The U.S. sends nearly 38 million tons of food waste to landfills each year. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Energy insecurity is no longer limited to low-income households. Record high numbers of working-age adults and even homeowners in efficient homes were struggling to pay energy bills in the latest data – long before recent inflation. theconversation.com/new-federal-...

Commentary: Some Pennsylvania hospitals are being pushed beyond the brink of closure. The UNC Sheps Center has documented 195 rural hospitals that have closed or converted to outpatient facilities since January 2005. Six are in Pa. From @us.theconversation.com

At an Oakmont town hall, residents told us they were concerned about the deer population — and the tick-borne diseases that follow. Ticks are common in our region, with potentially serious health implications. Here's what to know. (From @us.theconversation.com)

Debates over gender identity could weaken global efforts to protect victims of violence. Important read:

A viral $22 smoothie sounds unreasonable. But “A $22 smoothie is never just a smoothie. It’s what people seek out when they need permission to feel OK.” theconversation.com/why-american...

Standards-based grading focuses on whether students actually learn the material instead of accumulating points from homework and tests. School districts in Maine, New Mexico, Iowa and Oregon are making the shift. theconversation.com/standards-ba...

Some antibiotics can actually trigger bacteria to release inflammatory particles, potentially making infections harder to treat. theconversation.com/antibiotics-...

Talks between the U.S. and Iran failed, and now a U.S. blockade of ships linked to Iran is making a future deal even harder.

Rural hospital closures are rising across #Pennsylvania and the U.S., driven by funding cuts, low patient volumes and structural costs. theconversation.com/rural-hospit...

It’s been 10 years since a massive flood hit outside Houston, but if it had struck the city center, the damage would’ve been far worse. Researchers say cities need to plan for worst-case floods, not just the most likely ones.

¡Ándale! Speedy Gonzales is racing back to the big screen 🐭 Once pulled for stereotypes, Speedy Gonzales is back and is expected to be well-equipped to bring cultural awareness to the animated feature: theconversation.com/andale-arrib...

Trump’s clash with Pope Leo isn’t just a one-off moment; it reflects long-standing tensions between the U.S. and the Vatican. 4 key takeaways (thread) ⬇️ theconversation.com/trumps-excha...

School boards have gained attention for taking on controversial issues, such as transgender students participating in sports and library book bans, but much of their work is administrative. A scholar of educational leadership explains:

There’s more than one way to say “Iran.” And according to linguists, those differences can carry meaning, from political identity to how closely a speaker aligns with native pronunciation.

At least 18% of gray whales documented in San Francisco Bay between 2018 and 2025 later died there. Ship strikes are the leading cause and the population isn’t rebounding as it once did. Two marine biologists explain why this isn’t normal:

Medicaid enrollment surged during the pandemic, then tumbled during the ‘Great Unwinding’. A health economist who studies the effects of public policy on insurance coverage looks at how paperwork and particular state policies influence who is still covered.

At least 15 Florida public colleges & universities have signed agreements allowing campus police to collaborate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Researchers and faculty say the changes are increasing fear and uncertainty among immigrant and international students. @us.theconversation.com

Sleeping with your dog in the same room could be hurting your sleep quality. Good news for cat people: The research team found no evidence for a negative effect on sleep when co-sleeping with cats. theconversation.com/could-sharin...

Medicaid enrollment surged during the pandemic, then tumbled during the ‘Great Unwinding’. A health economist who studies the effects of public policy on insurance coverage looks at how paperwork and particular state policies influence who is still covered. theconversation.com/25-million-p...

Photos taken by the Artemis II astronauts create a powerful, authentic connection—something technology alone can’t replicate. By prioritizing human perspective, the astronauts brought deeper meaning to what we saw, according to a professor of photographic sciences.

AI models display language patterns that we read as personality: supportive or dismissive, playful or formal, bold or cautious. A researcher in human-AI collaboration looks at the impact:

Push through, stay strong, fight back—resilience is often framed as toughness and grit. But a cancer survivor who wrote the book “Falling Forward: The New Science of Resilience and Personal Transformation” argues resilience is really about integrating loss into your life story—and moving forward.

