Lamia Karim, a professor of anthropology, writes for The Daily Star about a conundrum of free speech in the classroom and how it relates to the current Bangladesh political climate. "Free speech is messy, complex and has a compromising side. We may not agree, but denying speech, in my opinion, will push those ideas underground where they will find adherents," she writes.

In an Associated Press article about the wellness trend called "winter arc," Elliot Berkman, a professor of psychology and dean of the Division of Natural Sciences, says that goal progress, rather than simply goal attainment, is psychologically beneficial. He says it can provide “positive emotion, a sense of purpose and meaning as well as agency and autonomy.”

After the death of former president Jimmy Carter, Dan Tichenor, a political science professor, told The U.S. Sun, “[Carter] was kind of relatively inexperienced, but that was also his enormous appeal because most Americans had lost trust in government and the presidency in particular and feeling that it had been corrupted."

If you’re not used to walking on slippery, uneven terrain, it’s a good idea to practice before your visit by going on some hikes, says Christopher Minson, professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences. Strengthening your legs and core muscles, wearing shoes with good soles, and carrying a walking stick for balance will also help you navigate glacier terrain, he says.

There are molecular bits and pieces found in ancient Amazonian dark earth that don’t make sense with this long-held belief that it’s all up to human inventiveness, says Professor Lucas Silva, a soil scientist at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences. In a 2021 study, his team found traces of a type of carbon from plants like maize or plants from open savannah territories—not the local wet forests. Silva spoke with BBC Science Focus about how the nutrient-rich soil of the Amazons might hold the secret to fight climate change.

Diego Melgar is a University of Oregon seismologist and leader of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT), a $15 million National Science Foundation research initiative that began in 2023 to bridge gaps between scientists who study different aspects of Cascadia but may have been isolated in their own silos — and to connect policymakers to the latest science. Valerie Sahakian, a lead investigator for CRESCENT and UO earth scientist, recalled that at a recent event, experts who work on resilience at utilities, federal agencies, emergency management and grassroots organization came together.

Psychology assistant research professor and senior instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences Christina Karns explores the brain-altering power of gratitude in the Being Patient publication. Psychology researchers recognize that taking time to be thankful has benefits for well-being. Not only does gratitude go along with more optimism, less anxiety and depression, and greater goal attainment, but it’s also associated with fewer symptoms of illness and other physical benefits, Karns said.

Your microbiome isn't yours alone. Research published in Nature shows that a person’s microbiome is shaped not only by their social contacts but also by the social contacts’ connections. The work is one of several studies that raise the possibility that health conditions can be shaped by the transmission of the microbiome between individuals, not just by diet and other environmental factors that affect gut flora. Social interactions are “definitely a piece of the puzzle that I think has been missing until recently,” says postdoctorate microbiologist Catherine Robinson at the University of Oregon, who was not involved in the work.

The online publication Sheen Magazine features Elliot Berkman, a psychology professor and divisional dean of the Division of Natural Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences. Berkman said the constant checking of phones is caused by reward learning and the fear of missing out (FOMO). Berkman explains that, “Habits are a product of reinforcement learning, one of our brain’s most ancient and reliable systems,” and therefore people tend to develop habits of completing behaviors that have rewarded them in the past.

Ecologists at the University of Oregon have been awarded a $2 million federal grant that allows the UO team—led by Lauren Hallett, an environmental studies professor in the College of Arts and Sciences—to expand their research into improving soil health and climate resilience in hazelnut groves by planting native wildflowers with added crushed basalt under the trees. The funding is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Innovation Grants Program, through the Inflation Reduction Act.