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.

Why do I feel better rested when I wake myself up than I do if my alarm or another person wakes me up? – Calleigh H., age 11, Oklahoma

We’ve all experienced this: You’...Read more

Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton, but across the country.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, homeowners insurance increased an average of 11.3% nationwide in 2023, with some states, including Texas,...Read more

After almost 1,000 days resisting the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s allies are pushing Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider new ways to lure Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as they seek an end to the fighting.

Donald Trump will return to the White House in January pledging a quick end to the war. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Putin to...Read more

At a black-tie gala at Mar-a-Lago the other night, Argentine President Javier Milei couldn’t contain himself. The gathering had been arranged to celebrate the election of his guy Donald Trump, and no one was going to outdo Milei. He whirled, pivoted, swayed, bro-hugged, flashed the thumbs-up sign — sometimes one, sometimes, for emphasis, two...Read more

Ukraine said at least 21 people were killed in missile attacks following a massive barrage on its energy infrastructure as Group of 20 leaders discuss how the war will end at a meeting in Brazil.

Ten people were killed and 47 people, including four children, were wounded in the Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday, the regional prosecutor’s ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California public health officials are dipping into state and federal stockpiles to equip up to 10,000 farmworkers with masks, gloves, goggles, and other safety gear as the state confirms at least 21 human cases of bird flu as of early November. It’s the latest reminder of the state’s struggle to remain prepared amid ...Read more

Since he took the helm of the Southern District of New York federal prosecutor’s office in 2021, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams has been on the warpath against public corruption.

Most recently, Williams secured an indictment in September against Eric Adams, accusing the New York City mayor of bribery, fraud and campaign finance crimes stemming...Read more

In a name-your-poison twist, a new study from the University of Illinois adds to the evidence that Chicago-area waterway pollution is slowing the relentless advance of the invasive silver carp.

Researchers turned their attention to a section of the Illinois River, about 50 miles from Chicago, where the silver carp’s progress stalled out more ...Read more

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Amid China’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights, queer influencers are using creative strategies, subtle hashtags and coded language to stay one step ahead of social media censors and provide much-needed support to the community.

A decade ago, LGBTQ+ communities were gaining greater visibility and acceptance in China’s ...Read more

If you bring a baby into the Hurley Children’s Center clinic in downtown Flint, Michigan, Mona Hanna will find you. The pediatrician, who gained national prominence for helping uncover the city’s water crisis in 2015, strode across the waiting room in her white lab coat, eyes laser-focused on the chubby baby in the lap of an unsuspecting ...Read more

After months of divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail, including vows to crack down on border control and aggressively ramp up deportations, tensions surrounding immigration in southwestern Pennsylvania have skyrocketed in the days since President-elect Donald Trump's win.

Amid claims from Trump that he will carry out "the largest deportation...Read more

Xi Jinping used his final meeting with Joe Biden to send a clear message to Donald Trump: China wants to be friends, but is ready for a fight if necessary.

With Biden set to leave the White House in January, China’s leader took Saturday’s meeting as a chance to spell out his approach toward Trump. That entails finding a way for the world�...Read more

Political speculation about the future of Sen. Laphonza Butler — the short-term replacement appointed to the chamber after the death of Dianne Feinstein — has run rampant in political circles. Would she return to California and run for office? Become the next leader of the Democratic National Committee?

Asked Saturday evening whether she ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as its chair, he said in a statement.

Carr has served at the agency since 2012, including as an adviser to a later chair, Ajit Pai, and has worked as its general counsel. Trump during his first presidency nominated Carr to serve...Read more

After almost 1,000 days resisting the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s allies are pushing Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider new ways to lure Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as they seek an end to the fighting.

Donald Trump will return to the White House in January pledging a quick end to the war. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Putin to...Read more

SpaceX executed a Sunday evening launch from Kennedy Space Center with a Monday launch attempt from Cape Canaveral on tap.

First up was a Falcon 9 rocket from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A on the Optux X/TD7 mission to launch a geostationary communication satellite built by Northrop Grumman for the Australian company Optus at 5:28 p.m. ET.

This was ...Read more

Former Tropical Storm Sara continues to weaken as it moves through Central America after being downgraded to a tropical depression Sunday morning. In its wake, Honduras saw “tremendous” amounts of rain that is still causing life-threatening conditions.

As of the 4 p.m. advisory, Sara was a weakening tropical depression straddling the area ...Read more