The Conversation

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...

Mid-Atlantic mushroom foragers collect 160 species for food, medicine, art and science

Written by Amy Wrobleski, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology and Anthropology, Penn State

Pennsylvania is home to a diverse range of wild mushrooms, both edible and poisonous.Vaivirga/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Like many mushroom harvesters, I got interested in foraging for fungi during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I had been preparing for a summer of field work studying foraged desert plants in a remote part of Australia when the pandemic hit,...

We created health guidelines for fighting loneliness - here’s what we recommend

Written by Daniel P. Aldrich, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University

Extensive research shows that social connection is crucial for good health, but there have been no standardized metrics for assessing it.Yaakov Aldrich, CC BY

Social isolation kills. It increases your risk of death by 30% — roughly the same as smoking cigarettes and much worse than factors such as obesity and sedentary living.

Americans are...

Nick Fuentes is a master of exploiting the current social media opportunities for extremism

Written by Alex McPhee-Browne, PhD student studying the American and global far right, University of Cambridge

Right-wing influencer Nick Fuentes, center, speaks in front of flags that say 'America First' at a pro-Trump march on Nov. 14, 2020, in Washington. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File

When Tucker Carlson hosted Nick Fuentes on his show last month, the response followed a familiar script. Critics condemned the platforming of a white nationalist. Defende...

What Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t tell you about ‘Operation Northwoods,’ the false flag operation he loves to denounce

Written by Ken Hughes, Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia

U.S. President John F. Kennedy, right, confers with his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, at the White House on Oct. 1, 1962, during the buildup of military tensions that became the Cuban missile crisis later that month. AP Photo

Something’s missing from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s accounts of “Operation Northwoods.”...

From invasive species tracking to water security – what’s lost with federal funding cuts at US Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Written by Bethany Bradley, Professor of Biogeography and Spatial Ecology, UMass Amherst

Mahonia bealei, also known as Beale's barberry or leatherleaf mahonia, is invasive but still sold for landscaping.HQ Flower Guide via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

When the Trump administration began freezing federal funding for climate and ecosystem research, one of the programs hit hard was ours: the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate...

Just follow orders or obey the law? What US troops told us about refusing illegal commands

Written by Charli Carpenter, Professor of Political Science, UMass Amherst

There are certain situations in which the military should not fall in line.Bo Zaunders/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images

As the Trump administration carries out what many observers say are illegal military strikes against vessels in the Caribbean allegedly smuggling drugs, six Democratic members of Congress issued a video on Nov. 18, 2025,...

Colorado is pumping the brakes on first-of-its-kind AI regulation to find a practical path forward

Written by Stefani Langehennig, Assistant Professor of Practice, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver

Colorado was first to pass comprehensive AI legislation in the U.S.wildpixel/Getty Images

When the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act passed in May 2024, it made national headlines. The law was the first of its kind in the U.S. It was a comprehensive attempt to govern “high-risk” artificial intelligence systems across various...