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The Conversation

Giving thanks, but to whom? Fewer Americans embrace organized religion

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
image'Jesus loves you,' NevadaJonas Witt/flickr, CC BY-ND

Fewer Americans may be asking for God’s blessing of their Thanksgiving meal this year.

Religious participation is declining among Americans even though religion is still very popular. According to the latest Religious Landscape Study by the Pew Research Forum, the percentage of Americans who...

Read more: Giving thanks, but to whom? Fewer Americans embrace organized religion

Want to change perceptions of Muslims? Support students of all beliefs

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageMembers of a Muslim fraternity at University of Texas, DallasAliMMahmoud94, CC BY-SA

In the wake of the recent terror attacks in Paris, Baghdad and Beirut, our national discourse has been full of conversations about Muslims in civic life.

Presidential candidates have offered up religious tests as potential barriers to entry for refugees seeking to...

Read more: Want to change perceptions of Muslims? Support students of all beliefs

Is double-dipping a food safety problem or just a nasty habit?

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageOne dip and done.Chip and dip via www.shutterstock.com.

What do you do when you are left with half a chip in your hand after dipping? Admit it, you’ve wondered whether it’s OK to double dip the chip.

Maybe you’re the sort who dips their chip only once. Maybe you look around the room before loading your half-eaten chip with a bit...

Read more: Is double-dipping a food safety problem or just a nasty habit?

Why does culture sometimes evolve via sudden bursts of innovation?

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageA particularly fruitful moment for technological innovation?Viktor M Vasnetsov

Human beings inherit many genetic traits directly from their parents. However, cultural traits – tools, beliefs and behaviors that are transmitted by learning – can be passed on not only by parents but also teachers and peers. Many animals have learned...

Read more: Why does culture sometimes evolve via sudden bursts of innovation?

Climate change's hotter weather could reduce human fertility

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageHow will climate change affect our conception chances? Fetus ultrasound via www.shutterstock.com

Policymakers are tasked with addressing climate change in the face of uncertainty: the 2013 IPCC report projects average global temperatures will increase by anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 6 degrees Celsius) in the coming century if we...

Read more: Climate change's hotter weather could reduce human fertility

Despite recent victories, plights of many LGBT people remain ignored

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageA homeless person sleeps under a post promoting marriage equality.Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

To be sure, monumental gains have been made for LGBT rights over the past decade: national marriage rights, widespread media representations and the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military.

Yet often glossed over in the coverage...

Read more: Despite recent victories, plights of many LGBT people remain ignored

Brain connections predict how well you can pay attention

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imageYour brain scan told me your mind would wander.Boy image via www.shutterstuck.com

During a 1959 television appearance, Jack Kerouac was asked how long it took him to write his novel On The Road. His response – three weeks – amazed the interviewer and ignited an enduring myth that the book was composed in a marathon of nonstop typing.

Like...

Read more: Brain connections predict how well you can pay attention

Making the moral case on climate change ahead of Paris summit

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
imagePoor people are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather and sea level rise, yet have contributed little to the causes. asiandevelopmentbank/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Much of the general public is well aware of scientists' recommendations on climate change. In particular, climate scientists and other academics say...

Read more: Making the moral case on climate change ahead of Paris summit

How fast can we transition to a low-carbon energy system?

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor
image'Decarbonizing' the energy system is above all an infrastructure problem. m-i-k-e/flickr, CC BY-NC

Starting later this month, the world’s nations will convene in traumatized Paris to hammer out commitments to slow down global climate change. Any long-term solution will require “decarbonizing” the world energy economy – that...

Read more: How fast can we transition to a low-carbon energy system?

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  4. As the Earth enters its third mass bleaching event, will corals survive?
  5. The rush to calculus is bad for students and their futures in STEM
  6. Paris climate summit: why more women need seats at the table
  7. Who should monitor homeschooling?
  8. How your genes influence what medicines are right for you
  9. What does China's role in Africa say about its growing global footprint?
  10. A warmer embrace of Muslims could stop homegrown terrorism
  11. Could the Hunger Games turn your teen into a revolutionary?
  12. ISIS attacks fueled by illegal guns and open societies we can't afford to lose
  13. Stronger work-family policies help women entrepreneurs build better businesses
  14. Toilet talk: meeting one of the world's grand challenges with innovation
  15. Gender equality comes one toilet at a time
  16. Why do public bathrooms make us so anxious, and why aren't we doing anything about it?
  17. Talking heads: what toilets and sewers tell us about ancient Roman sanitation
  18. Explainer: why transgender students need safe bathrooms
  19. Why 1904 testing methods should not be used for today's students
  20. Is Fiorina's tax proposal three sheets to the wind?
  21. With #OpISIS, Anonymous hacktivists contribute virtual boots on the ground
  22. NATO should invade ISIS-held territory
  23. Is Islam incompatible with modernity?
  24. Are Texas textbooks making cops more trigger-happy?
  25. Can Tesla's enthusiast customers help it sell the electric car for the everyperson?
  26. Paper or plastic? How disposable bag bans, fees and taxes affect consumer behavior
  27. Many small microaggressions add up to something big
  28. Islamic State versus Da'ish or Daesh? The political battle over naming
  29. Why Paris?
  30. The promise and perils of predictive policing based on big data
  31. Why have the demands of black students changed so little since the 1960s?
  32. Up close at the Democratic Debate in Des Moines
  33. How Islamic law can take on ISIS
  34. Paris attacks push progress at Vienna talks on Syria
  35. Paris: the war with ISIS enters a new stage
  36. Deportations punish children most
  37. Egypt's Sisi signals shift toward Muslim Brotherhood
  38. Scientist at work: searching for tiny neutrinos in the South Pole's thick ice
  39. College students go online to learn about sex
  40. How existentialism can shield us from the free market's dark side
  41. The long and troubled racial past of Mizzou
  42. Can listening to music help you sleep?
  43. Yes, eastern coyotes are hybrids, but the 'coywolf' is not a thing
  44. Unsurprised by Missouri – scholars on the roots of racial unrest on campus
  45. Canada could shed its split personality on climate change at Paris talks
  46. Could a smartphone app help stop the next polio outbreak in Pakistan?
  47. Norwegians using 'Texas' to mean 'crazy' actually isn't so crazy
  48. Social Security, Ponzi schemes and why the government isn't 'stealing' your money
  49. Under the sea: Russia, China and American control of the waterways
  50. Human biases hold key to solving both Europe's refugee crisis and climate change