The Conversation

The coronavirus pandemic is making the US housing crisis even worse

Written by Isabel Solange Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee

A pedestrian walks past graffiti in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Ninety-five percent of Americans have been ordered to stay at home to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

As a human geographer who studies experiences of home and housing, I find a certain irony to these orders, particularly when wrapped in messages...

1918 flu pandemic killed 12 million Indians, and British overlords' indifference strengthened the anti-colonial movement

Written by Maura Chhun, Community Faculty, Metropolitan State University

Cremation on the banks of the Ganges river, India.Keystone-France via Getty Images

In India, during the 1918 influenza pandemic, a staggering 12 to 13 million people died, the vast majority between the months of September and December. According to an eyewitness, “There was none to remove the dead bodies and the jackals made a feast.”

A...

Catholic Church urges Venezuela to unite against coronavirus

Written by David Smilde, Professor of Sociology, Tulane University

He may be praying, but so far the Pope has declined to intervene in Venezuela's crisis to aid a unified coronavirus response.LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus hasn’t yet hit Venezuela as hard as neighboring Brazil and Colombia. But after years of economic and political crisis, the country’s institutions are in ruins and expert...

Massive spending in a crisis brought bloody consequences in ancient Athens

Written by Mark Munn, Professor of Ancient Greek History and Greek Archaeology, Pennsylvania State University

A steel engraving of the naval battle of Arginusae in 406 B.C.Allgemeine Weltgeschichte, 1898/Getty Images

The jump in federal spending in response to the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic is not a new idea. Nearly 2,500 years ago, the people of ancient Athens had a similar plan – which succeeded in meeting the major threat they faced, but...

Why prisoners are at higher risk for the coronavirus: 5 questions answered

Written by Martha Hurley, Professor and Director of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Dayton

People wearing protective masks leave the Cook County jail complex in Chicago, Illinois.Scott Olson/Getty Images

COVID-19 has created a new norm for human interaction: social distancing, improving hygiene with soap and hand sanitizer, wearing a mask and quarantining.

But what does this mean for the more than 2 million people held in local, state...

Lead with empathy during the COVID-19 crisis

Written by Leslie Hammer, Professor, Oregon Health & Science University

Essential workers expose themselves to the coronavirus every day.zoranm/Getty Images

In these uncertain and highly stressful times, there is heightened reliance on managers and supervisors to maintain the well-being, health and safety of their workforce.

During the COVID-19 crisis, leaders are performing their typical roles under the additional...

3 innovations helping the homeless in Eugene, Oregon

Written by Mohamed Hassan Awad, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, California State University, Los Angeles

Volunteers are building villages of tiny houses for formerly homeless people.Bruce Kelsh/Cottage Village Coalition, CC BY-SA

Even when the economy is booming, the United States has trouble figuring out how to deal with homelessness. Now, with unemployment soaring and millions of Americans unable to pay their rent, solutions are more needed than...

What's lost when we're too afraid to touch the world around us?

Written by Chunjie Zhang, Associate Professor of German, University of California, Davis

We touch, therefore we know.Jupiterimages/Getty Images

During one of my daily walks with my toddler, when we passed his favorite playground, I noticed a new sign warning that the coronavirus survives on all kinds of surfaces and that we should no longer use the playground. Since then, I’ve taken great pains to prevent him from touching...

Buildings have their own microbiomes – we're striving to make them healthy places

Written by Kevin Van den Wymelenberg, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director, Biology and the Built Environment Center, University of Oregon

Sunlight, ventilation and relative humidity all affect the microbiome of indoor spaces.iStock / Getty Images Plus

Architects and building engineers strive to create safe, productive places where humans can live and work. We have developed complex codes, regulations and guidelines to achieve goals such as structural safety, fire safety, adequate...

The first Earth Day was a shot heard around the world

Written by Maria Ivanova, Associate Professor of Global Governance and Director, Center for Governance and Sustainability, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston

The first Earth Day in 1972 spurred other countries to support global environmental action.Callista Images/Getty

The first Earth Day protests, which took place on April 22, 1970 brought 20 million Americans – 10% of the U.S. population at the time – into the streets. Recognizing the power of this growing movement, President Richard...