Walking in nature reduces activity in the brain region linked to sadness and rumination. A psychologist on why active rest periods—not couch time—are what actually restore us during the holidays.
The Conversation
Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch
Unwinding can be hard during the holidays for many reasons. Building in time to recharge through active leisure can help.
Pediatric brain cancer research: cut. Faster chemical safety testing: cut. Training doctors to treat addiction: cut. Six scientists spoke about the devastating impact of 2025’s federal science funding cuts on their work, on their colleagues and on society.
The Conversation
‘This year nearly broke me as a scientist’ – US researchers reflect on how 2025’s science cuts have changed their lives
US science lost a great deal in 2025, including tens of billions of dollars of federal funding, entire research agencies and programs, and a genera...
The number of Americans receiving ACA subsidies doubled between 2021 and 2024. Now that pandemic-era subsidies are set to expire, a gerontologist who studies the health system argues any real solution requires lawmakers to resolve the question of who should pay for health care.
The Conversation
As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care
US health care policy will remain fractured until lawmakers address the core question of who is responsible for health care costs.
A rat nest preserved for over 200 years under the floorboards of a historic Philadelphia house contains thousands of plants that help archaeologists understand daily life in colonial America. One archeologist pored through 11 pounds of material from the nest.
The Conversation
I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists
An archaeologist reveals what she learned from sifting through a 200-year-old rat nest recovered from a historic Philadelphia home.
Boredom affects all ages, genders and cultures, and teens are especially prone to boredom. Natural selection favors traits that offer a leg up, so it is unlikely that boredom would be so prevalent if it did not deliver some advantages. https://buff.ly/EKMBBAC
Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind on voter engagement, new survey of Michigan officials shows
The Conversation
Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind, new survey of Michigan officials shows
Officials from 70% of Michigan’s 1,856 cities, villages, counties and townships completed the survey.
Nick Fuentes is a white nationalist who believes America’s identity depends on preserving a white majority. A scholar of the American right examines how antisemitism and antizionism are connecting him with some Black conservative influencers. https://buff.ly/vz3cX89
Seventy years ago, Jonas Salk and his team worked in a lab between a morgue and a darkroom to develop the world’s first successful polio vaccine. A filmmaker who made a documentary on Salk’s work explains why forgetting life before vaccines has real consequences:
The Conversation
The world risks forgetting one of humanity’s greatest triumphs as polio nears global eradication − 70 years after Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in a Pittsburgh lab
Polio may finally be defeated in the next 5 years. Will the world recognize what an extraordinary achievement that is?
 #vaccineswork
Nick Fuentes is a white nationalist who believes America’s identity depends on preserving a white majority. A scholar of the American right examines how antisemitism and antizionism are connecting him with some Black conservative influencers.
The Conversation
Why are some Black conservatives drawn to Nick Fuentes?
Black Americans and white nationalists have joined forces in the past. And a number of cultural and political shifts have broadened Fuentes’ appe...
As #AI increasingly brings people the news, it does more than simply pass along information. Large language models subtly highlight certain viewpoints while minimizing others, often without users realizing it.
The Conversation
People are getting their news from AI – and it’s altering their views
Even when information is factually accurate, how it’s presented can introduce subtle biases. As large language models increasingly bring people t...