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The Conversation

Funny reviews help engage consumers, fueling impulse buys − to a point, study shows

  • Written by Sunil Wattal, Associate Dean of Research and Doctoral Programs at Fox Business School, Temple University
imageHumorous, tongue-in-cheek reviews can affect online sales.sakchai vongsasiripat/Getty Images

Consumers may enjoy reading funny or sarcastic online product reviews, but does it influence what they buy?

That’s the question my colleagues Susan Mudambi, David Schuff, Ermira Zifla and I wanted to answer with our new research into...

Read more: Funny reviews help engage consumers, fueling impulse buys − to a point, study shows

‘Difficult’ children are only slightly more likely to have insecure attachments with parents

  • Written by Or Dagan, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Long Island University Post
imageParents may worry about connecting with a child who is hard to comfort.hobo_018/E+ via Getty Images

Children with difficult temperaments, including personality tendencies such as irritability and having a hard time being comforted, are only slightly more likely than other children to have insecure attachment relationships with one or both of their...

Read more: ‘Difficult’ children are only slightly more likely to have insecure attachments with parents

Starting with a handshake, presidential debate between Harris and Trump then turns fierce, and pointed

  • Written by Rodney Coates, Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Miami University
imageFormer President Donald Trump, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris debate on Sept. 10, 2024.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

As the two presidential candidates entered the debate stage, Kamala Harris strode across it and offered her hand to Donald Trump to shake, setting a confident tone that didn’t flag throughout the debate.

Trump, appearing to grow...

Read more: Starting with a handshake, presidential debate between Harris and Trump then turns fierce, and...

Official US poverty rate declined in 2023, but more people faced economic hardship

  • Written by Mark Robert Rank, Professor of Social Welfare, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
imagePeople in West Virginia look through donated clothes. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The number of Americans living in poverty, according to the nation’s official definition, fell slightly to about 36.8 million in 2023, the Census Bureau announced on Sept. 10, 2024. The data released also indicated that the poverty rate declined a little....

Read more: Official US poverty rate declined in 2023, but more people faced economic hardship

Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for their sole food source

  • Written by Matthew Savoca, Research scientist, Stanford University
imageA humpback whale surfaces near two trawlers. All are pursuing Antarctic krill. Youenn Kerdavid/Sea Shepherd Global, CC BY-ND

The Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica is the world’s largest feeding ground for baleen whales – species like humpbacks that filter tiny organisms from seawater for food. In the 20th century, whalers killed...

Read more: Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for...

I’ve visited the same Rocky Mountain subalpine meadow weekly for a decade of summers looking at plant-pollinator interactions – here’s what I learned

  • Written by Julian Resasco, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder
imageA white-shouldered bumblebee, _Bombus appositus_ visits the flowers of a goldenbanner. Julian Resasco, CC BY-ND

Imagine a bee crawling into a bright yellow flower.

This simple interaction is something you may have witnessed many times. It is also a crucial sign of the health of our environment – and one I’ve devoted hundreds of hours of...

Read more: I’ve visited the same Rocky Mountain subalpine meadow weekly for a decade of summers looking at...

Is weight loss as simple as calories in, calories out? In the end, it’s your gut microbes and leftovers that make your calories count

  • Written by Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington
imageTwo foods may have the same number of calories, but other food factors and your microbes influence which calories your body uses more of.Martin Barraud/OJO Images via Getty Images

Is the adage “calories in, calories out” true? The short answer is yes, but the full story is more nuanced.

From the moment food touches your tongue to the...

Read more: Is weight loss as simple as calories in, calories out? In the end, it’s your gut microbes and...

How we discovered that people who are colorblind are less likely to be picky eaters

  • Written by Isabel Gauthier, David K. Wilson Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
imageWatching Julia Child in color or black and white could influence how appetizing the food looks to some audience members.AP Photo

The seventh season of Julia Child’s “The French Chef,” the first of the television series to air in color, revealed how color can change the experience of food. While Child had charmed audiences in...

Read more: How we discovered that people who are colorblind are less likely to be picky eaters

A college course that’s a history of the future

  • Written by Adam Jortner, Goodwin Philpott Eminent Professor of Religion, Auburn University
imageSources of culture and thought can be found in literature and art that was considered lowbrow.Forrest J. Ackerman Collection/Corbis via Getty Imagesimage

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Science Fiction as Intellectual History

What prompted the idea for...

Read more: A college course that’s a history of the future

Medieval theology has an old take on a new problem − AI responsibility

  • Written by David Danks, Professor of Data Science, Philosophy, & Policy, University of California, San Diego
imageEthicists wrestling with AI's responsibility for its actions, vis-a-vis its creators' responsibility, could learn a few things from theology.'The Creation of Adam' from the Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo/Wikimedia Commons

A self-driving taxi has no passengers, so it parks itself in a lot to reduce congestion and air pollution. After being hailed,...

