Why protecting wildland is crucial to American freedom and identity

Thanks to the power of writer Wallace Stegner, Americans have for decades been able to put words to the importance wilderness holds in the nation’s history and imagination.

Michael Childers, Associate Professor of History, Colorado State University • conversation
May 13, 2025 ~11 min

George Washington – the First President

VOA Learning English • voa
Feb. 12, 2025 ~3 min


Octopuses and their relatives are a new animal welfare frontier − here’s what scientists know about consciousness in these unique creatures

Animal welfare laws don’t protect invertebrates, but there’s evidence that some, such as octopuses, are as intelligent as many mammals – even if their cognition takes very different forms.

Rachel Blaser, Professor of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior, University of San Diego • conversation
Dec. 20, 2024 ~11 min

AI was central to two of 2024’s Nobel prize categories. It’s a sign of things to come

AI will feature in future Nobel prizes as scientists exploit the power of this technology for research.

Nello Cristianini, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Bath • conversation
Oct. 10, 2024 ~5 min

US long-term care costs are sky-high, but Washington state’s new way to help pay for them could be nixed

What happens in November 2024 could influence other states weighing their own options.

Marc Cohen, Clinical Professor of Gerontology and Co-Director LeadingAge LTSS Center; Recent Mel King Fellow at MIT Co-Lab, UMass Boston • conversation
April 30, 2024 ~8 min

How trains linked rival port cities along the US East Coast into a cultural and economic megalopolis

Love it or hate it, the ‘Acela Corridor’ has developed a widely recognized identity thanks to the trains that link it together.

David Alff, Associate Professor of English, University at Buffalo • conversation
April 24, 2024 ~9 min

Coast redwood trees are enduring, adaptable marvels in a warming world

Redwoods grow in networks that house unique communities of plants and animals high in the air. They offer life lessons about adapting over time.

Daniel Lewis, Lecturer in History, California Institute of Technology • conversation
Jan. 3, 2024 ~9 min

Wildfire risk is soaring for low-income, elderly and other vulnerable populations in California, Washington and Oregon

Alarmingly, about half the people exposed to wildfires in Washington and Oregon were those least able to afford to protect their homes, evacuate safely and recover.

John Abatzoglou, Professor of Engineering, University of California, Merced • conversation
Sept. 20, 2023 ~7 min


The nuclear arms race's legacy at home: Toxic contamination, staggering cleanup costs and a culture of government secrecy

Nuclear weapons production and testing contaminated many sites across the US and exposed people unknowingly to radiation and toxic materials. Some have gone uncompensated for decades.

William J. Kinsella, Professor Emeritus of Communication, North Carolina State University • conversation
Aug. 1, 2023 ~10 min

Removing dams from the Klamath River is a step toward justice for Native Americans in Northern California

The largest dam removal project is moving forward on the Klamath River in California and Oregon. Tribal nations there have fought for decades to protect native fish runs and the ecology of the river.

Robert Lusardi, Assistant Professor of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and California Trout-UC Davis Coldwater Fish Scientist, University of California, Davis • conversation
July 12, 2023 ~11 min

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