The Conversation Daily — October 2, 2026
10 stories · October 2, 2026
In this issue
- 1
Cornell 7 case puts a spotlight on fraternity misconduct – and the limits of universities’ power to stop it
theconversation.com · Pietro A. Sasso, Associate Professor of Education, Old Dominion University
A case alleging that a Cornell sophomore was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members is drawing national attention. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Universities have been trying for years to cut…
- 2
More than 50 years after a North Dakota school district burned copies of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughterhouse-Five,’ the anti-war novel is still being censored
theconversation.com · Susan Farrell, Professor of English, College of Charleston
In the fall of 1973, North Dakota's Drake school district burned 32 copies of Kurt Vonnegut’s 'Slaughterhouse-Five' in a school furnace. Kristina Kokhanova/iStock via Getty Images Bruce Severy, a…
- 3
How Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is helping kids start reading when they’re very young
theconversation.com · Alex H. Poole, Associate Professor of Information Science, Drexel University
By the time Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25, 2026, her Imagination Library had gifted more than 332 million children’s books to babies and kids in all 50 states and four other countries: Canada, the…
- 4
Want to use AI to improve your work? Have it disagree with you
theconversation.com · Monideepa Tarafdar, Professor of Information Systems, UMass Amherst
Prompting an AI model to fight with your point of view can raise novel solutions. wassam siddique/iStock via Getty Images Knowledge workers such as scientists, teachers, lawyers and business leaders…
- 5
Physicists who uncovered the first particle accelerator were honored with a Nobel Prize 75 years ago – their work shaped physics, medicine and even art research
theconversation.com · Artemis Spyrou, Professor of Nuclear Physics, Michigan State University · Andrea Richard, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University
A section of the particle accelerator housed at CERN. AP Photo/Baz Ratner While scientists are known for their dedication to their research, crawling on the floor to avoid electrocution for the sake…
- 6
The ‘WarGames’ problem: Computer science has long understood what it takes to keep AI under control
theconversation.com · Deven Desai, Professor of Business Law and Ethics; Associate Director for Law, Policy, and Ethics at the Machine Learning Center, Georgia Institute of Technology
In the movie 'War Games' an AI plays a game with the real threat of triggering nuclear Armageddon. Courtesy of United Artists/Amazon MGM Studios AI agents don’t go rogue. That’s something only humans…
- 7
Arctic infrastructure was built on frozen ground that’s starting to thaw – drones can help spot the permafrost changes coming
theconversation.com · Ming Xiao, Professor of Civil Engineering, Penn State
A view of Wainwright, Alaska, which sits on low-lying coastal terrain underlain by permafrost. Ming Xiao From the air, Wainwright, Alaska, looks like a perfectly stable band of homes and roads between…
- 8
Iran war pushes diesel – the economy’s lifeblood – to record high prices, with no relief on the horizon
theconversation.com · Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines · Jamie Webster, Fellow, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines
Diesel fuel prices are at all-time highs in the United States. Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Diesel fuel prices in the U.S. continue to break all-time records, hitting $6.28 a…
- 9
The story of Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro is the story of how Italian immigrants became American
theconversation.com · Clare Whitton, PhD Candidate in Medieval History, University of Oxford
Over the past century, New York City's Feast of San Gennaro has grown from a one-day, parochial affair into an 11-day event that draws more than a million visitors. Spencer Platt/Getty Images For two…
- 10
Your robotic vacuum is a witness: What home robots mean for evidence, privacy and the law
theconversation.com · Henry F. Fradella, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University · George Grispos, Associate Professor of Digital Forensics, Arizona State University · Jihun Joun, Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Forensics, Arizona State University
The camera on a robot vacuum cleaner captured this cat. What else did it capture around the house? voorts/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A husband in Taiwan suspected his wife of having an affair. In…