The Conversation

The risk of preterm birth rises near gas flaring, reflecting deep-rooted environmental injustices in rural America

Written by Jill Johnston, Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California

New research found a significantly higher risk of preterm births near gas flaring in Texas, particularly among Latinas. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Through the southern reaches of Texas, communities are scattered across a flat landscape of dry brush lands, ranches and agricultural fields. This large rural region near the U.S.-Mexico border is known...

How to talk to vaccine skeptics so they might actually hear you

Written by Erica Weintraub Austin, Professor and Director, Edward R. Murrow Center for Media & Health Promotion Research, Washington State University

Anti-vaccination supporters in Olympia, Wash., protesting the state's stay-at-home orders. Jason Redmond/Getty Images

An estimated 24,000 to 62,000 people died from the flu in the United States during the 2019-20 flu season. And that was a relatively mild flu season, which typically starts in October and peaks between December and February.

The lat...

What happens when COVID-19 and influenza collide? Can hospitals handle the strain?

Written by Christine Crudo Blackburn, Deputy Director, Pandemic & Biosecurity Policy Program, Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University

The arrival of flu season will put more pressure on hospitals already facing the coronavirus pandemic.Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty Images

Flu season is just around the corner, and the United States still hasn’t contained the coronavirus. That sets up an unsettling challenge this fall: how to minimize the impact of the simultaneous...

Before 'Coup 53,' the US and Iran were old friends

Written by Daniel Thomas Potts, Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology and History, New York University

The ouster of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh marked a turning point in U.S.-Iran relations.AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The British- and American-backed plot to overthrow Iran’s prime minister in 1953 laid the groundwork for the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and decades of hostility with the U.S. A documentary about the plot released on Aug. 19 offers...

Families can support kids' mental health whether they're learning remotely or at school – here's how

Written by Erika Bocknek, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Wayne State University

Kids learn who they are and how to cope within their families.Thomas Barwick/Stone via Getty Images

The choice between in-person learning, where available, and remote learning is a fraught one for parents. Children experience joy and connection when they learn alongside other kids, but they risk being exposed to the coronavirus. Remote learning at...

Getting a flu shot this year is more important than ever because of COVID-19

Written by Libby Richards, Associate Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

Hospital workers tend to a COVID-19 patient April 7, 2020 in New York City, where hospitals were so crowded they had to transfer patients to different facilities. John Moore/Getty Images

With the coronavirus still spreading widely, it’s time to start thinking seriously about influenza, which typically spreads in fall and winter. A major flu...

Sketchy darknet websites are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic – buyer beware

Written by David Maimon, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University

Black markets thrive online and flourish during pandemics and other crises.Marko Klaric/EyeEm via Getty Images

Underground markets that sell illegal commodities like drugs, counterfeit currency and fake documentation tend to flourish in times of crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. The online underground economy has responded to the...

Cloth masks do protect the wearer – breathing in less coronavirus means you get less sick

Written by Monica Gandhi, Professor of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

When people wear masks, they can still get infected, but they're more likely to have milder symptoms.Wenmei Zhou/Digital Vision Vectors via Getty Images

Masks slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by reducing how much infected people spray the virus into the environment around them when they cough or talk. Evidence from laboratory experiments, hospitals and...

What will student protests look like when classes are online?

Written by Johnathan Flowers, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Worcester State University

This fall will see a change in the ways college students participate in campus activism, experts suggest. Maddie Meyer / Staff/GettyImages

Editor’s note: Campus protests have become a mainstay in American higher education in recent years. But now that many colleges and universities will be conducting classes online due to COVID-19, the nature...

A little-known technology change will make video streaming cheaper and pave the way for higher quality

Written by Jason Schmitt, Professor and Chair, Department of Communication, Media & Design, Clarkson University

A short summary of how the H.266 standards can improve the video streaming experience.

A new format for compressing video, called Versatile Video Coding (H.266/VVC), at first glance might not seem to be the most exciting or profound change to influence humanity. But in a world where 4.57 billion people identify as active internet users, 3.5 billion...