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Not everyone wants their donations touted on Facebook or plastered on walls [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 27 November 2018 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair [Support The Conversation. Our board will match your gift.]( Editor's note My colleagues on The Conversation’s board of directors have given our model of bridging academia and journalism a tremendous vote of confidence. They’ve pledged $15,000 to match all donations between now and year’s end – and challenged us to meet that goal, on top of the over $25,000 we have already raised as part of NewsMatch. If just three out of 10 of people reading this email donate, we’ll easily meet this challenge and you’ll help us continue to bring you great journalism in 2019. [Help meet the Board Challenge]( Thank you in advance for your generosity on this #GivingTuesday. Our lineup this morning also starts with a story about giving. When you support causes you believe in, you may notice that requests to make a fuss about your gifts on social media often follow. Do you like that kind of recognition – or do you prefer anonymity after [hitting the donate button](? Pennsylvania State University marketing professor Karen Winterich has researched “why some donors broadcast their good deeds while others remain silent.” The Conversation, as part of its mission, provides well-researched, relevant content to local news outlets, free of cost. As University of Oregon journalism professor Damian Radcliffe writes, [the health of local news outlets is critically important for our democracy](: Not only do people place significantly more trust in local news reporting, but people in communities with a local paper are also much more likely to to vote and contact local officials. Maria Balinska Editor and Co-CEO Top stories Social media is one avenue for proclaiming generosity. Rawpixel/Shutterstock.com [Not everyone wants their donations touted on Facebook or plastered on walls]( Karen Winterich, Pennsylvania State University Some people are more inclined to give when they know their friends will find out. Local journalists are often the only journalists that most people will ever meet. teka12/Shutterstock.com [How local journalism can upend the ‘fake news’ narrative]( Damian Radcliffe, University of Oregon A recent survey found that Americans trust local media outlets far more than national ones. Giving Tuesday - [When you’re grateful, your brain becomes more charitable]( Christina Karns, University of Oregon How does being thankful about things in your own life relate to any selfless concern you may have about the well-being of others? A neuroscientist explores the gratitude/altruism connection. - [Does giving donors stuff actually raise more money?]( Jonathan Meer, Texas A&M University Donor premiums are a common fundraising tactic. But recent research suggests that they are not cost-effective. - [How to get the biggest bang out of matching funds]( Laura Gee, Tufts University Nonprofit fundraisers have long relied on matching funds to encourage giving without knowing if they work. Research suggests one way to make the most out of challenge gifts from big donors. Science + Technology - [The road to enhancement, via human gene editing, is paved with good intentions]( John Evans, University of California San Diego A Chinese scientist has revealed he edited the DNA of twin girls born through in vitro fertilization. These girls are designed to be resistant to HIV. Is the edit a medical necessity or an enhancement? - [Why aren’t there electric airplanes yet?]( Venkat Viswanathan, Carnegie Mellon University; Shashank Sripad, Carnegie Mellon University; William Leif Fredericks, Carnegie Mellon University The battery technology and cooling systems needed for electric aircraft to lift people and cargo are getting closer to reality, but they're still very different from electric cars and trucks. - [The key to fixing the gender gap in math and science: Boost women’s confidence]( Lara Perez-Felkner, Florida State University High school girls who are more confident in their math abilities are more likely to pursue math in college and beyond. Ethics + Religion - [Why Twitter’s cute, heart-shaped ‘like’ button is not so harmless]( A. Trevor Sutton, Concordia Seminary The 'like' button does far more than just express how much a person likes a particular picture or post. It could be used to make social comparisons. Economy + Business - [Instagram posts suggest e-scooter companies like Bird aren’t promoting safe riding to newbies]( Jon-Patrick Allem, University of Southern California Motorized scooters that can travel up to 15 miles per hour have soared in popularity over the past year, as have concerns about their safety. Health + Medicine - [Living drugs: Engineering bacteria to treat genetic diseases]( Pedro Belda Ferre, University of California San Diego Researchers are exploring the possibility of creating living drugs – designer microbes that can live in our guts and provide critical components that our body needs but can't make itself. - [Kim Kardashian West and ecstasy: A reminder of the social dangers of the drug]( Joseph Palamar, New York University Langone Medical Center Many brides are ecstatic when they marry, but few use the drug ecstasy on the big day. Kim Kardashian West recently divulged that she did. A drug expert explains the big risks of the party drug. From our international editions - [Slavers in the family: what a castle in Accra reveals about Ghana’s history]( Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Hampshire College Archaeological research at Christiansborg Castle in Ghana has provided an in-depth understanding of Danish, Ga and Danish-Ga lived experiences during the eighteenth century transatlantic slave trade. - [Funding journalism means defining who’s a journalist – not a bad thing]( Ivor Shapiro, Ryerson University The Canadian government has announced a new policy of providing financial assistance to the country's news industry. With any financial support will come a need to define who exactly is a journalist. - [Are humans still evolving? Freediving people have evolved to stay underwater longer]( Jan Hoole, Keele University New research shows the Bajau Laut people of Southeast Asia have evolved bigger spleens to store more oxygen-rich blood. Today’s quote [Does humanity have an inalienable right to colonize Mars simply because we will soon be able to do so?]( [Colonizing Mars means contaminating Mars – and never knowing for sure if it had its own native life]( David Weintraub Vanderbilt University [David Weintraub] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111