Editor's note

With Halloween around the corner, ghost decorations have started popping up in neighborhoods and revelers are getting their spooky costumes ready. Beliefs in ghosts are shared across many cultures. USC Dornsife’s Tok Thompson, who has studied ghost stories, writes that often in these stories the departed are seeking justice for some earthly wrong and their sightings are a reminder to lead moral and ethical lives.

An amendment on the November ballot in Florida will determine whether 1 million citizens with felony convictions will have their right to vote restored. Political scientist Victoria Shineman from the University of Pittsburgh writes about her new research based on ex-offenders in Virginia that shows restoring ex-offenders’ right to vote can significantly improve their attitudes toward democracy and the government – and reduce the chances they’ll commit another crime in the future.

If a shot makes you howl with pain while your friend barely winces, it may be that the differences in pain tolerance are caused by your genes. Geneticist Erin Young of the University of Connecticut explains how our genes alter the way we experience acute and chronic pain, the quest for personalized pain treatments and the implications for the opioid crisis.

Kalpana Jain

Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

Top Stories

A Halloween ghost. Werner Reischel/Flickr.com

Why believing in ghosts can make you a better person

Tok Thompson, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Ghost stories are often about the departed seeking justice for an earthly wrong. Their sightings are a reminder that ethics and morality transcend our lives.

A felony voting rights advocate in Kentucky. AP Photo/Roger Alford

Florida’s Amendment 4: Restoring voting rights to people with felonies might also reduce crime

Victoria Shineman, University of Pittsburgh

New research shows that when ex-offenders are told they're able to vote, their attitudes about democracy and justice improve. A November ballot measure in Florida hangs in the balance.

Some people feel more pain than others. Mikhail_Kayl / Shutterstock.com

Why do some people hurt more than others?

Erin Young, University of Connecticut

Researchers are exploring the genetic differences that dictate why some people suffer greater pain than others, and how to translate these findings into personalized pain treatments.

Economy + Business

Environment + Energy

Politics + Society

Science + Technology

Education

From our International Editions

Today’s quote

"In 10 years' time, insurance coverage for cyberattacks could be standard for every homeowner."

 

As digital threats grow, will cyber insurance take off?

 

Nir Kshetri

University of North Carolina – Greensboro

Nir Kshetri
 

Enjoy reading The Conversation? Forward this newsletter to a friend