The Conversation U.S. - News written by researchers and scientists to help you understand

Man holds an aluminum tray of grilled meats in the foreground while a large number of people socialize in the background.

Juneteenth’s real meaning is written on the plates of smoked meats, potato salad and watermelon

Bobby J. Smith II, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Quantum sensors could spot hidden damage in the thousands of US bridges rated ‘structurally deficient’

Alex Krasnok, Florida International University

Toy Story 5’s ‘Lilypad’ is an indictment of the world that birthed the ‘iPad Kid’

Aarushi Bhandari, Davidson College

A 10-year-old boy wearing a pink costume sits in the corner of a room and plays on his tablet.

Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Philadelphia in 1976 was mysterious and deadly – 50 years later, scientists know the cause but outbreaks continue

Charles N. Haas, Drexel University and Robert Promisloff, Drexel University

Black-and-white photo of four men in cloth hats with regalia sit and talk

Juneteenth, Jim Crow and how the fight of one Black Texas family to make freedom real offers lessons for Texas lawmakers trying to erase history from the classroom

Jeffrey L. Littlejohn, Sam Houston State University and Zachary Montz, Sam Houston State University

A Black man wearing a feathered and carrying a sword is riding atop a horse.

How well have you been following the news?

Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation's Quizmaster

Take the quiz

jumble of disparate images like question marks, supreme court building, two silhouettes kissing and smiley faces

What’s the right way to mark Juneteenth? The newest US holiday is confusing Americans

Timothy Welbeck, Temple University

Two dressed-up women in a buggy decorated by flowers and pulled by a white horse.

Is Australia’s social media ban for under 16s working?

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Listen

Juneteenth offers new ways to teach about slavery, Black perseverance and American history

Raphael E. Rogers, Clark University

A Black teacher assists a Black male student seated at a desk and writing in a notebook amid several classmates.

The drawer problem: Why so many of us can’t let go of our old electronics, and what we can do about it

Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology; Payam Saeedi, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Stacey Watson, University of Waterloo

various old electronic devices in a drawer

Get context to understand the news, in your inbox daily or weekly

Subscribe to our newsletters

A man stands at a lectern, speaking and gesturing, while a group of people stand and sit nearby, watching and listening.

How local communities are challenging Big Tech data centers’ noise, pollution and rising electricity bills

Rachel Mural, Harvard Kennedy School

Close-up of hands applying sun cream under a bright blue sky.

First new US sunscreen ingredient since 1999 approved by FDA – a skin scientist explains how bemotrizinol works

Guy German, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Bonfires, Maypoles and a saint’s day: How Europe celebrates the longest day of the year

Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A half-circle of people stand around a fire at dusk as a few dozen people watch from a hill behind them.

Heat waves increase wildfire risk – a new study explains how much, and it’s not a small number

Dmitri Kalashnikov, University of California, Merced; Cong Yin, University of California, Merced; Madhulika Gurazada, University of California, Merced, and Mukesh Kumar, University of California, Merced

Quartz countertops are driving a public health crisis in the US – 2 occupational health experts explain the surge of lung transplants and lawsuits

David Michaels, George Washington University and Robert Harrison, University of California, San Francisco

A newly remodeled kitchen with off-white countertops made of engineered stone

NASA announces its Artemis III crew, which will test important equipment and systems in Earth orbit and is testing public opinion

Margaret Landis, Arizona State University

The Artemis III crew standing together in front of several flags and a NASA sign, wearing blue jumpsuits.

Join the 1,746 readers who give monthly to fund fact-based journalism

I'll pitch in

Satellite view of North America showing forests, plains, deserts, mountains, lakes and coastlines, with geographic borders omitted.

Where nature draws the map – here are 5 ways to look at the US, without state boundaries

Stewart Edie, Smithsonian Institution and Torben Rick, Smithsonian Institution

Refugee numbers dropped in 2025 – but aid cuts and others trends suggest little to celebrate

Kelsey Norman, Rice University and Nicholas R. Micinski, American University School of International Service

How Messi, Mbappe and Haaland use their brains (as well as feet) to gain a psychological edge at the World Cup

Eric Zillmer, Drexel University

A man in a red soccer kit sits on the grass.

