Stories by The Conversation US

Cultivating intellectual humility can offer individual and social benefits, a psychologist explains

A streak can motivate you to keep up with behaviors ranging from praying to running to sharing pictures on social media

Deciding when and what to eat is a complex calculus incorporating input from your eyes, your gut and your vagus nerve

From experiencing seasonal depression to feeling friskier, here are some ways winter affects people's mental health and attitude

Technology is supposed to save us time, right? Turns out, it’s stealing some of our most precious time, but it’s not too late to get it back

Gifts play an important role in human relationships and are about more than consumerism

Economists dive into the financial impact of Christmas trees—real and artificial alike—on the U.S.

Real or artificial? Here’s a climate scientist’s take on what makes a Christmas tree more sustainable, based on how it was made or where it grew

The iridescent, blind De Winton’s golden mole was last seen in 1937 and later declared officially lost. But scientists have since rediscovered it by tracking its environmental DNA

PFAS can enter the food chain through marine plants and animals and hurt human health

Your questions about eye drop contamination answered by infectious disease experts

Gluten’s unique chemistry gives foods like bread and rolls their airy, stretchy textures

Historically, only women’s drinking was considered a risk during pregnancy, but new research points to the role of fathers’ habits as well

From self-pollination to bogs, cranberries are a Thanksgiving classic with many fascinating botanical and genetic features

Trees can outsmart animals such as squirrels and birds by synchronizing their seed production

Shifting temperatures disrupt the cues animals rely on to navigate their environment

Deception researchers investigate under what circumstances we are liable to let loose a whopper

Those fascinated with true crime podcasts may be more vulnerable to conspiratorial beliefs

Researchers have documented that social media can harm teens

While spicy food can cause pain, it isn’t linked to higher mortality rates

The darkness of the night sky offers a profound insight on the nature of the cosmos

Virtual power plants are aggregations of electricity producers, consumers and storers that power grid managers can call on to balance electricity demand and supply

A hydrogeologist explains the shifting balance between fresh and salt water at the coast as sea levels rise

How do people make peace with the image reflected back at them in a video conference?