Plus: Making hooch in a Nepalese valley
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Top headlines
Lead story As the Iran war drags on, gasoline prices continue to climb. And with the price of crude oil having just hit a four-year high – at over $120 a barrel – the cost of filling up your car may not be going down anytime soon. As I drive past gas stations whose price signs seem to have numbers rolling upward by the minute, I often wonder what actually goes into the cost of a gallon of gas. So I asked Robert I. Harris, an economist at Georgia Tech who studies energy and environmental economics in particular, to explain. He has put together a straightforward breakdown of the main elements that drive the price of gas, and discusses how each of those contributes to the overall cost per gallon. Along the way, he talks about the effects of gas tax suspensions, which are not as powerful as politicians or the public might expect, and why prices rise quickly but fall slowly. In addition, readers in California will likely learn something new about their own state’s special gas-economy situation. Have a Curious Kid in your life? Let us answer their questions! Season 2 of our Curious Kids Podcast is coming soon, and we’re looking for children to ask a question on our program and get answers from our experts. Contact us at curiouskids@theconversation.com. |
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Jeff Inglis Environment + Energy Editor |
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Gas prices were well over $4 a gallon on April 28, 2026, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Robert I. Harris, Georgia Institute of Technology As US gas prices climb, politicians are looking at ways to lower them. An economist breaks down what does − and doesn’t − move the number on the sign at the gas station. |
Ethics + Religion |
Nir Eisikovits, UMass Boston; Cody Turner, Bentley University Everyone likes being told they’re clever, even if it’s coming from an AI chatbot. But their sycophancy has serious consequences for truth and trust. |
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Politics + Society |
Nilgun Anadolu-Okur, Temple University; Jeremy Mennis, Temple University A bronze statue of Tubman is set to be installed outside Philadelphia’s City Hall in late 2026. Allyson Gold, Wake Forest University The US and UK both face a housing crisis. But while US policy has stalled, the UK has just enacted major protections for renters. 💬 Comments open Daniel A. Smith, University of Florida Florida voters don’t like Gov. DeSantis’ redistricting plans, but it doesn’t tend to be a vote-determining issue. Alex Braithwaite, University of Arizona; Rachel D. Van Nostrand, Louisiana State University Scholars have defined the elements of what qualifies as a concentration camp system. Based on those, ICE detention facilities meet the definition of concentration camps. |
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Podcast 🎙️ |
Gemma Ware, The Conversation Catholic peacebuilding expert Gerard F. Powers talks to The Conversation about the just war tradition. |
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Science + Technology |
Vidya Mani, University of Virginia; Cornell University Data centers need powerful chips, while smartphones need chips that are energy efficient. A supply chain scholar explains why chipmakers’ focus on the former comes at the expense of the latter. Julie Pollock, University of Richmond Eating fiber can prevent a number of health issues, and you might need to eat more than you think. André O. Hudson, Rochester Institute of Technology Advances in genetic engineering have enabled researchers to seek ways to program new life. But has synthetic biology actually changed medicine and the environment, nearly two decades on? |
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International |
Geoff Childs, Washington University in St. Louis Chang, a refreshing, low-strength brew, and arak, its stronger relative, have long been part of Tibetan rituals. |
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The Conversation News Quiz 🧠 |
Here’s the first question of this week's edition: An increasingly popular genre of romance novels, featuring "unconventional women navigating make-believe worlds populated by magic, faeries and dragons," is known as what?
- A. Elf porn
- B. SorceHERy
- C. FemFi
- D. Romantasy
Test your knowledge More of The Conversation
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About The ConversationWe're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. |
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