Author: TheConversation

By Michael Varnum, Associate Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University; Ian Hohm, Graduate Student of Psychology, University of British Columbia What comes to mind when you think about winter? Snowflakes? Mittens? In much of the Northern Hemisphere, winter means colder temperatures, and shorter days. Along with these changes, a growing body of research in psychology and related fields suggests that winter also brings some profound changes in how people think, feel and behave. While it is one thing to identify seasonal tendencies in the population, it is much trickier to try to untangle why they exist. Some of winter’s...

By Jacob O. Wobbrock, Professor of Information, University of Washington Technology innovation requires solving hard technical problems, right? Well, yes. And no. As the Apple Macintosh turns 40, what began as Apple prioritizing the squishy concept of “user experience” in its 1984 flagship product is, today, clearly vindicated by its blockbuster products since. It turns out that designing for usability, efficiency, accessibility, elegance and delight pays off. Apple’s market capitalization is now over US$2.8 trillion, and its brand is every bit associated with the term “design” as the best New York or Milan fashion houses are. Apple turned technology...

By Simon Lewis, Professor of English, College of Charleston Twenty years ago, in October 2003, 26-year-old Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie burst onto the North American publishing scene with her debut novel,“ Purple Hibiscus.” Since then, Adichie’s literary fame has only grown: She’s published two more novels and a collection of short stories, while two of her TED talks have garnered tens of millions of views. In September 2023, she published her first children’s book – a joyful celebration of mother-daughter love – under the nom de plume Nwa Grace-James. But the October 2003 publication of “Purple Hibiscus” did...

By Frank S. Ravitch, Professor of Law & Walter H. Stowers Chair of Law and Religion, Michigan State University When Louisiana passed a law in August 2023 requiring public schools to post “In God We Trust” in every classroom, from elementary school to college, the author of the bill claimed to be following a long-held tradition of displaying the national motto, most notably on U.S. currency. But even under recent Supreme Court precedents, the Louisiana law may violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from promoting religion. I make this observation as one who...

By Eli Shupe, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, University of Texas at Arlington Every year, first-year medical students approach their human cadavers with a mixture of awe and trepidation. They will come to know their assigned cadaver intimately. During the course of their studies, they will carefully pull back layers of skin, muscle and tissue as they learn the fundamentals of human anatomy. When the long process of dissection is complete, the cadavers are cremated, with the remains returned to family, interred in a dedicated plot, scattered in a memorial garden or sometimes...