+ golden oyster mushroom craze; support for regulating AI
| | | | Welcome to the Saturday edition of The Conversation U.S.'s daily newsletter. Every week, we publish a new Curious Kids story as part of our ongoing series. Real children write in with questions they're wondering about and we try to find researchers with the knowledge to answer them in a fun and understandable way. Our young correspondents never stop surprising me with the things they're curious about… lots of dinosaurs, tons of space, but also how do you become famous, or why aren't humans covered with hair like other mammals? (See the full list of stories here.) This week, University of Tennessee political scientist Brandon Prins took a stab at answering the question "Who was the first pirate?" He "studies modern-day commerce raiding: robbing of private cargo vessels on the high seas." Prins' article brings readers on a voyage that starts with pirates in antiquity, through the golden age of sea piracy – think doubloons, peg legs and eye patches – to today, "where the conditions that produce ship looting remain." Give it a read and you may understand why editing Curious Kids articles is one of the favorite parts of my job. And please encourage any children in your life write in to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com with their own particular burning questions! This week we also liked stories about converting farmland to solar power to boost farmers' revenues, how researchers replicate studies, and a study on Catholic priests' current views and teachings on immigration. [ The latest on philanthropy and nonprofits. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Giving Today.] |  | Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor | |  Swashbucklers depicted in movies like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' aren't necessarily true to life. Disney Brandon Prins, University of Tennessee The first mention of a pirate by name may be in a Greek book from 2,500 years ago. But sea-raiding has been around since the very first boats traversed the world's waterways. |  Are concerns about AI a bridge across the polarization divide? ZargonDesign/iStock via Getty Images Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst; Alexander Theodoridis, UMass Amherst; Sara M. Kirshbaum, UMass Amherst; Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst Democrats and Republicans alike have concerns about AI and want to see the rapidly developing technology regulated to protect the public. |  President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio watch Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on television after the House passed the bill on July 3, 2025. Joyce N. Boghosian/White House via AP Beverly Moran, Vanderbilt University The measure enables broad tax cuts that disproportionately favor wealthy households while forcing its costs on the most economically vulnerable Americans. | | | -
Allison Perlman, University of California, Irvine; Josh Shepperd, University of Colorado Boulder Public broadcasting has long been a target of conservative Republicans. -
Christopher P. Scheitle, West Virginia University; Bernard D. DiGregorio, West Virginia University; Katie E. Corcoran, West Virginia University Sociologists who measured supernatural beliefs in the US found that higher education and higher income are associated with lower levels. -
Aishwarya Veerabahu, University of Wisconsin-Madison Kits that help people grow their own golden oyster mushrooms at home may be one reason this nonnative species is now spreading in the wild. | | | | The Conversation News Quiz 🧠 | | | | |
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