#AI systems increasingly rely on synthetic data (computer-generated images and scenarios) to train safely and fill gaps real data can’t. A statistician shows how this “fake” data can boost accuracy without misleading people:
The Conversation
When fake data is a good thing – how synthetic data trains AI to solve real problems
To overcome two challenges in training AI – scarce or hard-to-get data and data privacy – researchers have come up with a counterintuitive tech...
Political attacks on universities are eroding academic freedom, and that threatens the global research collaborations behind major scientific breakthroughs. There’s a positive correlation between protections for academic freedom and the quality and quantity of STEM research.
The Conversation
Research breakthroughs often come through collaborations − attacks on academic freedom threaten this vital work
Academic freedom grew strongly after World War II, with greater university funding, protections and autonomy, yet global data now shows a decline.
 #highered #science
Black families spend more of their income on energy bills than the average U.S. household – a gap tied to older housing, rental barriers and the legacy of redlining.
The Conversation
Black families pay more to keep their houses warm than average American families
More than 12 million US households keep their homes either too cold or too hot, sacrificing comfort because they can’t afford to pay their energy...
Inuit people evolved genes that let them digest fatty foods without heart disease. Africans in arid regions evolved the ability to survive on minimal water. Evolution isn't just something that happened in the distant past, an anthropologist explains.
The Conversation
If evolution is real, then why isn’t it happening now? An anthropologist explains that humans actually are still evolving
We are indeed still evolving, though it can be hard to tell because it happens over generations and often involves things you can’t see, such as ...
Florida’s laws allow open carry, permitless carry and “stand your ground” are a potentially deadly combination. A historian points to a 31.6% increase in firearm homicides after the ‘stand your ground’ law passed in 2005.
The Conversation
Florida’s new open carry ruling combines with ‘stand your ground’ to create new freedoms – and new dangers
Evidence shows that 20 years on, Florida’s stand your ground law hasn’t made communities in the state any safer.
The Trump administration is reviewing Smithsonian exhibits on slavery, reportedly flagging materials like "The Scourged Back" − a powerful 1863 photograph of a formerly enslaved man's scarred back − for removal from public museums and national parks.
The Conversation
Slavery’s brutal reality shocked Northerners before the Civil War − and is being whitewashed today by the White House
Abolitionists used hard facts to counter pro-slavery propaganda, forcing indifferent Americans to face ugly realities.
Threats against members of Congress jumped from 902 in 2016 to an estimated 14,000 by the end of 2025. Survey researchers found white nationalism is the strongest predictor of support for political violence in America. https://buff.ly/xDfMIH7
Tech companies scraped copyrighted material without consent to train AI models. Yet universities penalize students for using those same models in papers. A sociologist argues the ethical blame shouldn't fall on students alone:
The Conversation
Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too
A sociologist who researches AI’s impact on work and education argues there are ethical dimensions to generative AI that institutions are not con...
Microinfluencers with fewer than 100,000 followers often outperform mega-influencers with million for marketers spending money with influencers. As brands increasingly recognize this, a whole new marketing infrastructure of agencies and platforms has emerged.
The Conversation
Why people trust influencers more than brands – and what that means for the future of marketing
By cultivating ‘parasocial’ bonds, digital creators and microinfluencers have turned personal connection into economic power.
Campuses often reflect Christian heritage in ways students don't notice: chapels, dining halls without halal or kosher options, calendars that prioritize certain holidays – making students of other faiths or no faith feel uncomfortable.
The Conversation
Most colleges score low on helping students of all faiths – or none – develop a sense of belonging. Faculty can help change that
Respectful relationships are key to students’ sense that their spiritual identity is welcome on campus. Schools can help foster those connections.