Franklin LaVeale Anderson was the University of Colorado Law School’s first known Black student in 1896, and you can see him in the class photo, but his name is absent from degree records. A librarian’s archival dive is helping restore these erased histories of Black law students
The Conversation
How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates
The University of Colorado Law School had never done a history of its Black students – until now.
Two new Silicon Valley data centers are built and ready to operate, but they can't start running: the electric power equipment they need isn’t available. The U.S. electrical grid faces a crisis of supply-chain delays and soaring costs that threaten reliability, even as demand surges.
The Conversation
Supply-chain delays, rising equipment prices threaten electricity grid
The equipment needed to keep the grid running is hard to make, and materials are limited. And supply-chain bottlenecks are taking years to clear.
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani promised universal child care, rent freezes and free buses. Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio won election on similar promises and even delivered on them – but he’s remembered as an utter failure. An urban policy expert looks at what went wrong:
The Conversation
Making progress is more than making policy – what Mamdani can learn from de Blasio about the politics of urban progress
The mayor-elect can use his popularity to protect New York’s capacity for self-government from outside interference, while reaffirming what his c...
The Trump administration is proposing a $980M cut to federal work-study, which supports ~700K students a year and, until now, enjoyed bipartisan support.
The Conversation
Trump’s proposed cuts to work study threaten to upend a widely supported program that helps students offset college costs
Federal work study creates opportunities for students and universities alike. But the program’s challenges go beyond the potential government fun...
More than 90% of new electricity capacity installed worldwide in 2024 came from clean energy sources. Yet energy demand is growing so quickly that renewable power isn't always replacing existing fossil fuel plants or preventing new coal construction. #COP30
The Conversation
Can the world quit coal?
Nearly a third of all countries worldwide have pledged to phase out their unabated coal-burning power. But China and India are still adding coal pl...
Here’s something you didn’t know: why the little mountains icon became the universal placeholder for an image. A scholar who studies how symbols of wilderness appear in everyday life traces the roots:
The Conversation
Why two tiny mountain peaks became one of the internet’s most famous images
The humble ‘broken image’ icon has a rich backstory – one connected to early web design, camera culture and our timeless urge to find meaning...
Nasal saline irrigation decreases how long you're sick with a cold and reduces viral spread to others. It also cuts unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, a major driver of antibiotic resistance. A physician explains the science behind this 5,000-year-old practice.
The Conversation
Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold
Nasal irrigation has been used to treat the common cold for thousands of years, and modern science shows that it works.
Recent SNAP cuts and the government shutdown are disrupting food access for millions of children. A developmental psychologist explains why this matters: food insecurity in childhood predicts higher cardiovascular risks in adulthood, worse mental health and academic problems.
The Conversation
SNAP benefits have been cut and disrupted – causing more kids to go without enough healthy food and harming child development
Having stable access to nutritious food sets children up for better mental and physical health into adulthood.
Hybrid workers are clocking out 90 minutes early on Fridays compared to five years ago. A labor economist says the trend toward individualized WFH schedules could be weakening team collaboration.
The Conversation
Hybrid workers are putting in 90 fewer minutes of work on Fridays – and an overall shift toward custom schedules could be undercutting collaboration
Where, when and how Americans work has dramatically shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the routines of everyday life.
The chemtrail conspiracy theory has persisted for decades despite a lack of scientific evidence. A communications researcher explains why these false beliefs about aircraft emissions are spreading now, and what role people like Tucker Carlson play in amplifying them.
The Conversation
Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it
A communications researcher lays out the dynamics of conspiracy theory belief and why they gain traction in times of anxiety and uncertainty.