funds, but there’s also confusion and a feeling of moral responsibility to spend wisely after so many lives have been lost.
• Overwhelm the public with muzzle-velocity headlines: A strategy rooted in racism and authoritarianism
  The unrelenting diet of chaotic, contradictory headlines that Americans face today echoes an antidemocratic playbook from the past.
• House speaker’s refusal to seat Arizona representative is supported by history and law
  House speakers have had the power to determine when the oath is administered, and courts have been reluctant to weigh in on that influence.
• Anxiety over school admissions isn’t limited to college – parents of young children are also feeling pressure, some more acutely than others
  Women often see their choice of school as a reflection of whether they are good moms, while parents of color feel pressure to find a racially inclusive school.
• AI could worsen inequalities in schools – teachers are key to whether it will
  Under-resourced schools are less likely to support teachers in implementing AI technology to best serve learning.
• Who gets SNAP benefits to buy groceries and what the government pays for the program – in 5 charts
  Nearly 60% of Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are either children under 18 or adults who are 60 or older.
• Supreme Court soon to hear a religious freedom case that’s united both sides of the church-state divide
  Landor v. Louisiana, one of this year’s highest-profile religious freedom cases, underscores how complex legal protections for free exercise are in the US today.
• Chatbots don’t judge! Customers prefer robots over humans when it comes to those ’um, you know’ purchases
  When it comes to buying sex toys, diarrhea medication and acne cream, consumers like the impersonal touch.
• The unraveling of workplace protections for delivery drivers: A tale of 2 workplace models
  A first-of-its-kind study finds Amazon’s delivery drivers earn less and face more instability than their unionized counterparts.
• Brewery waste can be repurposed to make nanoparticles that can fight bacteria
  Breweries nationwide create waste at several stages of the beer-making process. Repurposing parts of this waste could improve antibacterial drugs.
• How to keep dementia from robbing your loved ones of their sense of personhood – tips for caregivers
  Treating people with dementia as full, thriving human beings requires awareness of stigma and simple communication strategies.
• Why does your doctor seem so rushed and dismissive? That bedside manner may be the result of the health care system
  The current US health care system burdens doctors with heavy patient loads, more administrative work and additional off-hour demands. Doctor-patient interactions suffer as a result.
• Trump’s White House renovations fulfill Obama’s prediction, kind of
  President Barack Obama’s mockery of Donald Trump in 2011 may have fueled the former real estate mogul’s run for president and his desire to leave his mark on the White House.
• A brief history of congressional oversight, from Revolutionary War financing to Pam Bondi
  Congress has played an important role in holding federal agencies accountable since the late 1700s, but oversight can also devolve into a political circus.
• How the US cut climate-changing emissions while its economy more than doubled
  A fast drop in coal use played a big role, but there was more, as these charts show.
• Customers can become more loyal if their banks solve fraud cases, researchers find
  These findings support a paradox: When a business handles a problem well, its customers can become more loyal than if no problem had occurred.
• HIV knows no borders, and the Trump administration’s new strategy leave Americans vulnerable – an HIV-prevention expert explains
  The America First Global Health Strategy aims to secure US interests but may instead undermine it by design.