Nader Habibi, Brandeis University Policymakers in countries where there are severe outbreaks of COVID-19 are doing what they can to slow the spread and “flatten the curve.” But so far, there hasn’t been much global coordination, raising the risk of a second wave of contamination even after individual countries halt the virus’ advance. That’s the […]
The Conversation
Posted inNews
With schools everywhere suspended, an education expert answers 4 questions about the upheaval
Jon Pedersen, University of South Carolina Most of the school systems that shut their doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak initially said these closures would be temporary. But health authorities warn that Americans may need to keep up their social distancing for months. Jon Pedersen, dean of the University of South Carolina College of Education, […]
Posted inHealth & Fitness
‘My first question every time I see a new patient now is: Could this be COVID-19?’ A Seattle doctor on the frontlines
Nicholas Johnson, University of Washington The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Inside, as usual, patient beds are near capacity, and the emergency department is filled with not only the usual mix of patients with trauma, stroke, chest pain and other concerns, […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Health & Fitness
What coronavirus symptoms should I look for, and when do I call the doctor? A doctor answers 4 questions
William Petri, University of Virginia As the nation adjusts to the threat of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, it’s only natural to worry whether a cough or aches and pains could be signs you have become infected by the virus. Dr. William Petri, a professor of medicine and immunologist at the University of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
How to maintain physical and mental health during coronavirus
Nita Bharti, Pennsylvania State University Millions are asking for clear, comprehensive information and guidelines regarding the novel coronavirus. Unfortunately, the U.S. public hasn’t received factual information or future direction from the federal government. Instead, the government has underreported cases and local transmission rates due to a lack of testing kits. But during a crisis, leadership […]
Posted inArts & Culture
4 ways to help kids relax as the coronavirus upends everyday life
Mirae J. Fornander, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Families everywhere are adjusting to a new way of life due to social distancing measures like closed schools, workplaces, and more. Given that anxiety was already among the most common mental health problem in kids before the COVID-19 pandemic, what can parents do to help keep this […]
Posted inNews
Social distancing comes with social side effects – here’s how to stay connected
Jonathan Kanter, University of Washington and Adam Kuczynski, University of Washington To fight the spread of coronavirus, government officials have asked Americans to swallow a hard pill: Stay away from each other. In times of societal stress, such a demand runs counter to what evolution has hard-wired people to do: Seek out and support each […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
How does the coronavirus test work? 5 questions answered
Maureen Ferran, Rochester Institute of Technology The U.S. government is fighting to contain and slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Testing is central to these efforts. Molecular biologist and viral researcher Maureen Ferran answers some basic questions about how these diagnostic tests work – and if there are enough to go around. Who gets […]
Posted inCity & Government
Coronavirus control measures aren’t pointless – just slowing down the pandemic could save millions of lives
Matthew McQueen, University of Colorado Boulder Anywhere from 20% to 60% of the adults around the world may be infected with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. That’s the estimate from leading epidemiological experts on communicable disease dynamics. Even the best-case scenario using those numbers means nearly 40,000,000 adults will […]
Posted inNews
Why public health officials sound more worried about the coronavirus than the seasonal flu
Tom Duszynski, Indiana University The spread of the new coronavirus, which has infected over 80,000 people worldwide and resulted in the death of more than 3,000, has raised alarms around the world. At the same time, the seasonal influenza, known as the flu, causes severe illness in between 3 million and 5 million people, with […]
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Coronavirus: A simple way to keep workers – and the economy – from getting sick
Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University The COVID-19 outbreak appears headed for the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging Americans to prepare now, such as by stocking up on food and prescription drugs. But since the U.S. economy and its workforce are also at risk of getting sick – a concern […]
Posted inCity & Government, Health & Fitness
How can we prepare for the coronavirus? 3 questions answered
Aubree Gordon, University of Michigan Editor’s note: Public health officials in the U.S. warned that the coronavirus, which has in large part spared the U.S., is coming and that the country needs to be prepared. But just what does this mean for you, as well as for public health officials? Aubree Gordon, public health scholar […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Sports
