2026’s historic snow drought is bad news for the West
For much of the Western US, winter 2026 was the year snow never came.
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The Conversation
The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community. Our team of editors work with these experts to share their knowledge with the wider public. Our aim is to allow for better understanding of current affairs and complex issues, and hopefully improve the quality of public discourse on them.
Recent stories by
The Conversation
We study pandemics, and the resurgence of measles is a grim sign of what’s coming
The US eliminated measles in 2000, but the disease is once again circulating.
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114
Ancient Mars was warm and wet, not cold and icy
Kaolinite pebbles show evidence of alteration under high rainfall conditions.
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115
“It ain’t no unicorn”: These researchers have interviewed 130 Bigfoot hunters
What prompts this community to spend time looking for a creature that likely doesn’t exist?
The Conversation
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206
New research shows how shunning ultraprocessed foods helps with aging
Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to poor health outcomes.
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148
How Europe’s new carbon tax on imported goods will change global trade
The new regulation arrives on New Year’s Day.
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US oil industry doesn’t see profit in Trump’s “pro-petroleum” moves
The financial picture around drilling is moving against the Trump administration’s hopes
Skip York, The Conversation
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Mushroom foragers collect 160 species for food, medicine, art, and science
Researchers seek to understand the various uses of wild mushroom species.
Amy Wrobleski, The Conversation
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Most Read
How Louvre thieves exploited human psychology to avoid suspicion—and what it reveals about AI
For humans and AI, when something fits the category of “ordinary,” it slips from notice.
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Scientist pleaded guilty to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into US. But what is it?
Early warning system being developed by universities may slow the plant pathogen.
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Why being too attractive can hurt fitness influencers
The “beauty backfire effect” is especially strong in the fitness space.
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Disruption to science will last longer than the US government shutdown
The consequences of the shutdown extend far beyond a lapse in funding.
The Conversation
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106
Teachers get an F on AI-generated lesson plans
AI-generated lesson plans fall short on inspiring students and promoting critical thinking.
The Conversation
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108
Believing misinformation is a “win” for some people, even when proven false
“Winning” means prioritizing independence from outside influence over being right.
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253
How different mushrooms learned the same psychedelic trick
Scientists may have additional tools to produce psilocybin to use for medical purposes.
The Conversation
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64
Right-wing political violence is more frequent, deadly than left-wing violence
President Trump’s assertions about political violence ignore the facts.
The Conversation
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437
The first stars may not have been as uniformly massive as we thought
Collapsing gas clouds in the early universe may have formed lower-mass stars as well.
Luke Keller, The Conversation
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Why wind farms attract so much misinformation and conspiracy theory
If you think climate change is a hoax, you might believe wind turbines poison groundwater.
The Conversation
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NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon—a space lawyer explains why
Nuclear power could be the linchpin for long-term human activity.
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227
States take the lead in AI regulation as federal government steers clear
All 50 states have introduced AI-related legislation this year.
The Conversation
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29
“Red meat allergy” from tick bites is spreading both in US and globally
Remember to check for ticks after your next stroll through the woods or long grasses.
The Conversation
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140
Fermented meat with a side of maggots: A new look at the Neanderthal diet
Researchers reconstruct ancient diets by studying stable nitrogen isotope ratios.
Melanie Beasley, The Conversation
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87
How 3D printing is personalizing health care
Prosthetics are becoming increasingly affordable and accessible thanks to 3D printers.
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On cusp of storm season, NOAA funding cuts put hurricane forecasting at risk
Tropical cyclone track forecasts are 75 percent more accurate than they were in 1990.
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50 years later, Vietnam’s environment still bears the scars of war
Degraded ecosystems and dioxin-contaminated soils and waters reflect the long-term ecological impact.
The Conversation
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NASA’s Curiosity rover has found the longest chain carbon molecules yet on Mars
It’s a significant finding in the search for alien life.
The Conversation
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How the language of job postings can attract rule-bending narcissists
Looking to hire someone? Check your wording very carefully.
The Conversation
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116
People in this career are better at seeing through optical illusions
Becoming an expert in medical image analysis may make you better at spotting illusions.
The Conversation
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New research shows bigger animals get more cancer, defying decades-old belief
Larger species face higher cancer risks but those that reached that size rapidly evolved mitigating mechanisms.
Joanna Baker, The Conversation
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Scientific breakthroughs are hard without money for research infrastructure
America may not maintain its position as a global leader in biomedical research.
The Conversation
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150
Bogus research is undermining good science, slowing lifesaving research
There may be several hundred thousand fake scientific papers in circulation.
The Conversation
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76
Bennu asteroid samples yield watery history, key molecules for life
Clues as to how building blocks of life on Earth may have been seeded.
The Conversation
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72
Is humanity alone in the Universe? What scientists really think.
Are scientists speculating, or is there a scientific consensus here?
The Conversation
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316
How the UK was connected to the Internet for the first time
And a few months later, the Internet’s first password.
The Conversation
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42
Why do we get headaches from drinking red wine?
It’s not the tannins or sulfites after all.
The Conversation
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124
What delusions can tell us about the cognitive nature of belief
Delusions can sometimes turn into strongly held beliefs.
Michael Connors and Peter Halligan, The Conversation
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