The Conversation Daily — July 9, 2026
10 stories · July 9, 2026
In this issue
- 1
Earthquakes in Venezuela expose a severely under-resourced and unprepared healthcare system
theconversation.com · Hermes Florez, Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina · Zeina Hannoush, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Miami
In the days immediately following the earthquakes, neighbors came together to search for survivors. picture alliance/picture alliance via Getty Images Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24,…
- 2
Judges block Trump administration’s attempts to deny access to public service loan forgiveness to its perceived foes
theconversation.com · Benjamin Leff, Professor of Law, American University
Grads who work for the government or nonprofits can get their debt canceled after they make payments on their loans for a decade. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Two federal judges in different courts have…
- 3
Cacti spines, snake fangs, snail love darts – oh my! How function drives the evolution of nature’s puncture tools
theconversation.com · Philip Anderson, Associate Professor of Biology and Biomechanics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Jumping cholla cacti spines are a prime example of how evolution creates specialized puncture tools. Tony Cyphert/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA Most people probably aren’t thinking about the complexity of…
- 4
Creating synthetic life in a lab? SpudCell falls short of the goal, but raises even more useful questions
theconversation.com · Tara Deans, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
If synthetic cells are ever made, they may look like this illustration of translucent bubbles under the microscope. Westend61/Getty Images Nature is beautiful, powerful and essential. But nature is…
- 5
From maternal health to influenza rates, gaps in CDC’s public health data are creating dangerous blind spots for disease tracking and prevention
theconversation.com · John Kubale, Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
Pauses in data collection and staff cuts have affected many CDC databases. James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via Wikimedia Commons Public health relies on data – whether it is…
- 6
Beyond birds and mice, free-ranging cats eat a surprising number of insects
theconversation.com · Christopher A. Lepczyk, Professor of Wildlife Biology and Conservation, Auburn University · Daniel Rubinoff, Professor of Entomology, University of Hawaii · Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk, Research Fellow, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University
Does that look tasty? SKashkin/iStock / Getty Images Plus It’s pretty commonly known, and not very startling, that free-ranging cats eat birds and small rodents. But the degree to which they eat…
- 7
Ivermectin isn’t a cancer miracle drug, but influencers claim otherwise – here’s how to avoid sprinting past scientific evidence
theconversation.com · Dannell D. Boatman, Assistant Professor of Cancer Prevention and Control, Researcher in Health Communication, West Virginia University
Ivermectin is a deworming drug intended for use in animals, including horses and cows. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Though researchers have been studying the animal deworming drug ivermectin for decades,…
- 8
Fertilizers carry a hidden cost for soil’s crucial microbes – using less as prices rise might pay off for farms in unexpected ways
theconversation.com · Esther Ndumi Ngumbi, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology; African-American Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The activity of tiny microbes in and around the roots of crops such as soybeans are valuable for their growth. Oleh Malshakov/iStock/Getty Images Plus Across North America, in places such as Illinois,…
- 9
The military traded its flu vaccine mandate for ‘medical freedom’ – an outbreak quickly followed
theconversation.com · Katrine L. Wallace, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois Chicago
A military training base provides a prime environment for the influenza virus to spread. Photographer and Illustrator/iStock via Getty Images Plus Amid a worsening flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force…
- 10
¿Cómo las ranitas coquí jóvenes equilibran las demandas de crecimiento y de combatir enfermedades?
theconversation.com · Zuania Colón-Piñeiro, Posdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology, University of Florida · Ana V. Longo, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Florida · Miguel A. Acevedo, Associate Professor of Quantitative Wildlife Population Ecology, University of Florida · Nich W. Martin, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
Los coquíes jóvenes, invasores en Florida y Hawái, se enfrentan a un hongo patógeno que afecta a más de 500 especies de anfibios. Alberto López/flickr Read in English. El coquí común es una rana…