The Conversation

• Supreme Court redistricting ruling could upend decades of voting rights law – and tilt the balance of power in Washington
  A case being argued at the US Supreme Court could undo one of the last remaining protections for minority voters in a Civil Rights-era voting law.
• ‘Space tornadoes’ could cause geomagnetic storms – but these phenomena, spun off ejections from the Sun, aren’t easy to study
  Unprecedented simulations show the formation of space tornadoes capable of causing strong geomagnetic storms around Earth, calling for earlier and more accurate warnings.
• Far fewer Americans support political violence than recent polls suggest
  Well-known flaws in conventional polling methods may be creating the incorrect perception that many Americans think political violence is justified.
• 3-legged lizards can thrive against all odds, challenging assumptions about how evolution works in the wild
  Most lizards probably don’t survive devastating injuries. But a new study documents 122 cases of limb loss across 58 species – these exceptions shine a new light on natural selection.
• Why are elements like radium dangerous? A chemist explains radioactivity and its health effects
  Unstable atoms emit fast-moving particles that can damage cells in the human body. Some atoms are far more unstable than others.
• Climate tipping points sound scary, especially for ice sheets and oceans – here’s why there’s still room for optimism
  A report warns that coral reefs may have reached their tipping point, and ice sheets, ocean currents and the Amazon are at growing risk. But, what does that actually mean?
• How the government shutdown is making the air traffic controller shortage worse and leading to flight delays
  Air traffic controllers are considered essential workers and required to work without pay during the shutdown, but there are reports some are calling in sick in greater numbers than usual.
• Natural World Heritage sites under growing threat, but bright spots remain
  Many of these extraordinary places are increasingly at risk due to escalating climate change, invasive species, and and a lack of consistent funding to protect them.
• María Corina Machado’s peace prize follows Nobel tradition of awarding recipients for complex reasons
  Venezuelan opposition leader is the latest in a long list of controversial laureates.
• From artificial atoms to quantum information machines: Inside the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics
  2025’s Nobel Prize in Physics is a tribute to the scientists who first discovered quantum behaviors in a macroscopic electrical circuit.
• Government shutdown hasn’t left consumers glum about the economy – for now, at least
  Consumer sentiment remained flat in October, compared to the previous month. But history shows a prolonged federal shutdown can impact how people feel about the economy.
• A white poet and a Sioux doctor fell in love after Wounded Knee – racism and sexism would drive them apart
  Elaine Goodale and Charles Eastman’s 19th-century interracial marriage made them a media sensation. But tensions over gender, race and identity ultimately proved too hard to overcome.
• The new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will inherit a global faith far more diverse than many realize
  The church, whose members are often known as Mormons, has grown from a small community to 17.5 million members around the world – but not without some tensions.
• Trump is cutting funding to universities with large Hispanic student populations – here’s what to know
  Hispanic-Serving Institutions enroll over 60% of all Hispanic undergraduates in the US and include large schools like Florida International University.
• Political violence: What can happen when First Amendment free speech meets Second Amendment gun rights
  Political violence, made easier to carry out by the proliferation of guns, harms democracy by shifting the field of political disagreement from debate to aggression.
• Our engineering team is making versatile, tiny sensors from the Nobel-winning ‘metal-organic frameworks’
  By trapping different molecules, metal-organic frameworks could make for efficient breath sensors that predict lung disease, cancer or diabetes.
• Friendships aren’t just about keeping score – new psychology research looks at why we help our friends when they need it
  Friendship isn’t a tit-for-tat balance sheet, but that’s how researchers have traditionally defined it. New studies are refining the model to be less about transactions and truer to real life.
• How pollution and the microbiome interact with Tregs, the immune system regulators whose discovery was honored with the Nobel Prize
  Researchers are gaining insights into how external factors like air pollutants, diet and medications, and even microbes in the gut interact with regulatory T cells, for better or for worse.
• Flu season has arrived – and so have updated flu vaccines
  Despite some confusion around changing vaccine guidelines, the CDC still recommends an annual flu shot for everyone 6 months and older.
• Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers are uncovering convincing similarities to drug addiction
  A consensus is emerging among scientists that certain foods are addictive for some people. But questions remain about which foods, which people and why.
• For war-weary Syria, potential benefits of security pact with Israel comes with big risks
  A US-backed diplomatic push is trying to end months of Israeli attacks on Syria with a bilateral security pact. But concluding an agreement may prove a tall order.
• A Denver MD has spent 2 decades working with hospitalized patients experiencing homelessness − here’s what she fears and what gives her hope
  Homelessness is solvable through affordable and supportive housing. Hospitals should be part of the solution.
• Refinery fires, other chemical disasters may no longer get safety investigations
  Because of the federal government shutdown and proposed budget, key federal investigations may stop, including into what happened at a Chevron refinery in California in October 2025.
• In 1776, Thomas Paine made the best case for fighting kings − and for being skeptical
  ‘In America, the law is king!’ ‘No King! No Tyranny!’ For a skeptical Thomas Paine, every day was ‘No Kings Day.’
