The Conversation Daily — July 1, 2026
10 stories · July 1, 2026
In this issue
- 1
You’ve never heard of these glaciers, but they’re becoming critical climate havens as America’s iconic mountain glaciers and their water fade
theconversation.com · Dan McGrath, Associate Professor of Cryospheric Sciences, Colorado State University · Ashlesha Khatiwada, Ph.D. Candidate in Geoscience, Colorado State University · Scott Hotaling, Assistant Professor of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
A large rock glacier fills a valley in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Google Earth: Google, Airbus, Landsat, Copernicus If you have ever hiked in the high peaks of Colorado, the Wasatch Range…
- 2
Banning transgender girls from school sports affects all children – why allowing strangers to scrutinize children’s bodies may put all girls at risk of harassment
theconversation.com · Megan Gandy, Associate Professor of Social Work, West Virginia University
Legislators and influencers have made school sports contentious political spaces. Edwin Tan/E+ via Getty Images Youth sports have a significant impact on the development of all children. Sports…
- 3
As a major heat wave grips the eastern US, here’s how to stay safe – and the heat stroke warning signs to watch for
theconversation.com · Brian Bossak, Professor of Public Health, College of Charleston
Millions of Americans are facing heat advisories ahead of the July Fourth holiday as a major heat wave spreads across large parts of the central and eastern United States. For many people, this is the…
- 4
Data center fights pit social values, democracy and capitalism against each other
theconversation.com · Lauren Mullenbach, Assistant Research Scientist in Environmental Justice, University of Michigan
A sign in a small town in Kansas opposes a proposal for a data center nearby. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Data center projects continue to generate controversy around the…
- 5
200 years after his birth, controversial composer Stephen Foster still sings to America’s contradictions
theconversation.com · Christopher Lynch, Head of the Finney Music Library, University of Pittsburgh
Though many of Foster's songs were written to be performed in racist minstrel shows, the lyrics were ambiguous enough to find fans among antislavery Americans. Lyn Alweis/The Denver Post via Getty…
- 6
Supreme Court rules against trans girls participating in single-sex sports, but leaves open larger questions of trans rights
theconversation.com · Marie-Amelie George, Associate Professor of Law, Wake Forest University
People who support blocking transgender athletes from participating on school sports teams gather in front of the Supreme Court on June 30, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty Images The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on…
- 7
Why fatherhood matters more than ever before
theconversation.com · Darby Saxbe, Professor of Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
In much of the industrialized world, daily life is increasingly organized around the nuclear family. Xavier Desmier/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Long gone are the days of the distant dad. According to…
- 8
Microplastics are everywhere in Pennsylvania’s water – but the tide may be turning
theconversation.com · Nathaniel Warner, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, Penn State · Lisa Emili, Associate Professor of Physical Geography and Environmental Studies, Penn State · Raymond Najjar, Professor of Oceanography, Penn State
Microplastics are settling into Pennsylvania's rivers and marshes. Philippe Gerber/Moment Collection via Getty Images Researchers have long known that plastic pollution reaches the ocean. But how much…
- 9
Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery
theconversation.com · Rodney Coates, Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Miami University
Students and teachers pose outside a National Freedmen's Bureau school in Beaufort, S.C., in 1865. Corbis/Getty Images The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but…
- 10
How Wall Street is shifting electric utilities toward consolidation and profit
theconversation.com · Conor Harrison, Associate Professor of Economic Geography, University of South Carolina
What's driving electric utility companies to merge? jayk7/Moment via Getty Images A corporate merger that would form the largest electric utility in the United States is underway. It’s just one of…