Americans keep voting for scandal-prone candidates because they just don’t want the other party to win

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

A man speaks on a stage in front of hundreds of people.

How LGBTQ employees at Kodak risked their careers to build a safer, more inclusive workplace

Tamar Carroll, Rochester Institute of Technology

A group of men and women hold rainbow umbrellas and wear T-shirts reading 'Pride @ Kodak.'

Read all our latest articles

U.S.-Iran war

Trump’s US-Iran ceasefire deal is a costly return to prewar conditions – and resolving nuclear questions will run into the ‘indivisibility problem’

Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania

How are Saudis viewing the US-Iran war? Our polling suggests Gulf kingdom is split on key issues

Robert Kubinec, University of South Carolina and Alexis Montambault-Trudelle, Université Laval

A group of people in traditional Saudi dress walk up stairs.

In Iran war’s shadow, Israel’s renewed Lebanon campaign risks repeating failed lessons – and occupations – of the past

Asher Kaufman, University of Notre Dame

The war in Iran – again – points to the strategic shortcomings of assassination as policy of foreign affairs

Brian O'Neill, Georgia Institute of Technology

Men with guns stand in front of a large poster at a rally.

Why the Iran war is breaking the US-European strategic alliance

Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania

Four heads of state walk in between dozens of flags representing European countries.

World Cup

Two soccer fans wear patriotic English and American clothing and face paint.

Is soccer taking over America … or are Americans taking over football?

Kirk Bowman, Georgia Institute of Technology

We ran 100,000 computer simulations of the World Cup. And the winner will be …

Achim Zeileis, University of Innsbruck

An octopus sits on. abox with a yellow and red flag.

World Cup creates perfect conditions for infectious diseases to spread – here are the biggest threats health experts are watching for

Andrés Henao, University of Colorado Anschutz

A soccer ball in the grass wearing a respiratory mask

World Cup quiz

Matt Williams, The Conversation

Test your knowledge

Graphic showing a soccer ball with flags and the world cup trophy

What the tattoos of World Cup players say about their love, life and religious beliefs

Gustavo Morello, Boston College

Tattooed legs of a football player running on the field.

250th anniversary of American revolution

Painting of Black woman ladling out soup as white customers surround her and eat it

Pepper pot stew was survival food for the poor and a path to freedom for Black women in early Philadelphia

Carolyn Zola, California State University, East Bay

What Jefferson and Madison would have thought about ‘rededicating’ the US to God

Steven K. Green, Willamette University

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

America’s founding promise of religious freedom has long coexisted with prejudice, even as many Christians have worked to confront it

David Mislin, Temple University

Several people view artwork displayed on screens outside a brick building.

How America’s independence from England revolutionized US philanthropy

Amanda Moniz, Smithsonian Institution

John Hancock brandishes a document bearing his large signature.

The American Revolution’s triumphant story of democracy and freedom overlooks loyalists who paid a steep price for allegiance to Britain

Kimberly Nath, San Juan College

Black and white illustration of large crowd in colonial dress gathered outside of stately building

Extreme weather and natural disasters

El Niño is back, and ocean temperatures are already near record highs – that can spell disaster for fish and corals

Dillon Amaya, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Wildfires are reversing America’s progress on ozone pollution, the main ingredient in smog

Weizhi Deng, University of Iowa; Jun Wang, University of Iowa, and Meng Zhou, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

People stand on a train platform in very smoky, orange air.

Federal flood insurance carries 2 moral hazards – which you face depends largely on how wealthy you are

Ivis García, Texas A&M University

Waterfront mansions on Miami Beach, Florida.

The US is seeing stronger storms, so why are droughts getting worse?

David Boutt, UMass Amherst

Two women carrying umbrellas laugh as they run through ankle-deep puddles in a city street.

