The Conversation

Bird losses are accelerating across North America, particularly in farming regions where agriculture is most intensive

Written by François Leroy, Postdoctoral Researcher in Ecology, The Ohio State University

Eastern meadowlark populations across the U.S. grasslands have dropped by about three-quarters since 1970.lwolfartist via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has lost billions of birds. We now know that those losses aren’t just growing – they are accelerating in places with intensive human activity, particularly where...

Generative AI can play a role uplifting family and community in early childhood education

Written by Andres Bustamante, Associate Professor of Education, University of California, Irvine

Use of generative artificial intelligence technology is already widespread in K-12 schools and higher education. Now, AI technologies such as conversational agents and tablet-based assessments are starting to make their way toward early childhood education.

One concern with AI in a prekindergarten setting is that the technology will replace or...

Why shadow tankers are the only ships still moving through the Strait of Hormuz

Written by Charles Edward Gehrke, Deputy Division Director of Wargame Design and Adjudication, US Naval War College

Many oil tankers aren't moving in the Middle East.DedMityay/iStock / Getty Images Plus

The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Since the beginning of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, oil tanker traffic through the world’s most critical oil shipping choke point has collapsed, dropping by more than...

Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

Written by Charles Walldorf, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University

Fire breaks out at the Shahran oil depot after U.S. and Israeli attacks in Tehran on March 8, 2026.Hassan Ghaedi/Anadolu via Getty Images

It’s clear that regime change is among the biggest objectives of the U.S. war in Iran.

“I have to be involved in the appointment” of Iran’s next leader, President Donald Trump said on March...

Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies

Written by Simone Dichiara, Assistant Research Professor of Astrophysics, Penn State

This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode.ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser, CC BY

Billions of light years away in a remote part of the universe, two neutron stars – the ultradense remnants of dead stars – collided. The catastropic cosmic event sent light...

Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists jumped to $22.4B in 2025 − Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the estate of Paul Allen lead a list of the biggest givers

Written by David Campbell, Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, one of the top 50 donors of 2025, talks with his son Josh Blank.Kara Durrette/Getty Images

The 50 American individuals and couples who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2025 committed US$22.4 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals and more. That total was 35% above an inflation-adjusted $16.6...

Women of the Rosenstrasse protest challenged the Nazi regime for their detained Jewish husbands’ freedom – and won

Written by Danielle Wirsansky, Ph.D. Candidate in Modern European History, Florida State University

A sculpture by Ingeborg Hunzinger commemorates the Rosenstrasse protest in Berlin.NikiSublime/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

On the cold evening of Feb. 27, 1943, Charlotte Israel gathered with a small crowd of women on the Rosenstrasse, a narrow street in central Berlin. They were not Jewish, but their husbands were, and the men had just been...

Making good choices when life gets messy – practical wisdom relies on human judgment, not rules

Written by Tim Hulsey, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee

This virtue helps you figure out when and how to apply the other virtues in real, varying situations.Cavan Images/Cavan via Getty Images

A few semesters into my teaching career as a psychology professor, I uncovered a cheating ring. I determined who the ringleader was and called him to my office.

He admitted that he had illicitly obtained a copy of...

Just thinking about tequila, whiskey or wine shifts your mindset – new research

Written by Logan Pant, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Evansville

Most celebrations in the U.S. involve alcohol, in large part due to marketing and advertising.Arturo Peña Romano Medina/E+ via Getty Images

Thinking about certain types of alcohol can alter your mood and trigger certain mindsets, especially among young consumers. For instance, tequila calls up a party mindset, whiskey activates a masculine...

Higher buprenorphine doses help patients stay in opioid use disorder treatment, new study finds

Written by Rachel French, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania

Patients who received 17 to 24 milligrams per day of buprenorphine stayed in treatment significantly longer than those who received 16 milligrams or less, researchers found. AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Patients who are prescribed higher daily doses of the medication buprenorphine for opioid use disorder are significantly more likely to stay in treatment....