The Conversation

Automated systems decide which homeless Philadelphians get housing and who stays on the street – often in ways that feel arbitrary to those waiting

Written by Pelle G. Tracey, Assistant Professor of Information, University of Washington

Philadelphia has thousands of homeless residents living in shelters and on the streets.Jeff Fusco/The Conversation U.S., CC BY-SA

Seeing a person huddled under a makeshift roof of tarps or curled up on a warm grate can evoke powerful emotions and questions.

How did they get here? Why doesn’t someone help them? What can I do about this?

The...

Treating love for work like a virtue can backfire on employees and teams

Written by Mijeong Kwon, Assistant Professor of Management, Rice University

Loving your work is one thing; insisting that colleagues love it is another.Natalie McComas/Moment via Getty Images

It’s popular advice for new graduates: “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Love for one’s work, Americans are often told, is the surest route to success.

As a management...

Colleges teach the most valuable career skills when they don’t stick narrowly to preprofessional education

Written by Daniel V. McGehee, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Iowa

Tracking graduates’ earnings is just one way to measure the benefit of higher education.iStock/Getty Images Plus

Across state legislatures and in Congress, debates are intensifying about the value of funding certain college degree programs – and higher education, more broadly.

The growing popularity of professional graduate degrees over...

Thousands of genomes reveal the wild wolf genes in most dogs’ DNA

Written by Audrey T. Lin, Research Associate in Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

Modern wolves and dogs both descend from an ancient wolf population that lived alongside woolly mammoths and cave bears.Iza Lyson/500px Prime via Getty Images

Dogs were the first of any species that people domesticated, and they have been a constant part of human life for millennia. Domesticated species are the plants and animals that have evolved...

Peace plan presented by the US to Ukraine reflects inexperienced, unrealistic handling of a delicate situation

Written by Donald Heflin, Executive Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center and Senior Fellow of Diplomatic Practice, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, with U.S. delegation members faces the Ukrainian delegation during discussions in Geneva on Nov. 23, 2025, on a plan to end the war in Ukraine. Fabrice Coffrini/ AFP via Getty Images

As Russian bombs continued to pound Ukraine, a different conflict has blown up over plans to end that almost...

Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges

Written by Emily Ronay Johnston, Assistant Teaching Professor of Global Arts, Media and Writing Studies, University of California, Merced

Writing is a way of thinking and doing.AscentXmedia/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Ordinary and universal, the act of writing changes the brain. From dashing off a heated text message to composing an op-ed, writing allows you to, at once, name your pain and create distance from it. Writing can shift your mental state from overwhelm and despair to...

Nonprofit news outlets are often scared that selling ads could jeopardize their tax-exempt status, but IRS records show that’s been rare

Written by Katherine Fink, Associate Professor of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts, Pace University

Volunteer Bonnie Ralston hosts a show in the Allegheny Mountain Radio studio in Monterey, Va., in September 2025.Pierre Hardy/AFP via Getty Images

Although advertising revenue largely sustained the news media in the 20th century, it’s been harder to come by in the digital age. News media outlets just aren’t as important these days for...

How will the universe end?

Written by Stephen DiKerby, Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University

In a few billion years, the Milky Way and Andromeda, the nearest spiral galaxy, might collide. Future observers could be treated to fantastic views.NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas; and A. Mellinger

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to Cu...

AI is making spacecraft propulsion more efficient – and could even lead to nuclear-powered rockets

Written by Marcos Fernandez Tous, Assistant Professor of Space Studies, University of North Dakota

Propulsion technology helps rockets get off the ground. Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP

Every year, companies and space agencies launch hundreds of rockets into space – and that number is set to grow dramatically with ambitious missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. But these dreams hinge on one critical challenge: propulsion – the methods used...