The Conversation

When cringeworthy gifts are worse than inconsiderate

Written by Deborah Y. Cohn, Associate Professor of Marketing, New York Institute of Technology

Sometimes a gift that might seem reasonable is no nicer than a stocking full of coal. Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock.com

Ever wondered why your mom bought you that inexplicable thing? You’re not alone.

I have spent years doing consumer research related to gift giving. In my field, conventional wisdom surmises that when gifts fail to please...

What Doug Jones's win means for Mitch McConnell, Steve Bannon and the Democrats

Written by David C. Barker, Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calls for Roy Moore to step aside. He later said "let the voters decide."AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Here’s the thing about selling your soul: The devil had better deliver. It’s one thing to be damned; it’s another to be a damned loser.

This is the difficult lesson that the Republican...

Can math predict what you’ll do next?

Written by Daniel J. Denis, Associate Professor of Quantitative Psychology, The University of Montana

Big data makes it a bit easier to guess your next move.blackboard1965/shutterstock.com

Good scientists are not only able to uncover patterns in the things they study, but to use this information to predict the future.

Meteorologists study atmospheric pressure and wind speed to predict the trajectories of future storms. A biologist may predict the...

Mercury from industrialized nations is polluting the Arctic – here's how it gets there

Written by Daniel Obrist, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. Plants on the Arctic tundra absorb mercury from the air, then transfer it to soil when they die.Paxson Woelber, CC BY

Scientists have long understood that the Arctic is affected by mercury pollution, but know less about how it happens. Remote, cold and seemingly pristine, why is such an idyllic landscape...

With FCC's net neutrality ruling, the US could lose its lead in online consumer protection

Written by Sascha Meinrath, Director of X-Lab; Palmer Chair in Telecommunications, Pennsylvania State University

Three of these smiling people undid U.S. consumer protections online.Federal Communications Commission

The internet may be an international system of interconnecting networks sharing a rough global consensus about the technical details of communicating through them – but each country manages its own internet environment independently. As the...

Alabama and #MeToo's disruptive force

Written by Ashwini Tambe, Editorial Director, Feminist Studies; Associate Professor, Department of Women's Studies, University of Maryland

A woman rallies for Doug Jones on Dec. 12. Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore who was accused of sexual misconduct.AP Photo/John Bazemore

Roy Moore’s electoral defeat in Alabama is an important victory for #MeToo.

Let’s recall that the allegations about his preying on teenagers came to light amidst a wave of #MeToo-inspired charges....

A parent's guide to ending sexual harassment and assault

Written by Merle H. Weiner, Philip H. Knight Professor of Law, University of Oregon

Teaching kids early can help.

The resignation of three members of Congress – John Conyers, Al Franken and Trent Franks – should serve as a reminder to parents to talk to their children about sexual misconduct.

As a law professor with a focus on domestic and sexual violence, I know that the law alone does not deter sexual misbehavior....

Why there's no place like home for the holidays

Written by Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College

George Henry Durrie's 'Winter in the Country: A Cold Morning' (1861).Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

While Christmas playlists often include cheesy favorites like “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” there are also a handful of wistful tracks that go a little bit deeper.

Listen closely to...

Trump's right about one thing: The US Senate should end its 60-vote majority

Written by Daniel Wirls, Professor of Politics, University of California, Santa Cruz

As the dramatic and traumatic first year of the Trump presidency nears the finish line, with major legislative struggles over tax legislation and the budget, it is easy to overlook other important political events.

One such development is essential to both the tax reform package, which would be Trump’s only significant legislative achievement...

Stinkhorns, truffles, smuts: The amazing diversity – and possible decline – of mushrooms and other fungi

Written by Alexander Weir, Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Autumn edible mushrooms, mostly Boletus edulis.www.shutterstock.com

“Whatever dressing one gives to mushrooms…they are not really good but to be sent back to the dungheap where they are born.”

French philosopher Denis Diderot thus dismissed mushrooms in 1751 in his “Encyclopedie.” Today his words would be dismissed in...