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Does reopening schools cause COVID-19 to spread? It's complicated

  • Written by Scott A Imberman, Professor of Economics and Education Policy, Michigan State University
imageJean McCarthy helps a first-grade student at South Boston Catholic Academy on Sept. 10, 2020.David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

We found that schools can reopen for in-person instruction without further spreading COVID-19 in nearby communities if the number...

Read more: Does reopening schools cause COVID-19 to spread? It's complicated

Mega Millions jackpot is $750 million – where does all the lottery tax revenue really go?

  • Written by Liberty Vittert, Professor of the Practice of Data Science, Washington University in St Louis
imageTax revenue from lotteries is supposed to fund education and other public services.AP Photo/Alan Diaz

The Mega Millions jackpot drawing for Jan. 15 has soared to US$750 million and counting. This makes it the second largest pot in Mega Millions history – surpassed only by the $1.537 billion winning ticket in October 2018 – and the fifth...

Read more: Mega Millions jackpot is $750 million – where does all the lottery tax revenue really go?

The price of a drug should be based on its therapeutic benefits – not just what the market will bear

  • Written by Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York
imageThe average price for an orphan drug is more than $150,000 per year.GP Kidd/Cultura/Getty Images

The U.S. pharmaceutical industry has innovated in response to the pandemic, providing not only vaccines but also therapies to treat people with COVID-19. But an outdated law designed to spur development of lifesaving drugs risks making new treatments...

Read more: The price of a drug should be based on its therapeutic benefits – not just what the market will bear

Americans have unrealistic expectations for a COVID-19 vaccine

  • Written by Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University
imageIf too many Americans refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine, achieving population immunity will be difficult.Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Many Americans appear to be experiencing cautiousoptimism about the role that vaccines could play in ending the pandemic. But recent public opinion research suggests that 29% to 37% of Americans plan to...

Read more: Americans have unrealistic expectations for a COVID-19 vaccine

Is impeaching President Trump 'pointless revenge'? Not if it sends a message to future presidents

  • Written by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington
imageA different type of protest comes to the Capitol.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn

A House majority, including 10 Republicans, voted on Jan. 13 to impeach President Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” The vote will initiate a trial in the Senate – but that trial will likely not be finished before Trump’s term of office...

Read more: Is impeaching President Trump 'pointless revenge'? Not if it sends a message to future presidents

Misogyny in the Capitol: Among the insurrectionists, a lot of angry men who don't like women

  • Written by Mona Lena Krook, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Women & Politics Ph.D. Program, Rutgers University
imageU.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, shown during her weekly press conference Jan. 7, was a particular target of some of the Capitol insurrectionists.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Among the various forms of violence on display during the U.S. Capitol insurrection, one has been largely overlooked: misogyny, or hatred toward women. Yet...

Read more: Misogyny in the Capitol: Among the insurrectionists, a lot of angry men who don't like women

Federal financial aid for college will be easier to apply for – and a bit more generous

  • Written by Robert Kelchen, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Seton Hall University
imageThe new application for student financial aid will feature fewer questions.zimmytws/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Editor’s note: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid – better known as FAFSA – is being simplified through the omnibus spending bill that became law in December. The FAFSA is what students must fill out to...

Read more: Federal financial aid for college will be easier to apply for – and a bit more generous

The scent of sickness: 5 questions answered about using dogs – and mice and ferrets – to detect disease

  • Written by Glen J. Golden, Research Scientist/Scholar I, Colorado State University
imageMoose, a mixed-breed dog from the Nebraska Humane Society, trains in odor-detection work. Bill Cotton/CSU, CC BY-ND

Editor’s note: As COVID-19 continues to spread worldwide, scientists are analyzing new ways to track it. One promising approach is training dogs to detect people who are infected by smelling samples of human urine or sweat....

Read more: The scent of sickness: 5 questions answered about using dogs – and mice and ferrets – to detect...

