The Conversation

When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered

Written by Aubree Gordon, Professor of Public Health, University of Michigan

A security guard wears a mask as she keeps watch at arriving passengers at Manila's international airport in the Philippines on Jan. 23, 2020, as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus. Aaron Favila/AP Photo

Editor’s note: The coronavirus that started in Wuhan has sickened more than 4,000 people and killed at least 100 in China as of...

A secret reason Rx drugs cost so much: A global web of patent laws protects Big Pharma

Written by Faisal Chaudhry, Professor of Law, University of Dayton

Advocates for lower drug prices held a vigil on Sept. 5, 2019 outside of Eli Lilly in New York City, honoring those who have lost their lives due to the high cost of insulin.Eric McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

The high price of insulin, which has reached as much as US$450 per month, has raised outrage across the country. Sen. Bernie...

Puerto Rico earthquakes imperil island's indigenous heritage

Written by Jorge L. Chinea, Professor of History and Director, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, Wayne State University

Punta Ventana, a popular tourist attraction near Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, before and after the Jan. 6 earthquake.AFP/Getty/Wikipedia

Tremors and aftershocks are still rocking Puerto Rico, weeks after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake toppled buildings, killed at least one person and injured another eight on Jan. 7. Families have begun leaving the island...

Despite defeats, the Islamic State remains unbroken and defiant around the world

Written by Brian Glyn Williams, Professor of Islamic History, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

A group of Islamic State fighters surrender in Afghanistan. Many of their comrades are still in the fight.Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images

In a series of bloody campaigns from 2014 to 2019, a multinational military coalition drove the Islamic State group, often known as ISIS, out of much of the Iraqi and Syrian territory that the strict...

Americans on the right and left change their minds after hearing where Trump stands

Written by John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the White House on Iran's ballistic missile strike against Iraqi air bases housing U.S. troops.AP Photo/ Evan Vucci

During America’s health care debate in 2013, late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel got some laughs when he asked people whether they supported Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act....

Young California ranchers are finding new ways to raise livestock and improve the land

Written by Kate Munden-Dixon, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Sustainable Food Systems, Indiana University

Sonoma County, California hired this herd of sheep from Sweetgrass Grazing to reduce invasive plants and flammable fuels and make room for native plants on protected land. Sonoma Open Space, CC BY-ND

As California contends with drought, wildfires and other impacts of climate change, a small yet passionate group of residents are attempting to lessen...

Is workplace rudeness on the rise?

Written by Shannon G. Taylor, Associate Professor of Management, University of Central Florida

Talk to the hand.SoumenNath/Getty Images

You don’t have to look hard to see uncivil behavior these days, whether in political discourse, in college classrooms or on airplanes. One study found that rudeness is even contagious, like the common cold.

The workplace, where my research is focused, is hardly immune from this so-called incivility...

Hate cancel culture? Blame algorithms

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

Thanks to algorithms, outrage often snowballs.Andrii Yalanskyi/Shutterstock.com

“Cancel culture” has become so pervasive that even former President Barack Obama has weighed in on the phenomenon, describing it as an overly judgmental approach to activism that does little to bring about change.

For the uninitiated, here’s a quick...

After the trial's over, President Trump's impeachment battles could determine who holds real power in the US government

Written by Barbara L. McQuade, Professor from Practice, University of Michigan

Cases related to the Trump impeachment may end up at the Supreme Court.ZACH GIBSON/AFP via Getty Images

The legal and constitutional battles sparked by President Trump’s behavior could affect how the U.S. government works for generations, long after the impeachment trial is over.

After the last Senate staffer turns out the lights, major...

Gay rights dispute is pulling apart the United Methodist Church, after decades of argument

Written by Scott T. Vehstedt, PhD Candidate in American History, American University

The United Methodist Church is facing a schism over LGBT policies.AP Photo/Sid Hastings

The Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States, is headed toward a divorce.

In early January, mediators from across the United Methodist Church proposed a separation plan to split the church into two separate...