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WHO declares global health emergency over coronavirus: 4 questions answered

  • Written by Aubree Gordon, Professor of Public Health, University of Michigan
A man wearing a surgical mask makes a child wear one outside a hospital where a student who had been in Wuhan is kept in isolation in Thrissur, Kerala state, India. AP Photo

Editor’s note: The World Health Organization reversed course on Jan. 30 and declared the coronavirus a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”...

Read more: WHO declares global health emergency over coronavirus: 4 questions answered

Coronavirus grown in lab outside China for first time, aiding the search for vaccine

  • Written by Ian Christopher Davis, Professor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University
Employees disinfect ticket gates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 28, 2020. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

Scientists at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia, announced Jan. 29 that they were able to grow the Wuhan coronavirus from a patient sample in the...

Read more: Coronavirus grown in lab outside China for first time, aiding the search for vaccine

The Kobe legacy: Should the NBA let high school players skip college?

  • Written by Nicole Kraft, Associate Professor of Clinical Communication, The Ohio State University
Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers waves to the crowd after passing Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list in 2014Hannah Foslein/Getty Images

Less than a decade after 18-year-old Kobe Bryant got drafted into the NBA in 1996, the league made all players spend at least one year in college or playing overseas before they could enter the...

Read more: The Kobe legacy: Should the NBA let high school players skip college?

Why losing Kobe Bryant felt like losing a relative or friend

  • Written by Edward R. Hirt, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University
Flowers and messages are placed at a memorial for Kobe Bryant in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

On the afternoon of Jan. 26, I was at the Indiana men’s basketball game when a chorus of cellphones in the crowd pinged, alerting them to the news of Kobe Bryant’s death. I was astonished at how quickly...

Read more: Why losing Kobe Bryant felt like losing a relative or friend

Iowa caucuses: It's not just candidates who face uncertainty – it's their campaign workers, too

  • Written by Barbara A. Trish, Professor of political science, Grinnell College
Seth Barnes, a staffer for Democratic presidential hopeful Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, makes calls to potential voters, Jan. 29, 2020. KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images

Soon, there might be a little clarity about the Democratic nomination race, maybe even for those workers in Iowa who staff the presidential campaigns.

2020 is a banner year for...

Read more: Iowa caucuses: It's not just candidates who face uncertainty – it's their campaign workers, too

As Democratic primaries near, educators can teach hope to a polarized citizenry

  • Written by Sarah Stitzlein, Professor of Education and Affiliate Faculty in Philosophy, University of Cincinnati
Volunteers in Iowa ahead of the Iowa caucus listening to a speaker on Jan. 25, 2020. Stephen Maturen/ AFP via Getty images

With the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary approaching many Americans are making their choice, although there are those who are still struggling with who to vote for.

Elections often inspire hope, but that hope can quickly...

Read more: As Democratic primaries near, educators can teach hope to a polarized citizenry

Humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don't fit their worldview

  • Written by Adrian Bardon, Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University
What's behind this natural tendency?Zhou Eka/Shutterstock.com

Something is rotten in the state of American political life. The U.S. (among other nations) is increasingly characterized by highly polarized, informationally insulated ideological communities occupying their own factual universes.

Within the conservative political blogosphere, global...

Read more: Humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don't fit their worldview

How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?

  • Written by Joanna McKittrick, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego
Male pileated woodpecker. FotoRequest/Shutterstock.com

Slamming a beak against the trunk of a tree would seem like an activity that would cause headaches, jaw aches and serious neck and brain injuries. Yet woodpeckers can do this 20 times per second and suffer no ill effects.

Woodpeckers are found in forested areas worldwide, except in Australia....

Read more: How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?

The Senate has actually tied in an impeachment trial – twice

  • Written by Gerard Magliocca, Professor of Law, Indiana University
Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presided over the Senate during President Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial.Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper/Wikimedia Commons

The Senate will soon vote on whether to call witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. This vote could be 50-50.

If a tie occurs, Chief Justice John Roberts can cast a...

