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The Conversation

Woven baskets aren’t just aesthetically pleasing – materials science research finds they’re sturdier and more resilient than stiff containers

  • Written by Guowei (Wayne) Tu, Ph.D. Student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan
imageWoven fabric is resilient to stress because it tends to bend more than rigid materials before breaking. Jordan Lye/Moment via Getty Images

People have been using flat, ribbonlike materials, such as reed strips, to make woven baskets for thousands of years. This weaving method has reemerged as a technique for engineers to create textile and fabric...

Read more: Woven baskets aren’t just aesthetically pleasing – materials science research finds they’re...

What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and history reflect society’s supernatural beliefs

  • Written by Penelope Geng, Associate Professor of English, Macalester College

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.

What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? – Landon W., age 15, The Colony, Texas

Belief in the spirit world is a key part of many faiths and religions. A 2023 survey of 26...

Read more: What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and history reflect society’s...

Trump’s ‘golden age’ economic message undercut by his desire for much lower interest rates – which typically signal a weak jobs market

  • Written by Joshua Stillwagon, Associate Professor of Economics, Babson College
imagePresident Donald Trump has said he believes the U.S. economy has entered a ‘golden age’ on his watch.AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

President Donald Trump seems to want to have it both ways on the U.S. economy.

On the one hand, he recently said the economy is in its “golden age” and referred to the U.S. as the “hottest...

Read more: Trump’s ‘golden age’ economic message undercut by his desire for much lower interest rates – which...

Pumpkins’ journey from ancient food staple to spicy fall obsession spans thousands of years

  • Written by Shelley Mitchell, Senior Extension Specialist, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State University
imagePumpkin patch excursions have become a fall staple in many U.S. households. Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images

October in much of the U.S. brings cooler weather, vibrant fall colors and, of course, pumpkin-spiced everything. This is peak pumpkin season, with most of the American pumpkin crop harvested in October.

With the pumpkin...

Read more: Pumpkins’ journey from ancient food staple to spicy fall obsession spans thousands of years

Dinosaur ‘mummies’ help scientists visualize the fleshy details of these ancient animals

  • Written by Paul C. Sereno, Professor of Paleontology, University of Chicago
imageA mummy of a juvenile duck-billed dinosaur, _Edmontosaurus annectens_, preserved as a dried carcass. Tyler Keillor/Fossil Lab

Dinosaur “mummies” couldn’t have been further from my mind as I trudged up a grassy knoll on the Zerbst Ranch in east-central Wyoming, followed by University of Chicago undergraduates on a field trip linked...

Read more: Dinosaur ‘mummies’ help scientists visualize the fleshy details of these ancient animals

The lost history of Latin America’s role in averting catastrophe during the Cuban missile crisis

  • Written by Renata Keller, Associate Professor of History, University of Nevada, Reno
imageA map prepared by the Defense Department in 1962 shows potential ranges of Soviet ballistic missiles from Cuba. Department of Defense Cuban Missile Crisis briefing materials/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Sixty-three years ago, President John F. Kennedy single-handedly brought the world back from the brink of nuclear war by staring...

Read more: The lost history of Latin America’s role in averting catastrophe during the Cuban missile crisis

Relying heavily on contractors can cut attendance by 27% for museums, theaters and other arts nonprofits – new research

  • Written by Hala Altamimi, Assistant professor of Public Administration, University of Kansas
imageTwo researchers used attendance as a way to measure the groups' success.MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

Many nonprofits face growing pressure from their donors and other funders to do more with less as their costs rise and their budgets don’t keep up. One way these organizations are responding is by trying to save...

Read more: Relying heavily on contractors can cut attendance by 27% for museums, theaters and other arts...

Influencers could learn a thing or two from traditional journalism about disclosing who’s funding their political coverage

  • Written by Edward Wasserman, Professor of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley
imageWhen influencers accept money and don't disclose it, then they're being influenced.Bambu Productions, Getty Images

Online influencers, through their postings on Instagram, Threads, TikTok and elsewhere, have created an exuberant universe of news and commentary that often outruns mainstream media in reach and even impact. They work the same...

Read more: Influencers could learn a thing or two from traditional journalism about disclosing who’s funding...

Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be tricky, but employees are entitled to accommodations

  • Written by Julie Wolfe, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
imageCoping with mental illness can make starting and completing simple tasks at work more difficult.Fiordaliso/Moment via Getty Images

Mental health challenges can affect anyone, regardless of background or circumstance, and they are becoming more common across the United States.

In 2022, a national survey found that about 60 million American adults...

Read more: Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be tricky, but employees are entitled to...