Hurricane forecasts have improved dramatically, saving lives, but federal cuts threaten to stretch NOAA resources to breaking point

Brian Tang, University at Albany, State University of New York

A view of a hurricane across an airplane wing

Are you an academic expert who wants to share your knowledge?

Pitch an article

Trump administration

Trump’s ‘narco-terrorism’ war in Latin America evokes Reagan – then as now, it’s more about fighting leftists than drug runners

Michelle D. Paranzino, US Naval War College

How cuts to CDC are dismantling its capacity to protect Americans’ health

Candice Johnson, Michigan State University

A photo of people protesting outside the main campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The Social Security trust fund will run dry in 2032 – what that means for retirees and workers who hope to retire

John W. Diamond, Rice University

In a 1983 photo, President Ronald Reagan is flanked by congressional leaders on the White House South Lawn as he signs the Social Security reform bill.

National Science Foundation cuts mean researchers like me are losing grants – but impacts extend far beyond academia

Remy Dou, University of Miami

A red brick and glass building has a silver-colored circular plaque that says National Science Foundation

Why the director of national intelligence needs more than political loyalty to do the job

Gregory F. Treverton, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A man in a blue suit talking into a microphone on a paved street.

International

2 small lights show on a darkened Havana street

Cuba needs a long-term solution to its energy crisis

Luisa Blanco, Pepperdine University; Institute for Humane Studies and Isabella Elias, Pepperdine University

The forgotten story of abolition in revolutionary France – the first emancipation

Jeremy D. Popkin, University of Kentucky

A sculpture depicting the breaking of chains.

Marjane Satrapi’s masterpiece Persepolis transformed the world’s understanding of Iran

Shadi Rouhshahbaz, The University of Melbourne; University of Newcastle

Why Javier Milei’s inflation ‘miracle’ in Argentina is more of a mirage

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Listen

Why has the US indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro?

James Trapani, Western Sydney University

An old man in military uniform smiles and waves a small Cuban flag

New research in health and science

The world agreed to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 – but marine protection can’t be judged by area alone

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, Oregon State University and Ana K. Spalding, Smithsonian Institution

Life after death: From burned trees to bleached corals, how dead organisms live on as the building blocks of new life

Kai Kopecky, University of Colorado Boulder and John Kominoski, Florida International University

A new seedling grows at base of a burned tree.

How the development of solar and wind farms on the Tibetan Plateau is affecting local communities

Sanggay Tashi, University of Colorado Boulder

People walk on a dirt road between many rows of metal posts supporting large metal panels, with livestock and grassland visible in the distance.

Glucosamine supplements may speed memory loss from Alzheimer’s, new research shows

Ramon Sun, University of Florida

Different sized bottles of glucosamine/chondroiton on a supermarket shelf.

Butter or margarine? A food scientist describes their subtle chemical deviations and how they can affect your baked goods

Rosemary Trout, Drexel University

A square pat of margarine melting in a pan

Artificial intelligence

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI

Ross Channing Reed, Missouri University of Science and Technology

How Pennsylvania towns are protecting themselves from the noise, heat and utility costs of massive data centers

Michael Helbing, Penn State

Man stands on front porch above yellow sign that says 'No Data Centers'

What Pennsylvania’s AI chatbot lawsuit teaches us about the psychology behind medical trust

Gretchen Chapman, Carnegie Mellon University

A man in glasses and a navy blue suit stands behind a microphone.

From oversight to coercion: How authoritarian governments are twisting AI safety to get tech companies to fall in line

Michael Gregory, Clemson University

a seated smiling older man in a business suit holds up a document

Eroding a virtue: AI trains people to expect instant answers – and that’s bad news for patience

Christian B. Miller, Wake Forest University

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

Our partners and funders

The Conversation is a nonprofit organization and our work is made possible by the generosity of our readers, foundations, and university and college members. They make it possible for us to bring this journalism to the public without paywalls or licensing fees.

View all our partners and funders

View all our Founding Partners

View all our Funding Partners

View all our Member Partners

Find out more about us