The Conversation Daily — July 23, 2026
10 stories · July 23, 2026
In this issue
- 1
New Trump administration rules on federal science funding could make American research slower, costlier and harder to share
theconversation.com · Aliasger K. Salem, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iowa
Political appointees may soon oversee scientific research in America. Maria Korneeva/Moment via Getty Images Most Americans don’t read the rules that govern the federal grants funding science. Those…
- 2
College professors face an emerging challenge: We know students are no longer reading entire books
theconversation.com · Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
A survey of 1,250 high school English teachers showed that they assigned an average of 2.81 books to read each year. Malte Mueller/fStop via Getty Images Anyone who has spent time on a college campus…
- 3
Detroit wants to elevate youth voices in leadership – that means giving them real power
theconversation.com · Krista Mehari, Associate Professor of Public Health, Michigan State University
Detroit is encouraging its young residents to participate in safe, social activities after large crowds of youth congregating downtown have led to curfew violations and multiple arrests. Photo by…
- 4
The US has acknowledged Bears Ears and Grand Staircase as sacred for over a century, but keeps stripping away protections
theconversation.com · Kerri J. Malloy, Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies, San José State University
A view of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near Escalante, Utah. John Fowler from Placitas, New Mexico, U.S. via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY President Donald Trump signed proclamations on…
- 5
Starbucks’ big marketing blunder in South Korea shows how cultural blind spots can put global brands in a bind
theconversation.com · Karen Stollznow, Senior Research Fellow of Linguistics, University of Colorado Boulder; Griffith University
Protesters appear in front of Starbucks Korea headquarters in Seoul after the company launched its 'Tank Day' campaign, which sparked widespread backlash. Kichul Shin/NurPhoto via Getty Images When…
- 6
What is open-source AI? A software engineering researcher explains
theconversation.com · Jeffrey Young, Principal Research Scientist, Partnership for an Advanced Computing Environment, Georgia Institute of Technology
Open-source AI models allow anyone to read their inner workings like a book. Utamaru Kido/Moment via Getty Images You’ve probably heard artificial intelligence models described as “open” or “closed.”…
- 7
Replacing gas stoves with electric stoves greatly reduces asthma symptoms
theconversation.com · Ashwini Sehgal, Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University
Burning natural gas can create chemical compounds that irritate the lungs. Rafael Elias/Moment via Getty Images More than one-third of American households rely on natural gas stoves to prepare their…
- 8
There’s a business case for companies to embrace sustainability – if it’s pitched the right way
theconversation.com · Israa Ameen Thiab, Pollution Prevention Engineer, Rochester Institute of Technology · Clyde Eiríkur Hull, Professor of Management, Rochester Institute of Technology
When sustainable practices are pitched to business startups as good for the bottom line and core to the founder's mission, they're more likely to succeed. Alisa Bright on Unsplash, CC BY Sustainable…
- 9
More than half of Earth’s migratory bird species are declining – here’s how we can still save them
theconversation.com · Peter Marra, Dean of The Earth Commons, Professor of Biology and the Environment, Georgetown University · Nathan W. Cooper, Research Ecologist, Smithsonian Institution
The spoon-billed sandpiper, a small wading bird, flies nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 km) on its annual migration. Tareq's Photography/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA Every year, billions of migratory birds connect…
- 10
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,…