Demolishing the White House East Wing to build a ballroom embodies Trump’s heritage politics

  • Written by R. Grant Gilmore III, Director, Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program, College of Charleston
imageDemolition in process on the East Wing of the White House, Oct. 23, 2025. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

From ancient Egypt to Washington, D.C., rulers have long used architecture and associated stories to project power, control memory and shape national identity. As 17th-century French statesman Jean-Baptiste Colbert observed:

“In the absence of...

Read more: Demolishing the White House East Wing to build a ballroom embodies Trump’s heritage politics

More Articles ...

  1. You’ve just stolen a priceless artifact – what happens next?
  2. 2 iconic coral species are now functionally extinct off Florida, study finds – we witnessed the reef’s bleaching and devastation
  3. Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas about the country
  4. Surrealism is better known for its strangeness than the radical politics and revolutionary ambitions of its creators
  5. Building a stable ‘abode of thought’: Kant’s rules for virtuous thinking
  6. Why your late teens and early 20s are crucial times for lifelong heart health
  7. Coal plants emitted more pollution during the last government shutdown, while regulators were furloughed
  8. James Comey’s lawyers face an uphill battle to prove selective or vindictive prosecution in his high-profile case
  9. 1 in 3 US nonprofits that serve communities lost government funding in early 2025
  10. A flexible lens controlled by light-activated artificial muscles promises to let soft machines see
  11. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research
  12. Office of Space Commerce faces an uncertain future amid budget cuts and new oversight
  13. Is it wrong to have too much money? Your answer may depend on deep-seated values – and your country’s economy
  14. The disgraceful history of erasing Black cemeteries in the United States
  15. College faculty are under pressure to say and do the right thing – the stress also trickles down to students
  16. Can AI keep students motivated, or does it do the opposite?
  17. Giant ground sloths’ fossilized teeth reveal their unique roles in the prehistoric ecosystem
  18. King, pope, Jedi, Superman: Trump’s social media images exclusively target his base and try to blur political reality
  19. Trump’s National Guard deployments reignite 200-year-old legal debate over state vs. federal power
  20. When it comes to Ukraine peace negotiations, it’s all over the map
  21. Gender is not an ideology – but conservative groups know learning about it empowers people to think for themselves
  22. Many Colorado homeowners are underinsured − here’s what to do before the next fire
  23. Even before they can read, young children are visualizing letters and other objects with the same strategies adults use
  24. Trump’s words aren’t stopping China, Brazil and many other countries from setting higher climate goals, but progress is slow
  25. Does the full moon make us sleepless? A neurologist explains the science behind sleep, mood and lunar myths
  26. Rethinking polygamy – new research upends conventional thinking about the advantages of monogamous marriage
  27. Astronauts can get motion sick while splashing back down to Earth – virtual reality headsets could help them stay sharp
  28. Flying is safe thanks to data and cooperation – here’s what the AI industry could learn from airlines on safety
  29. When coal smoke choked St. Louis, residents fought back − but it took time and money
  30. The Erie Canal: How a ‘big ditch’ transformed America’s economy, culture and even religion
  31. Why are women’s shoes so pointy? A fashion expert on impractical but stylish footwear
  32. Space exploration in the backyard, on a budget – how NASA simulates conditions in space without blasting off
  33. How mobsters’ own words brought down Philly’s mafia − a veteran crime reporter has the story behind the end of the ‘Mob War’
  34. Pharaohs in Dixieland – how 19th-century America reimagined Egypt to justify racism and slavery
  35. Why is Halloween starting so much earlier each year? A business professor explains
  36. Gunboat diplomacy: How classic naval coercion has evolved into hybrid warfare on the water
  37. How AI can improve storm surge forecasts to help save lives
  38. OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT users’ chats − here’s why that matters
  39. 10 effective things citizens can do to make change in addition to attending a protest
  40. Pennsylvania’s budget crisis drags on as fed shutdown adds to residents’ hardships — a political scientist explains
  41. Pennsylvania’s budget crisis drags on as fed shutdown adds to residents’ hardships
  42. How new foreign worker visa fees might worsen doctor shortages in rural America
  43. Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data
  44. Baseball returns to a Japanese American detention camp after a historic ball field was restored
  45. Antioxidants help stave off a host of health problems – but figuring out how much you’re getting can be tricky
  46. AI-generated lesson plans fall short on inspiring students and promoting critical thinking
  47. Trump administration’s layoffs would gut department overseeing special education, eliminating parents’ last resort
  48. New Pentagon policy is an unprecedented attempt to undermine press freedom
  49. Madagascar’s military power grab shows Africa’s coup problem isn’t restricted to the Sahel region
  50. Why and how does personality emerge? Studying the evolution of individuality using thousands of fruit flies