Nikolay Anguelov, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth America’s decades-long war on drugs disproportionately harmed minorities. Now, it seems that decriminalization of marijuana hasn’t leveled the playing field. Black men are 12 times more likely than white men to spend time incarcerated in the United States. College enrollment for black men has declined since the 1986 Anti-Drug […]
The Conversation
Posted inNews
Visualizing the virus
Colette Gaiter, University of Delaware As a professor of visual communications, I can’t help but notice all the images of COVID-19 that have been circulating. You’ve probably seen some version of it: a ball with distinctive spikes that vary in style – from triangular bursts to rounded knobs. It’s become both an icon – a […]
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What does ‘recovered from coronavirus’ mean? 4 questions answered about how some survive and what happens next
Tom Duszynski, IUPUI The coronavirus is certainly scary, but despite the constant reporting on total cases and a climbing death toll, the reality is that the vast majority of people who come down with COVID-19 survive it. Just as the number of cases grows, so does another number: those who have recovered. In mid-March, the […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health, News
Coronavirus cases are growing exponentially – here’s what that means
Andrew D. Hwang, College of the Holy Cross In the U.S., scientists stress that the number of coronavirus cases has been growing exponentially. In ordinary speech, the term “exponential” usually means “really fast.” To mathematicians like myself, and to scientists and public health officials, the term has a precise and subtly different meaning: A quantity […]
Posted inArts & Culture, News
Should we wear masks or not? An expert sorts through the confusion
Thomas Perls, Boston University As a professor at Boston University’s School of Medicine and a geriatrician at Boston Medical Center caring for the most vulnerable in this pandemic, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about COVID-19. It turns out there is good science out there that helps us know what masks we need to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Video: The fashionable history of social distancing
Anurag Papolu, The Conversation This video is based on an article by Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, professor of history at Case Western Reserve University. Social distancing is the new buzzword during the current coronavirus pandemic. But historically, fashion was used as a tool for social distancing between social genders and social classes, as well as keeping pathogens […]
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Feeling overwhelmed? Approach coronavirus as a challenge to be met, not a threat to be feared
Bethany Teachman, University of Virginia You have a choice to make when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Do you treat this time as an insurmountable threat that pits you against everyone else? This option entails making decisions based solely on protecting yourself and your loved ones: stockpiling supplies regardless of what that leaves for […]
Posted inArts & Culture
6 things you can do to cope with boredom at a time of social distancing
Erin C. Westgate, University of Florida More and more of us are staying home in an attempt to slow down the spreading coronavirus. But being stuck at home can lead to boredom. Boredom is a signal that we’re not meaningfully engaged with the world. It tells us to stop what we’re doing, and do it […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Video: Why social distancing is one of the best tools we have to fight the coronavirus
The Conversation US, CC BY Anurag Papolu, The Conversation This video is based on an article written by Thomas Perls, professor of Medicine at Boston University. Social distancing is a tool public health officials recommend to slow the spread of a disease that is being passed from person to person. Simply put, it means that […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Reaching out to isolated older adults is essential during coronavirus – here are 7 specific things you can do, just for starters
Basia Belza, University of Washington; Anita Souza, University of Washington, and Tatiana Sadak, University of Washington Older adults always need social connection, but they need it now more than ever. The novel coronavirus brings with it unprecedented fear and uncertainty. Vulnerable seniors need help. With face-to-face encounters discouraged, our society must develop creative strategies to […]
Posted inCity & Government
Calling COVID-19 a ‘Chinese virus’ is wrong and dangerous – the pandemic is global
Mari Webel, University of Pittsburgh The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost every country on Earth. And yet, several American officials refer to it as the “Wuhan virus” or even the “Chinese virus.” U.S.-Chinese antagonism in this vein is not new. But, while this deliberate move to associate Wuhan, and more generally China, with the […]
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Why defeating coronavirus in one country isn’t enough – there needs to be a coordinated global strategy
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 […]
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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 inEnvironment & Health
‘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, Environment & Health
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 […]
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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 […]
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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, Environment & Health
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 […]