The Conversation

The lifesaving power of gratitude (or, why you should write that thank you note)

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

An attitude of gratitude may relieve stress, which in turn may lead to better health. michaelhelm/Shutterstock.com

Gratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an impact that they...

American farmers want trade partners not handouts – an agricultural economist explains

Written by Amanda M. Countryman, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Colorado State University

Farmer Michael Petefish walks through one of his soybean fields in southern Minnesota.AP Photo/Jim Mone

The Trump administration plans to give American farmers and ranchers hurt by the current trade war US$12 billion in emergency relief to mitigate the impact of tariffs on their exports.

While this may lessen the blow of an already struggling...

More Republicans in the news? That's not media bias

Written by Dominik Stecula, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania

It's difficult to measure media bias.Lawrey/shutterstock.com

A July 20 report, analyzing news content from The New York Times and The Washington Post, found that Republican politicians get roughly 2.5 times as many mentions as Democrats.

The report, produced by a progressive nonprofit Media Matters, was shared widely on social media. Many readers...

Designing a 'solar tarp,' a foldable, packable way to generate power from the sun

Written by Darren Lipomi, Professor of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego

What if it were a lot easier to install solar power?zstock/Shutterstock.com

The energy-generating potential of solar panels – and a key limitation on their use – is a result of what they’re made of. Panels made of silicon are declining in price such that in some locations they can provide electricity that costs about the same as...

What Richard Dawkins doesn't get about the Muslim call to prayer

Written by Rose S. Aslan, Assistant Professor of Religion, California Lutheran University

Muslim women offer prayers.Glenn Halog, CC BY-NC

Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist, unapologetic atheist and author of “God Delusion,” recently tweeted a picture of himself in front of the Winchester Cathedral in England, which said,

“Listening to the lovely bells of Winchester, one of our great mediaeval [sic]...

For many Muslim grocery shoppers, a shifting definition of 'halal'

Written by Febe Armanios, Associate Professor of History, Middlebury College

For many non-Muslims, the fast food carts that line the streets of New York City and San Francisco are their primary point of contact with halal foods.Guian Bolisay, CC BY-SA

For Muslims, halal food follows certain rules proscribed by Islamic law. It usually pertains to ritual slaughter and abstention from certain items like pork, blood and...

A perfect storm of factors is making wildfires bigger and more expensive to control

Written by Cassandra Moseley, Associate Vice President for Research and Research Professor, University of Oregon

The Carr Fire tears through Shasta, California, July 26, 2018.AP Photo/Noah Berger

Hopes for fewer large wildfires in 2018, after last year’s disastrous fire season, are rapidly disappearing across the West. Six deaths have been reported in Northern California’s Carr Fire, including two firefighters. Fires have scorched Yosemite,...

¿Para qué sirven las fronteras?

Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy, and Governance, University of Washington

Un grupo de manifestantes, que se opone a que elgobierno de Estados Unidos construya un muro, sostienen un cartel que dice, 'No muros en las fronteras'. AP Photo/Eric Gay

En Estados Unidos, se ha visto recientamente gran indignación por la ahora extinta política de la administración Trump de separar a las familias de...

Imran Khan hopes to transform Pakistan but he'll have far less power than past leaders

Written by Adnan Rasool, Ph.D. Candidate/ Student Innovation Fellow, Georgia State University

Khan won over Pakistanis with promises to boost the economy and create jobs. He may have also enjoyed some behind-the-scenes help in the election from Pakistan's armed forces.

Pakistan’s July 25 election, which brought the former cricket star Imran Khan into power as prime minister, was a landmark event.

It marked the second consecutive...

Yes, humans are depleting Earth's resources, but 'footprint' estimates don't tell the full story

Written by Robert B. Richardson, Associate Professor of Sustainable Development, Michigan State University

Purse seiner fishing in the Indian Ocean. Footprint estimates do not assess how sustainably resources such as fisheries are managed.Jiri Rezac, CC BY-SA

Experts widely agree that human activities are harming the global environment. Since the Industrial Revolution, the world economy has grown dramatically. Overall this is a success story, since...