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Rural counties increasingly rely on prisons to provide firefighters and EMTs who work for free, but the inmates have little protection or future job prospects

J. Carlee Purdum, Texas A&M University

Georgia’s inmate fire crews respond to hundreds of calls in surrounding counties every year. Without them, there might not be a responder, but they aren’t universally loved – and they don’t get paid.

Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus is able to support life − my research team is working out how to detect extraterrestrial cells there

Fabian Klenner, University of Washington

Saturn’s moon Enceladus has geysers shooting tiny grains of ice into space. These grains could hold traces of life − but researchers need the right tools to tell.

From sumptuous engravings to stick-figure sketches, Passover Haggadahs − and their art − have been evolving for centuries

Rebecca J.W. Jefferson, University of Florida

A scholar highlights some of the most interesting versions of the Passover text and how they’ve met communities’ changing needs around the world.

Ireland at the crossroads: Can the ancient Brehon laws guide the republic away from anti-immigrant sentiment?

Caring for older Americans’ teeth and gums is essential, but Medicare generally doesn’t cover that cost

Does ‘virtue signaling’ pay off for entrepreneurs? We studied 81,799 Airbnb listings to find out

Getting a good night’s rest is vital for neurodiverse children – pediatric sleep experts explain why

Billions of cicadas are about to emerge from underground in a rare double-brood convergence

Human brains and fruit fly brains are built similarly – visualizing how helps researchers better understand how both work

From thousands to millions to billions to trillions to quadrillions and beyond: Do numbers ever end?

Taxes are due even if you object to government policies or doubt the validity of the 16th Amendment’s ratification

The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz

Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

Expected tax revenues from which product have fallen short of projections in several U.S. states?

1. A. Cannabis
2. B. Ozempic
3. C. Cybertrucks
4. D. Sports betting apps

Test your knowledge