Read more: The Senate has actually tied in an impeachment trial – twice

Supreme Court allows public charge clause that kept Nazi-era refugees from the US

  • Written by Laurel Leff, Associate Professor of Journalism, Northeastern University
President Donald Trump congratulates newly naturalized citizens via a recorded message at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Miami field office.AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

During the Nazi era, roughly 300,000 additional Jewish refugees could have gained entry to the U.S. without exceeding the nation’s existing quotas.

The primary...

Read more: Supreme Court allows public charge clause that kept Nazi-era refugees from the US

More Articles ...

  1. Why we knock on wood
  2. Has Trump proposed a Middle East peace plan – or terms of surrender for the Palestinians?
  3. Limiting Senate inquiry ignores Founders' intent for impeachment
  4. Britain's Brexit divorce is here – but the bickering over alimony payments and who gets the house is only beginning
  5. The US economy produced about $21.7 trillion in goods and services in 2019 - but what does GDP really mean?
  6. The US economy produced about $21.7 trillion in goods and services in 2019 – but what does GDP really mean?
  7. Is the coronavirus outbreak as bad as SARS or the 2009 influenza pandemic? A biologist explains the clues
  8. What is a super spreader? An infectious disease expert explains
  9. Harvey Weinstein's 'false memory' defense is not backed by science
  10. How do I know if I might have coronavirus? 5 questions answered
  11. Modern tomatoes are very different from their wild ancestors – and we found missing links in their evolution
  12. Union gunboats didn't just attack rebel military sites – they went after civilian property, too
  13. 4 myths the Trump team promoted about Andrew Johnson
  14. Preventing genocide in Myanmar: Court order tries to protect Rohingya Muslims where politics has failed
  15. Brain organoids help neuroscientists understand brain development, but aren't perfect matches for real brains
  16. I track murder cases that use the 'gay panic defense,' a controversial practice banned in 9 states
  17. Britain is about to leave the EU – what's next?
  18. Islamophobia in the US did not start with Trump, but his tweets perpetuate a long history of equating Muslims with terrorism
  19. The meme endorsement you might have missed – and why it matters for 2020
  20. Hidden by a pleasant scent: The health consequences of flavor in e-cigarettes
  21. Beware the brokered convention that breaks up the party
  22. E-cig flavors may be more than alluring; they could cause damage themselves
  23. Teaching kids how to make guitars can get them hooked on engineering
  24. Why legislation is needed to make Holocaust education more prominent in public schools: 5 questions answered
  25. Worried about accidentally harassing a woman? Don't be
  26. When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered
  27. A secret reason Rx drugs cost so much: A global web of patent laws protects Big Pharma
  28. Puerto Rico earthquakes imperil island's indigenous heritage
  29. Despite defeats, the Islamic State remains unbroken and defiant around the world
  30. Americans on the right and left change their minds after hearing where Trump stands
  31. Young California ranchers are finding new ways to raise livestock and improve the land
  32. Is workplace rudeness on the rise?
  33. Hate cancel culture? Blame algorithms
  34. After the trial's over, President Trump's impeachment battles could determine who holds real power in the US government
  35. Gay rights dispute is pulling apart the United Methodist Church, after decades of argument
  36. Obesity, second to smoking as the most preventable cause of US deaths, needs new approaches
  37. Don't be fooled – most independents are partisans too
  38. How Minneapolis made Prince
  39. Why it's unclear whether private programs for 'troubled teens' are working
  40. What is white-nose syndrome in bats?
  41. Study finds ethics can be taught – in finance, at least
  42. How CEOs, experts and philosophers see the world's biggest risks differently
  43. Atmospheric river storms can drive costly flooding – and climate change is making them stronger
  44. Does impeachment need a crime? Not according to framers of the Constitution
  45. If it's below 40 degrees in South Florida, the forecast calls for falling iguanas
  46. 5 obstacles that stop many students from taking an internship
  47. Why your zodiac sign is probably wrong
  48. In the terrorism fight, Trump has continued a key Obama policy
  49. Winning worker hearts and minds is key to companies achieving their green goals
  50. Are you in danger of catching the coronavirus? 5 questions answered