The Conversation Daily — September 10, 2026
10 stories · September 10, 2026
In this issue
- 1
How heat on the Tibetan Plateau fuels powerful storms in California, half a world away
theconversation.com · Yongkang Xue, Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
Heavy rain from an atmospheric river sent the Los Angeles River, normally mostly empty, spilling over its sides in February 2024. Mario Tama/Getty Images The Tibetan Plateau may be on the other side…
- 2
Are too many Americans taking antidepressants?
theconversation.com · Andrew McLean, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota
Rates of anxiety and depression have grown since the COVID-19 pandemic – as have prescriptions for antidepressants. brizmaker/iStock via Getty Images Plus Drugs for treating depression are among…
- 3
2026’s El Niño is shaping up to be a doozy – it’s already affecting global shipping, fish behavior and heat
theconversation.com · Steven Paton, Research Biologist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution
With deepening drought, worsened by El Niño, Panama Canal authorities cut the number of ships allowed to transit. Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images El Niño is here, and forecasters warn that it’s…
- 4
Pennsylvania’s aging levees are under pressure from scarce funding and severe weather
theconversation.com · Kaleigh Yost, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State
The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia flooded after heavy rains from Hurricane Ida in 2021. Branden Eastwood/AFP via Getty Images Pennsylvania has over 180 levees that span approximately 155 miles (255…
- 5
To control weeds in your garden, late summer and early fall is the best time to make a difference
theconversation.com · Manjot Kaur Sidhu, Assistant Extension Professor of Horticulture and Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, University of Maine
Late summer and early fall are a perfect time to fight weeds in the garden. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images As late summer fades into early autumn, garden care shifts…
- 6
What we remember when we remember 9/11
theconversation.com · Jennifer Talarico, Professor of Psychology, Lafayette College
President George W. Bush reacts in a Sarasota, Fla., classroom after being told of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001. AP Photo/Doug Mills Do you remember where you…
- 7
Learning without a brain – how bacteria store memories and remember the past like artificial neural networks
theconversation.com · Shiladitya Banerjee, Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
_E. coli_ uses memories of the past to inform its present behavior. Cavallini JamesBSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Learning is often thought to require a brain. But learning is a broad…
- 8
I’m a pediatrician in Michigan who created Rx Kids, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty programs – here’s what I’ve learned about how medical schools can improve community health
theconversation.com · Mona Hanna, Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University
As a pediatrician at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in Flint, Michigan, I perform well-child checks, treat asthma and discuss nutrition with families. I prescribe medicine and…
- 9
Galápagos corals show El Niño events are more extreme now than in past 1,000 years – here’s how my team made the discovery
theconversation.com · Julia Cole, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan
A NOAA scientist takes a coral sample in the Galapagos Islands. The process does not injure the colony, which grows back. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory - NOAA Temperatures have…
- 10
Why the US-Canada trade war could change how American farmers grow their crops for years
theconversation.com · Jayash Paudel, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Oklahoma
Most healthy soybean fields like this one in Minnesota rely on fertilizer. Richard Hamilton Smith/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war…