Despite soaring profits, U.S. companies now reinvest only 12 cents per dollar, down from 25 cents in 1975. An economist explains why excess capacity is more important than tax rates in explaining business investment decisions:
The Conversation
Why aren’t companies speeding up investment? A new theory offers an answer to an economic paradox
The pace of US business investment has fallen by about 50% over the past 50 years. Idle capacity, not cautious executives, explains the decline, re...
Sea star wasting disease wiped out 90% of sunflower sea stars on North America's west coast, leading to a 10,000% increase in purple sea urchins that devastated kelp forests and transformed the marine economy.
The Conversation
How sea star wasting disease transformed the West Coast’s ecology and economy
The loss of one iconic species, sunflower sea stars, unleashed a voracious eater of seagrass habitats and upended the coastal ecosystem. But the re...
The death of Charlie Kirk has sparked a wave of AI-generated images depicting him as a martyr. This phenomenon highlights how digital culture transforms public figures into modern-day saints, a sociologist explains.
The Conversation
Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr
In a polarized environment, the elevation of a figure into a saint does more than honor the individual. It turns a political struggle into a sacred...
Tibetan Buddhist nuns are breaking barriers in religious education. A record 161 nuns gathered in India this year to take exams for the geshema degree, equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy. The Dalai Lama played a major role in this trend to equality:
The Conversation
Tibetan Buddhist nuns are getting advanced degrees − and the Dalai Lama played a major role in that shift
A 2012 change has seen scores of Tibetan Buddhist nuns achieve the highest degree in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The implications go beyond just h...
Based on their research into #AI on screen, scholars spotlight 4 films that reveal key human–AI dynamics: 🎥Blade Runner (1982) 🎥Moon (2009) 🎥Resident Evil (2002) 🎥Free Guy (2021) https://buff.ly/mB99NwS
The First Amendment shields protesters, critics and even offensive voices (even at funerals).. It doesn’t protect threats, incitement or defamation. A legal scholar explains the line: https://buff.ly/LhYMvAy
Defiance isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s the small choices –– a pause, a question, a quiet “no.” These 3 questions can help you zero in on whether the time is right for you to resist ⬇️ A psychologist unpacks why people comply, and what it takes to resist:
The Conversation
The science of defiance: A psychology researcher explains why people comply – and how to resist
You don’t need to be a rebel to defy. Defiance isn’t about personality, it’s a practice – one that’s becoming essential in workplaces, po...
 image
Religious groups may be the loudest against #abortion rights — but when facing an unplanned pregnancy, women’s personal choices often tell a more complicated story. https://buff.ly/89nLaTK
Civil society is the web of nonprofits, unions, churches and community groups that protect democratic life. When governments attack or control these groups, it’s a red flag for authoritarianism –– and Americans are noticing.
The Conversation
Civil society helps uphold democracy and provides built-in resistance to authoritarianism
There are growing signs that American civil society is becoming more vulnerable to the president’s preferences and dictates – something that ha...
 #USPolitics #democracy
The U.S. government is days from a possible shutdown on Oct. 1. And even short government shutdowns do lasting damage, research shows. They sap morale, drive federal workers to quit, raise costs and weaken agencies for years. https://buff.ly/idiSS35