Current News
/ArcaMax
How is deli meat made? The food science behind the turkey, ham and other cold cuts in your lunch
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 is deli meat made? – Arabelle, 17, Brooklyn, New York
If you’ve ever eaten a ham or turkey sandwich for lunch, then you’ve probably eaten deli meat. Sometimes ...Read more
If you think someone has an eating disorder, should you say something? A dietitian explains how to express concern without body shaming
You notice someone close to you has lost a lot of weight. You also notice that they’re skipping meals and talking more pessimistically about food and their body. You feel concerned but worry that commenting on their body might do more harm than good.
So what should you do? Where is the line between showing concern and being harmful?...Read more
US teens are smoking and vaping less than their peers abroad
Smoking and vaping continued to decline among middle school and high school students in 2025, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, released in July 2026. This annual, school-based survey has been tracking smoking and other nicotine product use in American youth ages 11 to 18 since 1999....Read more
Dealing with disasters increasingly requires a smartphone – losing access can be a nightmare, but there are ways to prepare
In the span of a week in August 2026, powerful storms and deadly flooding knocked out power to a half-million people across the Midwest; Tropical Storm Lala cut power to thousands more in Hawaii amid dangerous wind and flooding; wildfires forced evacuations in the western U.S.; and a powerful earthquake struck Colombia.
All were ...Read more
AI companies look to the ocean as a place to put more data centers
The artificial intelligence boom is driving unprecedented demand for data centers, raising concerns about their growing energy consumption, water use and carbon footprint. These challenges are making companies look beyond traditional land-based data centers.
Some developers are now exploring the ocean as a new location for AI ...Read more
US government is pushing to gain unprecedented access to your medical records – as data protections are weakening
You might assume that what you tell a doctor stays between you, your physician and perhaps your insurer. But the reality is more complicated.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal privacy law that governs health information and is commonly known as HIPAA, is narrower than its reputation suggests. It ...Read more
US-Iran peace prospects dim as violence flares in Lebanon
Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah flared in Lebanon over the weekend, the latest setback in efforts to end parallel wars in the Middle East that have dragged on for almost six months and disrupted global markets.
Israel’s military said Sunday that it killed senior Hezbollah commander Abu Hassan Alaa in southern Lebanon a day ...Read more
A man killed himself by walking in front of a Frontier flight at Denver International Airport. How common are these security breaches at Denver's airport?
DENVER — Six trespassers have breached the fence around Denver International Airport since 2023, culminating in the May crash with a Frontier Airlines flight that killed a person who scaled the security fence and walked onto a runway, police records show.
In one of those cases, a man crashed through a perimeter fence gate, causing more than $...Read more
Trump reduces US-South Korea drills, citing lack of help on Iran
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea and indicated his decision to do so was driven by frustration the longtime U.S. ally hadn’t provided more support for his war with Iran.
Trump said in a social post Sunday the drills were costly and sent an “...Read more
South Chicago Chapel families may never know the truth about the cremated remains of loved ones, experts say
After Malissa Smith hired a funeral service company operating out of South Chicago Chapel to cremate her mother’s remains in late May, she was told that it could take two to three months to receive the ashes. But only two weeks later, she held her mother’s remains — or what she was told were her mother’s remains.
Now, after the news ...Read more
Their friendship spanned two decades. It ended in a kidnapping and killing
LOS ANGELES -- The two men met decades ago in China’s far northwestern Xinjiang region.
In Southern California, Shukur Aikebaer and Zhengfeng Bo built quiet suburban lives. Aikebaer raised his three daughters in Chino Hills. Bo settled in Irvine.
Bo, 67, who had amassed a fortune doing public construction projects in China, hired Aikebaer as...Read more
Patients wary of governments, companies pushing AI as a rural healthcare solution
HOT SPRINGS, S.D. — Two of the nation’s most powerful health officials predict artificial intelligence will play a key role in solving rural America’s health challenges.
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a panel of U.S. senators that AI nurses can provide “concierge care” to rural patients. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers ...Read more
US commander says mental health a priority aboard USS Lincoln
A top U.S. military commander said mental health is a valid concern after meeting crew deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where conditions aboard the aircraft carrier have led to complaints during its long deployment in the Iran war.
Admiral Brad Cooper’s visit to the carrier in the Arabian Sea followed outrage among family members about ...Read more
Zambian President Hichilema extends lead in reelection bid
Zambia’s president widened his lead among voters with over half of electoral constituencies counted, moving closer to extending his rule over the copper-rich southern African nation for a second term.
Hakainde Hichilema won 1,544,140 votes in 135 of the country’s 226 constituencies announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia late on ...Read more
Pennsylvania ended automatic life sentences for felony murder. Here's what happens next
For decades, a second-degree murder conviction in Pennsylvania meant an automatic sentence of life in prison — even for people who did not kill anyone.
But in March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that punishment unconstitutional in the case of Derek Lee, a Pittsburgh man who argued the mandatory nature of the sentence violated ...Read more
Michigan awarded $145 million in federal funds for train upgrades
The Michigan Department of Transportation will receive $145 million for rail infrastructure projects as part of a series of federal grants worth more than $5 billion nationwide, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday.
The money includes $98 million to improve the train tracks between Dearborn and Kalamazoo; $29 million to ...Read more
Does Sacramento have license plate reading tech? What it uses instead of Flock
License plate reading technology has been the subject of scrutiny locally and nationally as concerns about civilian privacy and using sensitive location-based data for immigration enforcement escalate.
The concern isn’t unfounded. Law enforcement agencies across California — a sanctuary state — have routinely violated state law by sharing...Read more
Studies look at 'less bad' options for farmers facing groundwater cutbacks
Growing more drought-tolerant crops could be an option for San Joaquin Valley farmers facing severe groundwater cutbacks, according to two joint studies by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).
The studies looked at growing winter crops or forage using less water as an economic alternative to straight out fallowing ground.
“This ...Read more
Minnesota elections chief condemns hidden-camera polling place videos
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has condemned a Florida-based political group after its members secretly recorded interactions with poll workers at several Minneapolis polling places during Tuesday’s primary election.
Poll workers immediately reported the encounters to local election officials, according to Simon. Law enforcement is ...Read more
Israel strikes Lebanon as US preps fresh Iran sanctions package
Lebanon saw its deadliest day of fighting in months, heaping pressure on stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations while Washington preps fresh sanctions.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it killed Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior Hezbollah commander, in southern Lebanon a day earlier. A total of 11 people died in the Israeli strikes, making them ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Underground dams? They may be a storage solution as Idaho's water flows away
- Flock Safety tightens safeguards as states, cities question surveillance network
- A federal policy is complicating how organizations battle the opioid crisis
- Flights between LA and Hawaii disrupted as Hurricane Lala approaches the Big Island
- NYC synagogue antisemitic attacker called congregants 'swine' and 'fake Jews'
Comics
