The Conversation

4 reasons teens take part in social media challenges

Written by Kapil Chalil Madathil, Wilfred P. Tiencken Professor of Industrial and Civil Engineering, Clemson University

Young people often participate in a challenge to feel included among peers who have already done it.Frazao Studio Latino/E+ Collection/Getty Images

Social media challenges are wide-ranging – both in the stunts they involve and the reasons why people do them.

But why do young people take up challenges that pose a threat to health, well-being...

Biases against Black-sounding first names can lead to discrimination in hiring, especially when employers make decisions in a hurry − new research

Written by Martin Abel, Assistant Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College

What role will race play in determining who gets the job?Cecilie_Arcurs/E+ via Getty Image

Because names are among the first things you learn about someone, they can influence first impressions.

That this is particularly true for names associated with Black people came to light in 2004 with the release of a study that found employers seeing...

Educators say student misconduct has increased − but progressive reforms or harsher punishments alone won't fix the problem

Written by F. Chris Curran, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Florida

Only 13% of principals believe suspensions reduce misbehavior, according to a national survey.Ableimages/DigitalVision Collection/Getty Images

The 2022-23 school year was a particularly violent year for educators.

In Florida, a high school student beat a paraprofessional unconscious. A 15-year-old in Georgia left her teacher with difficulty walking....

The Federal Reserve held off hiking interest rates − it may still be too early to start popping the corks

Written by D. Brian Blank, Assistant Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell is watching the data.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady at their monthly policy meeting on Sept. 20, 2023 – only the second time they have done so since embarking on a rate-raising campaign a year and a half ago. But it is what they hinted at rather than...

Wildfire risk is soaring for low-income, elderly and other vulnerable populations in California, Washington and Oregon

Written by Mojtaba Sadegh, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Boise State University

Many of the people caught in the wildfire that swept through Paradise, Calif., in 2018 were older adults.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As wildfires burn across the Western U.S., the people in harm’s way are increasingly those least able to protect their homes from fire risks, evacuate safely or recover after a fire.

In a new study, we and a...

How local police could help prevent another January 6th-style insurrection

Written by Matthew Valasik, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Alabama

Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, at left, and group member Joe Biggs were sentenced to many years in federal prison.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Some of the most prominent members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant group that functions more like a street gang than a militia, have been sentenced to long terms in federal prison for...

What can board games teach students about climate change?

Written by Debra J. Rosenthal, Professor of English, John Carroll University

Teamwork is a common theme among the growing number of board games that deal with climate change.Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Among the world’s ever-expanding array of board games, a small but growing number deal with climate change. But are these games any good?

As a professor of English who specializes in...

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you

Written by Jacob S. Suissa, Assistant Professor of Plant Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

You may be surprised by what's growing on a familiar trail.Benjamin Goulet-Scott, CC BY-ND

When you hear about the abundance of life on Earth, what do you picture? For many people, it’s animals – but awareness of plant diversity is growing rapidly.

Our planet has nearly 300,000 species of flowering plants. Among animals, only beetles can...

Tinmel – Morocco's medieval shrine and mosque – is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake

Written by Abbey Stockstill, Assistant Professor of Art History, Southern Methodist University

A group of men praying in front of the mosque in Tinmel village that has suffered serious damage in the recent earthquake.Matias Chiofalo/Getty Images

The damage from the earthquake that struck Morocco on Sept. 8, 2023, is still being assessed. Moroccans are grappling not just with the loss of thousands of lives, but also with the widespread...

AI won't be replacing your priest, minister, rabbi or imam any time soon

Written by Pauline Hope Cheong, Professor of Human Communication and Communication Technologies, Arizona State University

An android called 'Kannon Mindar,' which preaches Buddhist sermons.Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Early in the summer of 2023, robots projected on a screen delivered sermons to about 300 congregants at St. Paul’s Church in Bavaria, Germany. Created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the...