• Gaza peace plan risks borrowing more from Tony Blair’s failures in the Middle East than his success in Northern Ireland
  The former British leader was tapped to lead redevelopment efforts in Gaza if a deal is agreed upon.
• Metal-organic frameworks: Nobel-winning tiny ‘sponge crystals’ with an astonishing amount of inner space
  Just a gram of these tiny crystals can have an internal surface area as big as a soccer field. A materials expert explains the almost magical chemistry of MOFs.
• Nobel Prize in physics awarded for ultracold electronics research that launched a quantum technology
  The discovery that superconducting circuits can behave like quantum particles was a revolutionary development in the field of quantum technologies.
• For Trump’s perceived enemies, the process may be the punishment
  Even when a prosecution fails to convict someone, the process of defending against charges can itself can be a form of punishment.
• James Comey’s indictment is a trademark tactic of authoritarians
  The former FBI director’s indictment breaks a principle that has protected American democracy for 50 years.
• Why higher ed’s AI rush could put corporate interests over public service and independence
  Higher education’s embrace of AI reveals deeper trends in institutional priorities − and what’s at risk.
• Jane Fonda, other stars, revive the Committee for the First Amendment – a group that emerged when the anti-communist panic came for Hollywood
  Even after the original group fizzled, many of its members were able to keep making films with progressive messages.
• Winning a bidding war isn’t always a win, research on 14 million home sales shows
  In hot housing markets, buyers who outbid rivals often overpay – and face higher risks of loss and foreclosure.
• Geothermal energy has huge potential to generate clean power – including from used oil and gas wells
  The Earth’s own heat can be brought up from underground and used as a source of energy that emits almost no greenhouse gases and can operate 24/7 almost anywhere on the planet.
• Seasonal allergies may increase suicide risk – new research
  Seasonal allergies may seem like a minor, passing inconvenience. But pollen seasons can take a real toll on mental health.
• Federal shutdown deals blow to already hobbled cybersecurity agency
  The triple whammy of deep staff cuts, shutdown furloughs and the expiration of an information-sharing law leaves national cybersecurity in a perilous state.
• 1 gene, 1 disease no more – acknowledging the full complexity of genetics could improve and personalize medicine
  Your DNA contains millions of genetic variants that interact with each other in ways that affect whether diseases such as schizophrenia and heart disease develop, and with what severity.
• From the pulpit to the picket line: For many miners, religion and labor rights have long been connected in coal country
  The retirement of United Mine Workers of America’s longtime president is a reminder that labor and religion have always been entangled in coal country.
• Even small drops in vaccination rates for US children can lead to disease outbreaks
  Most states require childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps, tetanus, rubella, chickenpox and whooping cough.
• Tribal colleges and universities aren’t well known, but are a crucial steppingstone for Native students
  While more Native Americans living on reservations attend college than in decades prior, just 10.3% earned college degrees in 2020.
• The Supreme Court is headed toward a radically new vision of unlimited presidential power
  Recent rulings indicate that the high court is leaning toward expanding the type of presidential power that is more emblematic of dictatorship than democracy.
• Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment
  The First Amendment – and the freedom of speech it guarantees – is considered a fundamental element of American freedom and identity. But it wasn’t even part of the original Constitution.
• Wings, booze and heartbreak – what my research says about the hidden costs of sports fandom
  Being a sports fan has been shown to cultivate a sense of belonging. But what about all that sitting, snacking and drinking? And what does that mean for younger, health-conscious fans?
• More young adults are living with their parents than previous generations did
  Rising housing costs are driving young adults back home – and reshaping careers, relationships and the economy.
• Health insurance subsidy standoff pits affordable care for millions against federal budget constraints
  Short-term renewals of policies such as the ACA subsidies set up repeated battles in Congress.
• How does your immune system stay balanced? A Nobel Prize-winning answer
  Regulatory T cells help your immune system distinguish between ‘self’ and ‘nonself’ – and can open doors to better treatments for cancer, autoimmune disease and transplant rejection.
• Watchdog journalism’s future may lie in the work of independent reporters like Pablo Torre
  Underground reporters could be among the last bulwarks against unchecked power.
• What are solar storms and the solar wind? 3 astrophysicists explain how particles coming from the Sun interact with Earth
  Space weather isn’t referring to rain clouds that float through the galaxy. Instead, it’s caused by massive explosions of particles that shoot out from the Sun.
• Conflict at the drugstore: When pharmacists’ and patients’ values collide
  Controversies often arise over pharmacists refusing to dispense medication, from Plan B to unproven COVID-19 treatments. Each one raises questions about professional rights and responsibilities.
• A fragmented legal system and threat of deportation are pushing higher education out of reach for many undocumented students
  While some students living in the US without legal authorization can apply for private scholarships or state-based financial aid, a growing number of states are changing the rules.
• How to conduct post-atrocity research – key insights from practitioners in the field
  Six scholars with experience in 15 countries provide lessons on best practices for documenting atrocities and elevating the voices of victims and survivors.