The Conversation Daily — August 24, 2026
10 stories · August 24, 2026
In this issue
- 1
Legal wrangling over $12.5B Lakers sale shows how family trusts don’t guarantee a business stays in the family
theconversation.com · Reid Kress Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University - Newark · Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia
Jeanie Buss is fighting with her siblings over whether to sell their shared stake in the Los Angeles Lakers. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images The Buss family’s 47-year ownership of the…
- 2
Fish DNA in Ozark streams reveals region’s complex geologic history
theconversation.com · David Duvernell, Professor of Biological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology
A student collects a water sample for DNA analysis. David Duvernell, CC BY My students and I encountered a mystery. We were partnering with the Missouri Department of Conservation to monitor for fish…
- 3
How do ice cubes cool a drink?
theconversation.com · Matthew Koss, Professor of Physics, College of the Holy Cross
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. How do ice cubes cool a drink? – Helen, age 12,…
- 4
Just as the world appears to be losing its appetite for books, William T. Vollmann pens a 3,000-page novel
theconversation.com · Christopher Coffman, Master Lecturer in Humanities, Boston University
William T. Vollmann has spent his career refusing to distill the world into dichotomies. Maria Moratti/Getty Images With forecasters of doom debating the end of reading, of publishing and of literacy…
- 5
Trump’s slapdash Reflecting Pool renovations stand in stark contrast to years of deliberation and engineering ingenuity that went into its creation
theconversation.com · Jennifer Tucker, Professor of History, Wesleyan University
Work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool began in 1919. Bettmann/Getty Images In the latest twist in one of the strangest ongoing scandals in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney for the District of…
- 6
Parents putting screens in front of their kids is more about their own stress than other factors
theconversation.com · Enid A. Moreira, Doctoral Student of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, Florida International University · Daniel M. Bagner, Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training, Florida International University · Shayl Griffith, Associate Professor, Department of Counselling, Recreation, and School Psychology and the FIU Center for Children and Families, Florida International University
About 70% of caregivers say that managing their children's screen use is a primary source of parenting stress. Maria Korneeva/Moment via Getty Images It is 6 p.m. after a full workday. A tired parent…
- 7
The typical gig worker is changing – and struggling more than ever to make ends meet
theconversation.com · Jacob Lederman, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan Flint
The number of gig workers on public benefits has surged in recent years. AP Photo/John Minchillo The next time you call an Uber ride or order food delivery with an app, there’s a good chance that the…
- 8
White House plan for a ‘golden age’ of science ignores the structures that made the US a scientific superpower
theconversation.com · H. Christopher Frey, Professor of Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University
Does the White House report Science: A New Golden Age signal twilight for US global scientific leadership? Charles Smith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images A new White House report argues that eight decades…
- 9
A lot of casual friends, or only a few you’re really close with? New research questions that trade-off
theconversation.com · Jessica D. Ayers, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, Boise State University · Diego Guevara Beltran, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, University of Arizona
Friends are essential to a healthy, happy life. Alina Rudya/Bell Collective/DigitalVision via Getty Images Is there a natural trade-off between quantity and quality when it comes to the friends in…
- 10
DIY peptide injections are risky, and people may make serious mistakes when administering them
theconversation.com · C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut
Gray-market peptides are not regulated by any health authority. Westend61/Getty Imaages DIY peptide injections, which promise to boost everything from weight loss and muscle-building to longevity and…