The Conversation - Was the debt ceiling fight worth it?

How can Congress regulate AI? Erect guardrails, ensure accountability and address monopolistic power

Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University

Figuring out how to regulate AI is a difficult challenge, and that’s even before tackling the problem of the small number of big companies that control the technology.

‘Man, the hunter’? Archaeologists’ assumptions about gender roles in past humans ignore an icky but potentially crucial part of original ‘paleo diet’

Raven Garvey, University of Michigan

If hunter-gatherers went beyond nose-to-tail eating to include the undigested plant matter in a prey animal’s stomach, assumptions about gendered division of labor start to fall apart.

Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose – studying how this process works could help reduce the side effects of opioid drugs

John Michael Streicher, University of Arizona

Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.

From its birth 50 years ago, hip-hop has spread throughout Europe and challenged outdated ideals of racial and ethnic identity

Armin Langer, University of Florida

Born out of the pain and anger in Black American communities, rap music struck a similar chord throughout Europe, as immigrants struggle to retain their ethnic identities on the margins of society.

What Erdoğan’s reelection means for Turkey’s political system, economy and foreign policy

Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University

Long-term Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reelected with 52% of the vote. Will he push the country further down an autocratic, anti-West path?

What it takes to become a spelling bee champ

Pawan Dhingra, Amherst College

The road to becoming a champion speller is made easier with support from family and friends, but ultimately it depends on an individual student’s commitment to learning, a scholar writes.

Why more cities are hiring ‘night mayors’ and establishing forms of nighttime governance

Jess Reia, University of Virginia

Nighttime is much more than a source of danger or an occasion to party – it’s a portal into a different world, with rhythms, challenges and lifestyles of its own.

After the ALS ice bucket challenge and the rise of MrBeast, stunt philanthropy might be here to stay

Monica Lea, University of Nebraska Omaha

The person with the most YouTube followers calls himself ‘YouTube’s biggest philanthropist.’

Why more foam makes for the best beer-drinking experience – and always has

Being queer in Africa: the state of LGBTIQ+ rights across the continent

Melbourne earthquake 2023: are they becoming more common? A seismology expert explains