On the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, a look back at what was lost
Rob Ruck, University of Pittsburgh During the half century that baseball was divided by a color line, black America created a sporting world of its own. Black teams played on city sandlots and country fields, with the best barnstorming their way across the country and throughout the Caribbean. A century ago, on Feb. 13, 1920, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The power of a song in a strange land
Donna M. Cox, University of Dayton From the moment of capture, through the treacherous middle passage, after the final sale and throughout life in North America, the experience of enslaved Africans who first arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, some 400 years ago, was characterized by loss, terror and abuse. The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act […]
Posted inNews
High-tech fishing gear could help save critically endangered right whales
Michael Moore, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Hannah Myers, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Many fish, marine mammals and seabirds that inhabit the world’s oceans are critically endangered, but few are as close to the brink as the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Only about 411 of these whales exist today, and at their current rate […]
Posted inNews
Study: As Airbnb grows, this is exactly how much it’s bringing down hotel prices and occupancy
Tarik Dogru, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management, Florida State University Airbnb has grown exponentially since its founding in 2008 and is expected to soon go public in an initial public offering that would rank it among the world’s most valuable hotel companies. In fact, U.S. consumers spent more money on Airbnb last year than they […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census would cost some states their congressional seats
Dudley Poston, Texas A&M University A partisan battle is brewing over the 2020 census. In March 2018, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross instructed the U.S. Census Bureau to add a new question to the 2020 questionnaire, asking respondents whether they were citizens of the U.S. This decision led to a host of legal challenges. Social […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The truth about St. Patrick’s Day
James Farrelly, University of Dayton In 1997, my students and I traveled to Croagh Patrick, a mountain in County Mayo, as part of a study abroad program course on Irish literature I was teaching for the University of Dayton. I wanted my students to visit the place where, each July, thousands of pilgrims pay homage […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Toward a circular economy: Tackling the plastics recycling problem
Margaret Sobkowicz, University of Massachusetts Lowell Why has the world continued to increase consumption of plastic materials when at the same time, environmental and human health concerns over their use have grown? One answer is they are immensely useful to humankind, and despite problems they create, they have provided countless benefits. They are used to […]
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If you recycled all the plastic garbage in the world, you could buy the NFL, Apple and Microsoft
This story was written by Liberty Vittert, Washington University in St Louis, for The Conversation.(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year. On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5 […]
Posted inNews
Climate change resilience could save trillions in the long run – but finding billions now to pay for it is the hard part
This story was written by David L Levy, Professor of Management, Director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness, University of Massachusetts Boston. This article is republished from The Conversation.Read the original article. Is your city prepared for climate change? The latest National Climate Assessment paints a grim future if U.S. cities and states don’t […]
Posted inArts & Culture
How Hanukkah came to America
This story was written by Dianne Ashton, Professor of Religion, Rowan University.This article is republished from The Conversation. Read the original article. Hanukkah may be the best known Jewish holiday in the United States. But despite its popularity in the U.S., Hanukkah is ranked one of Judaism’s minor festivals, and nowhere else does it garner such attention. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Awareness of food waste can help us appreciate holiday meals
The article is written by Bryce Hannibal, Research Scientist and Lecturer, Texas A&M University.This article is republished, with permission, from The Conversation.Read the original article. Americans celebrate the winter holidays in many ways, which typically include an abundance of food, drinks, desserts – and waste. Food waste is receiving increasing attention from managers, activists, policymakers and […]
Posted inHistory
10 things to know about the real St. Patrick
Lisa Bitel, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences On March 17, people around the world will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by parading in green hats, sporting images of shamrocks and leprechauns – tiny, grinning, fairy men – pinned to their lapels. Patrick’s picture will adorn greeting cards: an aged, bearded bishop in flowing […]