Culture
Why the assault weapons debate is a culture debate
In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals of two lower court rulings that challenged assault weapons restrictions.
News
Editorial coverage from the Springfield USA Wire newsroom.
- Government
What the law says about armed officers at polling places
After high-level Trump administration officials said they might send armed officers to the polls during the upcoming midterm elections, and after months of administration efforts to wrest control of some aspects of voting from state officia…
- Government
Meet the ‘independent voters’ who will likely decide which party triumphs in the 2026 midterm elections
As midterm elections near, Democrats enjoy advantages in national “generic ballot” polling, suggesting they may secure majorities in the House of Representative or Senate, if not both chambers.
- Technology
‘Make this face look gay’: AI models alter faces to give people stereotypical ‘gay,’ ‘straight’ or ‘criminal’ features
Ask an artificial intelligence model whether a face looks gay or straight and it will refuse to answer. But ask it to alter a person’s photo to make them look gay or straight – or criminal – and it often will, using stereotypical features.
- Community
Leap seconds have helped keep clocks synchronized with Earth’s rotation, but their time may be over – here’s why
You’re probably used to the month of February having an extra day every four years, during the leap year. Timekeepers added that extra leap day because Earth completes one orbit around the Sun in about 365 and one-quarter days.
ScienceIceCube is built on decades of research into tiny ‘ghost particles’ – but it was the first to find neutrinos coming from deep space
All visible matter in the universe – stars, planets, you, me – is made up of some combination of 12 fundamental particles. The lightest and most abundant of these are neutrinos. They are also the least visible.
- Health
Many drugs have mirror chemical structures, one helpful and the other harmful – a Nobel-winning discovery allows chemists to make either on demand
The effects a drug or chemical compound have on the body depend on how its atoms are arranged in space. Some compounds have a dark twin with the same molecular formula but different 3D structure – and this can have consequences for what the…
- Education
From jargon to impact: Teaching undergraduates the art of public communication
Articles published in The Conversation go well beyond academics writing for a general audience – they can also serve as great content for educators to use in the classroom.
- Health
These state supreme court races could decide abortion access and trans rights
In the heated news coverage of what’s at stake in the 2026 midterms, state supreme court races are drawing relatively little attention. Yet these are highly significant elections.
BusinessWhy your boss matters more than remote or hybrid work when it comes to burnout and job satisfaction
The post-pandemic push to bring workers back to the office has left many nostalgic for more flexible arrangements, such as hybrid or remote work.
- Technology
AI can help with academic research but doesn’t always get it right – here are some tips to check the information you receive
Almost 25% of adults in the United States are using artificial intelligence chatbots on a daily basis, a 2026 Pew Research Center study found.
- Government
Armed poll watchers: New Jersey’s 1981 racist voter intimidation campaign is a cautionary tale ahead of 2026 midterms
In the history of voter suppression in the United States, including attempts to stop Black and Latino people from voting, Republican tactics in the 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial race stand out.