Read more: Medieval theology has an old take on a new problem − AI responsibility

More Articles ...

  1. Elon Musk’s feud with Brazilian judge is much more than a personal spat − it’s about national sovereignty, freedom of speech and the rule of law
  2. Bobbleheads, Magic 8 Balls, chairs and other artifacts in the Smithsonian reveal the historical significance of presidential debates
  3. Politicians often warn of American decline – and voters often buy it
  4. How Democrats are making a mistake in rural America – by not showing up
  5. Found dead in the snow − how microbes can help pinpoint time of death for forensic investigations in frigid conditions
  6. Neutral news sources could exploit today’s polarized mediascape to boost revenue − here’s why they may choose not to
  7. How Russia employs ‘hard soft power’ to influence overseas media and sow dissent and fear among foreign populations
  8. FDA’s new regulations underscore the complexity around screening for women with dense breasts
  9. Under both Trump and Biden-Harris, US oil and gas production surged to record highs, despite very different energy goals
  10. Is it time to retire the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’? Hostilities now extend beyond those boundaries
  11. Breast density and mammograms: New FDA rule will ensure all women have more information after cancer screenings
  12. Can schools stop students from praying?
  13. Putting a spiritual spin on my love affair with vinyl
  14. The Boeing Starliner has returned to Earth without its crew – a former astronaut details what that means for NASA, Boeing and the astronauts still up in space
  15. Tiny, compact galaxies are masters of disguise in the distant universe − searching for the secrets behind the Little Red Dots
  16. Georgia high school shooting shows how hard it can be to take action even after police see warning signs
  17. Space travel comes with risk − and SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than any private mission has before
  18. Crossing state lines to get an abortion is a new legal minefield, with courts to decide if there’s a right to travel
  19. Trump campaign violated rules in Arlington National Cemetery visit, cemetery legal expert explains
  20. As eastern equine encephalitis spreads, a neurologist explains how to stay safe during this latest outbreak of the ‘triple E’ virus
  21. Black church leaders brought religion to politics in the ‘60s – but it was dramatically different from today’s white Christian nationalism
  22. Kamala Harris’ purported Irish ancestry highlights complicated backstory of identity and enslavement
  23. Yellow food dye can make living tissue transparent − these methods could one day improve cancer treatment, blood draws and even tattoo removal
  24. US food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 as government benefits declined and food prices soared
  25. El alegre léxico de la lengua española puede ayudar a resolver un misterio de salud llamado la paradoja hispana
  26. Oil and gas communities are a blind spot in America’s climate and economic policies
  27. Guilt over kids’ screen time is common, uncomfortable and can stress family relationships − but it can have a silver lining
  28. Harris campaign tries to beat Trump at his own game − ridicule
  29. Utilities rely on dirty ‘peaker’ plants when power demand surges, but there are alternatives
  30. As a high school teacher and as governor, Tim Walz has tapped the power of geographic information systems, or GIS, to solve complex problems
  31. As Russell M. Nelson turns 100, a look back at one of the words that will define his legacy – and the controversial term’s 200-year history
  32. How much does aging affect mental acuity? It’s debatable
  33. Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts
  34. Long COVID inflicts deep scars on the lungs, but targeting specific immune cells could reverse damage − new research in mice
  35. India’s new mega-dam will roil lives downstream with wild swings in water flow every day
  36. Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’
  37. No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal safeguards
  38. New NFL helmet accessory reduces concussions − but players and fans may not be ready to embrace safety over swag
  39. Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus release triggered 1977’s ‘Russian flu’
  40. Humans infecting animals infecting humans − from COVID-19 to bird flu, preventing pandemics requires protecting all species
  41. How HIV/AIDS got its name − the words Americans used for the crisis were steeped in science, stigma and religious language
  42. ‘Social profit orientation’ can help companies and nonprofits alike do more good in the world
  43. Poor people are business owners, too – but myths around poverty and entrepreneurship hold them back
  44. What is the Shroud of Turin and why is there so much controversy around it?
  45. Chip that steers terahertz beams sets stage for ultrafast internet of the future
  46. Domesticating horses had a huge impact on human society − new science rewrites where and when it first happened
  47. 7 years after genocide, plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is exacerbated by camp violence
  48. How one 83-year-old fell into a fraudster’s fear bubble – and how gift cards played a key role
  49. In the face of DEI backlash, belonging plays a key role to future success
  50. The workhorse ship of ocean drilling may have made its last voyage – here’s why scientists don’t want to see the JOIDES Resolution mothballed