The psychology behind why clowns creep us out
Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College
For the past several months, creepy clowns have been terrorizing America, with sightings of actual clowns in at least 10...
We’re self-obsessed – but do we understand the nature of the self?
Michael Allen Fox, University of New England
We live in an age of self-obsession. Everywhere we look, we encounter a preoccupation with self-interest, self-development, self-image,...
A scarce commodity: trustworthy and relevant information
By Thomas E. Patterson, Harvard University
Foundation essay: This article is part of a series marking the launch of The Conversation in the US. Our...
Clearing up confusion between correlation and causation
By Jonathan Borwein (Jon), University of Newcastle and Michael Rose, University of Newcastle
UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH: What do we actually mean by research and how does...
Bleed me: why excess iron can be dangerous
Richard Stevens, University of Connecticut
Iron is a most versatile element. It is essential to many of the enzymes that are the engines for life,...
Walmart’s pay raise highlights how poor we’ve all become
By Mechele Dickerson, University of Texas at Austin
Walmart recently did something that will help its employees, which may very well benefit all lower- and...
Chasing glory: why hosting the Olympics rarely pays off
By Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College
The competition to host the Olympic Games has typically been fierce, but an increased awareness of the giant money pit...
Life boils down to five ‘rules’ … or so says the Madingley Model
By James Smith
It may sound overly simple, but just five processes can define us as animals: eating, metabolism, reproduction, dispersal and death.
They might not...
