The Conversation Daily — September 22, 2026
10 stories · September 22, 2026
In this issue
- 1
When your child asks if they’ll be harmed like the people on the news, what do you say? Psychologists provide tips on how to talk about identity
theconversation.com · Anahi Collado, Assistant Research Professor of Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder · Colleen Cummings, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Georgetown University
Imagine your child asks you out of the blue, “If we speak Spanish, will they take you away?” Or imagine them suddenly asking what an offensive slur means. When a child asks these types of questions,…
- 2
The SAT has changed since it debuted 100 years ago – but questions remain about its relevance
theconversation.com · Beth Kania-Gosche, Professor of Education, Missouri University of Science and Technology
More than 2 million students took the SAT exam in 2025. zimmytws/iStock/Getty Images Plus In June 1926, the SAT exam was first administered to 8,000 high school students who hoped to attend elite…
- 3
Game delays for lightning may be annoying, but they save lives – a sports meteorologist explains the risk
theconversation.com · Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison
When lightning is nearby, fans and players are urged to move to sheltered areas. Mark Thorstenson-Orlando City/MLS via Getty Images When nearby lightning forces officials to delay a big college…
- 4
EPA says repealing power plant emissions rules will save billions – but its estimate leaves out health and climate costs
theconversation.com · Akshaya Jha, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
A gas- and coal-fired power plant in Indiana sits right next to a residential area. Scott Olson/Getty Images The Trump administration is repealing federal rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions…
- 5
How the pro-nicotine ‘wellness’ movement rebranded an addictive drug
theconversation.com · Hasmeena Kathuria, Professor of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The movement is focused on the idea of 'clean' nicotine use, such as pouches, which don't contain tobacco. MoleQL/iStock via Getty Images Plus An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make…
- 6
You can’t shield kids from scary news – here’s what ‘Sesame Street’ and other children’s shows did after 9/11
theconversation.com · Julie Dobrow, Teaching Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Mourners on Staten Island watch a funeral procession for a firefighter killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Peter Turnley/Getty Images On back-to-school night in 2005, I eagerly entered my…
- 7
Could you survive The Oregon Trail? An emergency medicine doctor offers tips on how to not die in the great outdoors
theconversation.com · Elaine Reno, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine-Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz
You might not die of dysentery on the trail these days, but there is still plenty of danger outdoors. Different_Brian/iStock via Getty Images Plus If you grew up in the United States in the 1980s or…
- 8
AI is helping ease competition for scarce space on the airwaves
theconversation.com · Aylin Yener, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Integrated Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University
The radio airwaves are getting crowded. Carl Court/Getty Images Every time you make a phone call, stream a video or connect to Wi-Fi, your device is sending and receiving invisible signals through the…
- 9
‘Star Trek’ and NASA have intertwined legacies – the show championed diversity and inspired generations of real space scientists
theconversation.com · Deana L. Weibel, Professor of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University
Gene Roddenberry, second from right, and Star Trek cast members visit the Space Shuttle Enterprise in 1976 with NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher, left. NASA “Star Trek” began as a television…
- 10
Tiny backpacks reveal the secret, sometimes circuitous migrations of small songbirds
theconversation.com · Stephanie Szarmach, James Smithson Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Institution
A tracker must be light enough to not weigh down a bird that weighs only as much as a spoonful of sugar. Thor Veen Squinting through my binoculars, I scanned the dense branches of a black spruce,…