Tag: The Conversation
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Sugar starts corroding your teeth within seconds
Between Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies and holiday cookies, the end of the year is often packed with opportunities to consume sugar. But what happens in your ... -
Why index funds and ETFs are good for retirees
Older adults likely began their investing careers before exchange-traded funds existed and have stuck with traditional mutual funds. But as retirement approaches, many investors look at ... -
Don’t write off the Putin–Trump summit just yet
Like many such encounters, the Aug. 15, 2025, Alaska red-carpet rollout for Russian President Vladimir Putin is classic Donald Trump: diplomacy as pageantry, emerging seemingly out ... -
Nowadays autocrats use manipulation, not violence
President Donald Trump’s critics often accuse him of harboring authoritarian ambitions. Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen abroad. ... -
Harvard fights to keep enrolling international students
A federal judge in Boston on May 23, 2025, temporarily blocked a Trump administration order that would have revoked Harvard University’s authorization to enroll international students. ... -
The sharp decline in young Americans’ support for free speech
For much of the 20th century, young Americans were seen as free speech’s fiercest defenders. But now, young Americans are growing more skeptical of free speech. ... -
Pope Leo XIV: Why the College of Cardinals chose the Chicago native and Augustinian to lead the church after Francis
When 69-year-old Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost appeared on the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time as Pope Leo XIV on May 8, ... -
Buddha’s foster mother played a key role in the orphaned prince’s life
Mother’s Day offers an opportunity to reflect on what motherhood means in different religions and cultures. As a scholar of Buddhism and gender, I know how ... -
Japanese women have long sacrificed their surnames in marriage − politics and demographics might change that
For centuries, women entering marriage in Japan have been bound by the Confucian notion of personal sacrifice for the good of the family – and that ... -
A Palestinian-Israeli film just won an Oscar − so why is it so hard to see?
For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar win is a golden ticket. The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals ... -
The history and politics of often-maligned isolationism
Few terms in American foreign policy discourse are as misunderstood or politically charged as “isolationism.” Often used as a political weapon, the term conjures images of ... -
China to step in?
If US attempts World Bank retreat, the China-led AIIB could be poised to step in – and provide a model of global cooperation Donald Trump’s animosity ... -
AI datasets have human values blind spots − new research
My colleagues and I at Purdue University have uncovered a significant imbalance in the human values embedded in AI systems. The systems were predominantly oriented toward ... -
Trudeau taps out: How Trump’s taunts and tariff threats added to domestic woes confronting Canada’s long-standing PM
After weeks of speculation over his future, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign on Jan. 6, 2025. His departure will bring an ... -
Why winter makes you more vulnerable to colds
You’ve probably heard “Don’t go outside in the winter with your hair wet or without a coat; you’ll catch a cold.” That’s not exactly true. As ... -
Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows
Everyday physical activity, like going for a short walk or playing with the kids, may provide short-term benefits for cognitive health, equivalent to reversing four years ... -
The journey matters as much as the destination
Americans spent more than US$850 billion on domestic leisure travel in 2023, a sum that looks likely to rise in future years. Whether it’s a weekend ... -
May 2025 arrive quickly, dry and bright
Weather conditions posed challenges, but not even an unseasonal typhoon could dim the shine of the FIA event that wrapped up the WTRC, GT, and Formula ... -
An 83-year-old Borges story predicts a bleak internet future
How will the internet evolve in the coming decades? Fiction writers have speculated on this question for years. In his 2019 novel Fall, Neal Stephenson imagined ... -
The ancient Irish get far too much credit for Halloween
This time of year, I often run across articles proclaiming Halloweena modern form of the pagan Irish holiday of Samhain – pronounced SAW-en. But as a ... -
Your next favorite story won’t be written by AI – but it could be someday
Stories define people – they shape our relationships, cultures and societies. Unlike other skills replaced by technology, storytelling has remained uniquely human, setting people apart from ... -
Profit with purpose
As OpenAI attracts billions in new investment, its goal of balancing profit with purpose is getting more challenging to pull off: an interview with Alnoor Ebrahim ... -
Decolonizing the calendar in Latin America
This is the season of patriotism in Latin America as many countries commemorate their independence from colonial powers. From July to September, public plazas in countries ... -
A realistic statue of Mary giving birth was criticized, then vandalized
A sculpture of the Virgin Mary showing her giving birth to Jesus was recently attacked and beheaded. Called “Crowning” by the artist Esther Strauss, the sculpture ... -
Low pay, high staff turnover, burnout took a toll on social service nonprofits
Social service nonprofits had high rates of staff turnover and a hard time filling vacant positions in 2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic was ending. Low salaries, ... -
Tiny robots and AI help to craft material solutions for cleaner environments
Human activities release pollutants into the air, water, and soil, threatening both ecosystems and human health. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution alone causes ... -
How Atlantic Niña’s could affect hurricane season
For months, the North Atlantic Ocean has experienced unusually high surface temperatures. However, recent cooling in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific might offer some relief, ... -
AI pioneers want bots to replace human teachers – here’s why that’s unlikely
OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy envisions a world in which artificial intelligence bots can be made into subject matter experts that are “deeply passionate, great at teaching, ... -
International students will offer a big boost to the US economy
Of the millions of young adults heading off to college this fall, many will be international students. If trends continue, about 1 million students from around ... -
Dementia risk factors identified in new global report are all preventable
Nearly half of all dementia cases could be delayed or prevented altogether by addressing 14 possible risk factors, including vision loss and high cholesterol. That is ... -
Vietnam’s late Trong left a legacy in ‘bamboo diplomacy’
As a rule, the U.S. secretary of state does not attend the funeral of the general secretary of a Communist party. Yet that is exactly what ... -
Emigration: The hidden catalyst behind radical right’s rise in Europe
Earlier this spring, the European Parliament voted to overhaul its immigration policy to more evenly distribute responsibility among member states for managing the arrival of migrants ... -
How the ‘probability revolution’ fueled the casino gambling craze in the 18th century
The first commercial gambling operations emerged, coincidentally or not, at the same time as the study of mathematical probability in the mid-1600s. By the early 1700s, ... -
Pets give companionship, cuddles, joy – and unavoidable stresses
Owning a pet can be a roller coaster. There are the highs, like when your dog greets you with a full-body wiggle when you return home, ... -
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at 200: A revolutionary work of art
In early 1824, 30 members of Vienna’s music community sent a letter to Ludwig van Beethoven petitioning the great composer to reconsider his plans to premiere ...
