The Conversation

Why more food, toiletry and beauty companies are switching to minimalist package designs

Written by Lan Anh Nu Ton, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Texas Christian University

Siggi's Dairy keeps its yogurts simple with white packaging, black text and a dab of color to indicate the flavor.Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

For decades, marketers of consumer goods designed highly adorned packages, deploying bold colors, snazzy text, cartoons and illustrations to seize the attention of shoppers. Conventional wisdom held that...

How animals get their skin patterns is a matter of physics – new research clarifying how could improve medical diagnostics and synthetic materials

Written by Ankur Gupta, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Color patterns seen in fish and other animals evolved to serve various purposes.Lagunatic Photo/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Patterns on animal skin, such as zebra stripes and poison frog color patches, serve various biological functions, including temperature regulation, camouflage and warning signals. The colors making up these patterns must be...

International reaction to Gaza siege has exposed the growing rift between the West and the Global South

Written by Jorge Heine, Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University

Dark clouds over the United Nations in New York.Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

The lopsidedness was stark: 120 countries voted in favor of a resolution before the United Nations on Oct. 26, 2023, calling for a “humanitarian truce” in the war in Gaza. A mere 14 countries voted against it.

But the numbers tell only half the story;...

We blurred the gender of soccer players and had people rate their performances − with surprising results

Written by Carlos Gómez González, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Zurich

Would people still call a women's soccer match boring if they didn't know the players' genders?isitsharp/E+ via Getty Images

During the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the telecommunications company Orange ran a powerful TV ad. It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French national players such as Antoine Griezmann,...

In Gaza, the underground war between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in the tunnels is set to begin

Written by Brian Glyn Williams, Professor of Islamic History, UMass Dartmouth

A Hamas fighter steps out of a tunnel during a 2014 public demonstration of the group's military abilities.Yousef Masoud/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Israel Defense Forces have announced that they have reached the outskirts of Gaza City and are expecting to enter the city soon.

When that happens, Israeli troops will begin a...

Want a healthier lawn? Instead of bagging fall leaves, take the lazy way out and get a more environmentally friendly yard

Written by Susan Barton, Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware

Autumn is the season to gaze at gorgeous leaves of gold, yellow and orange as they flutter from the trees and fall on our yards – but then, of course, comes the tedious task of raking them up and trying to decide what to do with them. SciLine interviewed Susan Barton, a professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Delaware, who...

Ketamine can rapidly reduce symptoms of PTSD and depression, new study finds

Written by C. Michael White, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

Ketamine is an anesthetic that must be administered carefully and by a health care professional.Jeniffer Fontan/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The drug ketamine can reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and symptoms of depression in patients as early as a day after injection. That is the key finding of my team’s new...

Latter-day Saints lawsuits raise questions over Mormon tithing – can churches just invest funds members believe are for charity?

Written by Samuel Brunson, Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago

The Mormon Temple is the centerpiece of Temple Square in Salt Lake City.AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac

Three men have filed a lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – also known as the LDS or Mormon church – and its investment arm, Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. The men, at least one of whom remains an active member of...

Fresh water is a hidden challenge − and opportunity − for global supply chains

Written by Dustin Cole, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management, Auburn University

Cargo ships wait at the entrance to the Panama Canal in late September.Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images

Reports of lengthy shipping delays for vessels traveling through the Panama Canal this year have highlighted the critical but often overlooked role that fresh water plays across global supply chains. Drier than normal conditions in Panama,...

How effective are public service announcements? Three scholars weigh in

Written by Holli H. Seitz, Associate Professor of Communication, Mississippi State University

"Goodbye" is the name of a new PSA that seeks to show the impact of gun violence.Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office

When Erek L. Barron, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, premiered a 60-second video that seeks to show how gun violence devastates families, he said his goal was to create an innovative public service announcement that would...