Influenza A and Mpox are among the viruses an infectious disease expert is worried about for 2026.
The Conversation
Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026
Viral infections are on the rise and spreading across the globe.
Trash piles on highways. Smog-filled air. Landfills that were just big piles of trash (like the one in this photo from 1972). Complaints about environmental laws often ignore the progress made in cleaning up America since bipartisan 1970s lawmaking. Our story in @latimes.com
Los Angeles Times
Contributor: Photos of the dirty 1970s will make you appreciate the EPA
The public and politicians in both parties saw the urgency 50 years ago and enacted the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. ...
Without the support of Venezuela's Maduro, conditions on the ground in Cuba are so grim that the Trump administration thinks the communist government in Havana could fall without any direct US intervention.
The Conversation
Cuba’s leaders just lost an ally in Maduro − if starved of Venezuelan oil, they may also lose what remains of their public support
Conditions on the ground in Cuba are so grim that the Trump administration thinks Havana could fall without any US intervention.
Wildlife managers spent weeks unsuccessfully searching for a grizzly bear in British Columbia that had injured 11 schoolchildren. One solution to situations like this: using facial recognition techniques on bears.
The Conversation
How facial recognition for bears can help ecologists manage wildlife
Recent advances in computer vision and other types of artificial intelligence offer an opportunity for facial recognition to apply to bears and oth...
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act doubled support for the largest farm subsidies while cutting SNAP funding. That disconnect broke the bipartisan political coalition that once passed farm bills, and a comprehensive farm bill may never pass again, according to researchers.
The Conversation
Why 2026 could see the end of the Farm Bill era of American agriculture policy
Farm bills – famously complex legislative and spending balances between farm subsidies, food assistance, conservation and more – have tended to...
Today Venezuela, tomorrow Iran? The supreme leader is running out of options to counter Trump administration pressure and domestic unrest. An analyst of Middle East affairs focusing on Iran explains:
The Conversation
Today Venezuela, tomorrow Iran: can the Islamic Republic survive a second Trump presidency?
Perhaps no one outside of Venezuela should care more about the US invasion and capture of President Nicolás Maduro than the Islamic Republic of Ir...
Chimpanzee mothers lose the ability to supervise their offspring around age 2. Researchers studying wild chimps suggest that loosened parental supervision, not puberty, may explain why adolescent chimps – and human teens – take more risks.
The Conversation
Risks young chimps take as they swing through the trees underscore role of protective parenting in humans
The youngest chimpanzees are the biggest risk-takers. Would humans show the same pattern if adults weren’t keeping such a close watch on little k...
Why does health care reform keep failing? In part because the outsized power of congressional party leaders means that rank-and-file members do not have the time or interest to dedicate to meaningful problem-solving of super-complex issues, according to a public policy scholar.
The Conversation
Congress takes up health care again − and impatient voters shouldn’t hold their breath for a cure
Why does health care reform keep failing despite decades of attention and expanding costs? A scholar of Congress has some answers.
Child care in Colorado is so expensive that many families spend 30-40% of their income on it. Funding shortfalls have frozen child care subsidies in parts of the state, forcing parents to miss work or quit jobs. Some counties are raising local taxes to help, but it’s just a patchwork fix to a much bigger problem.
The Conversation
Colorado faces a funding crisis for child care − local communities hope to fill the gaps
A lack of access to child care costs the state an estimated $2.7 billion in lost productivity and revenue.
Do research internships really need to be in person? Virtual NSF programs are expanding access to mentorship, confidence and real research experience.
The Conversation
Virtual National Science Foundation internships aren’t just a pandemic stopgap – they can open up opportunities for more STEM students
Students who participated in the virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates at Purdue reported stronger gains in research skills than in-person...