The Conversation Daily — July 16, 2026
10 stories · July 16, 2026
In this issue
- 1
How to avoid tick bites in your yard or while hiking in the woods, and what to do if one starts feasting on you
theconversation.com · Amanda Roome, Co-Director of the Tick-Borne Disease Center, Binghamton University, State University of New York
You don't want a lone star tick, or any tick, to get to this point if you can help it. CDC via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Ticks are small, and you might not notice when they bite, but the…
- 2
Foundations can outlive their charitable missions – and that’s a problem
theconversation.com · Thomas Adam, Professor of Political Science, University of Arkansas
Bill Gates' decision to have his foundation shut down by 2045 isn't the norm. John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images Bill Gates, Jensen Huang and many of today’s tech titans have two things in common…
- 3
When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure?
theconversation.com · Aaron Walayat, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Dayton
Meeting data center power demands will mean building more transmission lines and acquiring more land to put them on. These lines are in California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The artificial…
- 4
Repeated storms are turning disaster recovery into a way of life, and leaving communities facing disaster fatigue
theconversation.com · Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota
Fast-moving floodwater from a storm damaged bridges and homes and broke apart Million Bible Church in Richmond, Ky., in late June 2026. Jon Cherry/Getty Images Flash flooding has been tearing up…
- 5
Alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs, yet its presence is ubiquitous in social settings and celebrations
theconversation.com · Emma Fenske, Addiction Medicine Fellow and Internal Medicine Physician, Oregon Health & Science University
Alcohol is woven into the thread of American life, from work events to major holidays and everything in between. TravisLincoln/iStock via Getty Images Plus Few substances are as deeply woven into…
- 6
How did it feel to be an American colonist in 1776? Probably itchy, achy and slightly nauseated
theconversation.com · Katherine Ott, Curator of Medicine and Science, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Life went on in the late 18th century, regardless of your everyday ailments. Archive Photos/Getty Images Trade the tricorn hats, bonnets and homespun shirts for flip flops, sneakers and soccer…
- 7
How health insurers get a free pass to deny coverage from a 52-year-old law meant to protect worker pensions
theconversation.com · Miranda Yaver, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh
Hurdles in accessing health insurance are major drivers of health and economic inequities. veeranggull orachon/iStock via Getty Images Plus Florence Corcoran, an employee of South Central Bell…
- 8
Supreme Court bars states from protecting consumers if federal agencies won’t
theconversation.com · Sarah J. Morath, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for International Affairs, Wake Forest University
As of April 2026, the U.S. government has not required a warning label on Roundup weed killer. AP Photo/Haven Daley Chemical giant Monsanto has argued for years that if the U.S. Environmental…
- 9
How a box set from 1964 attempted to capture the sweep of American music from the colonial era to the counterculture
theconversation.com · Ted Olson, Professor of Appalachian Studies and Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies, East Tennessee State University
American folk musician Pete Seeger sings and plays banjo for a group of people that includes first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1944. Joseph A. Horne Long before the Revolutionary War, numerous…
- 10
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…