Legal recreational cannabis use comes with an increase in innovation – but that focuses on commercial products, not clinical trials. Economists studying how institutional changes affect innovation explain:

Florida's population surged by nearly 3 million residents between 2010-2020, fragmenting the remaining habitats for bears, panthers and other wildlife. A new mapping tool aims to help planners balance growth with ecological connectivity.

Artemis II crew brought a human eye and storytelling vision to the photos they took on their mission

Artemis II crew brought a human eye and storytelling vision to the photos they took on their mission

How a new mapping tool helps Florida planners protect wildlife corridors as the state grows

25 million people lost Medicaid after the COVID‑19 pandemic — and state policies shaped who stayed covered theconversation.com/25-million-p...

Gray whales are dying in San Francisco Bay at an alarming rate – this isn’t normal

4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the United States in the great power game

After 8 years with The Conversation, our colleague @democracyeditor.bsky.social is giving up her leadership of our politics and democracy desk and downshifting to part-time. She covered the beat with clarity, precision and care. Take a look at some of our favorite pieces she edited over the years:

…’Trump belittles those who must bear the effects of a struggling economy and an ill-conceived war. From this perspective, the shift among his base is not due to their realization that Trump lies’. It’s that he has betrayed them.

"The lack of resolved borders and Israel’s periodic incursions into southern Lebanon have predictably meant that Lebanon has struggled to assert sovereignty over its own territory," Dickinson Prof. Mireille Rebeiz explains in @us.theconversation.com dson.co/4c6kyRm

Many stories of women at Treblinka went untold for decades. 80 years later, new research is finally bringing their suffering, resilience and role in the uprising into the historical record. theconversation.com/80-years-lat... #Holocaust #YomHaShoah

The science behind splashdown − how NASA got the Artemis II crew safely back on Earth theconversation.com/the-science-...

You can cut your water use (shorter showers, less lawn watering) — and it still likely won’t be enough to keep your city in a desert from running short in the long run. Climate change is moving faster than water savings can keep up.

Laws that allow health care professionals to refuse to treat LGBTQ+ patients have cascading effects. A new study found that the ‘conscientious objection’ laws were associated with significant harms to LGBQ+ adults, including a 28% decline in HIV testing. theconversation.com/doctors-can-...

More than 150 years ago, author Jules Verne imagine a Moon mission shaped by politics, ambition and global attention 🌕 Now, after the successful Artemis mission, it’s a reminder of just how much his 19th-century novel “From the Earth to the Moon” got right.

Trump isn't lying about grocery prices and tariffs — he's expressing contempt for the people who must live with the consequences, argues a political philosopher.

It’s not honey bees vs. wild bees, according to a team of entomologists. 🐝 It’s all bees vs. everything threatening them.

Brown recluse venom works like a “lawn mower” 🕷️clipping molecules off cells and triggering tissue damage.

Philadelphia's sanctuary movement began in 1984 when churches hid Salvadoran refugees fleeing civil war and death squads. Four decades later, religious congregations and community activists continue protecting undocumented immigrants from federal enforcement.

Standards-based grading focuses on whether students actually learn the material instead of accumulating points from homework and tests. School districts in Maine, New Mexico, Iowa and Oregon are making the shift.

When life feels out of control and the economy is weak, people don’t stop spending but they do spend differently. Instead of big splurges, it’s a lot of “wellness” buys — small, self-soothing treats that feel easier to justify as “investing” in yourself theconversation.com/why-american...

A few US towns have banned cigarette sales to anyone born after a specific date, and several states are considering this law. A psychologist who has studied smoking attitudes for decades looks at why such measures face stiff resistance. theconversation.com/tobacco-is-s...

Measles cases in the U.S. nearly doubled in 2025 from the peak in 2019. Vaccination rates continue to decline. Public health researchers explain what communities can do to protect children.

1976: Christian college rejected Title IX, and the Supreme Court largely agreed 1988: Congress expands civil rights law to counter the ruling Today: Trump suesHarvard and UCLA using that law. The decades-long fight over how much authority the government has over colleges that take federal funding

Asking 3 key questions about health care prices – about generics, financial assistance and total out-of-pocket costs – can help you get more affordable care without compromising quality.

The US war in Iran has weakened the country's global position in 4 key ways (including eroding influence in the Middle East and boosting China and Russia.)