Dostoevsky warned of the strain of nihilism that infects Donald Trump and his movement

  • Written by Ani Kokobobo, Associate Professor of Russian Literature, University of Kansas
imageA Trump supporter climbs scaffolding in an effort to breach the U.S. Capitol.Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Nihilism was notably cited during U.S. Senate deliberations after rioting Trump supporters had been cleared from the Capitol.

“Don’t let nihilists become your drug dealers,” exhorted Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse....

Read more: Dostoevsky warned of the strain of nihilism that infects Donald Trump and his movement

How explainable artificial intelligence can help humans innovate

  • Written by Forest Agostinelli, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of South Carolina
imageUnderstanding how artificial intelligence algorithms solve problems like the Rubik's Cube makes AI more useful.Roland Frisch via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has created computers that can drive cars, synthesize chemical compounds, fold proteins and detect high-energy particles at a superhuman level.

However,...

Read more: How explainable artificial intelligence can help humans innovate

More Articles ...

  1. What is a protein? A biologist explains
  2. At impeachment hearing, lawmakers will deliberate over a deadly weapon used in the attack on Capitol Hill – President Trump's words
  3. Why the flag of South Vietnam flew at US Capitol siege
  4. Anti-nutrients – they're part of a normal diet and not as scary as they sound
  5. How can America heal from the Trump era? Lessons from Germany's transformation into a prosperous democracy after Nazi rule
  6. I spoke to 99 big thinkers about what our 'world after coronavirus' might look like – this is what I learned
  7. Through her divisive rhetoric, Education Secretary DeVos leaves a troubled legacy of her own
  8. Big Tech's rejection of Parler shuts down a site favored by Trump supporters – and used by participants in the US Capitol insurrection
  9. How self-proclaimed 'prophets' from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol
  10. Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before
  11. A brief history of the term ‘president-elect’ in the United States
  12. Executions don't deter murder, despite the Trump administration's push
  13. Apollo landers, Neil Armstrong's bootprint and other human artifacts on Moon officially protected by new US law
  14. Some kindergartners are more likely to be heavy users of online tech later, according to new research
  15. How does Wi-Fi work? An electrical engineer explains
  16. How should schools teach kids about what happened at the US Capitol on Jan. 6? We asked 6 education experts
  17. Two-thirds of Earth's land is on pace to lose water as the climate warms – that's a problem for people, crops and forests
  18. COVID-19 response shows how an informal rule of law plays a supporting role in society
  19. Fired for storming the Capitol? Why most workers aren’t protected for what they do on their own time
  20. How to turn plastic waste in your recycle bin into profit
  21. Delaying second COVID-19 vaccine doses will make supplies last longer but comes with risks
  22. Why does grammar matter?
  23. Consumer electronics have changed a lot in 20 years – systems for managing e-waste aren't keeping up
  24. 18 million US children are at risk of hunger: How is the problem being addressed and what more can be done?
  25. Vitamin K: A little-known but noteworthy nutrient
  26. Japan's most famous writer committed suicide after a failed coup attempt – now, new photos add more layers to the haunting act
  27. Why Trump's challenges to democracy will be a big problem for Biden
  28. A scholar of American anti-Semitism explains the hate symbols present during the US Capitol riot
  29. Federal leaders have two options if they want to rein in Trump
  30. Far-right activists on social media telegraphed violence weeks in advance of the attack on the US Capitol
  31. After a record 22 billion-dollar disasters in 2020, it's time to overhaul US disaster policy – here's how
  32. Gaming has benefits and perils – parents can help kids by playing with them
  33. What the 'doctor' title means for women of color with doctorates
  34. 5 strategies for cultivating hope this year
  35. Thousands of Brazilians who won elections as Black candidates in 2020 previously ran for office as white
  36. The uncomfortable questions facing Capitol Police over the security breach by MAGA mob
  37. Vaccine delays reveal unexpected weak link in supply chains: A shortage of workers
  38. It is difficult, if not impossible, to estimate the size of the crowd that stormed Capitol Hill
  39. Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther gives a boost to diversity in STEM – a Black engineer's take on personal and professional inspiration
  40. What is Pure Land Buddhism? A look at how East Asian Buddhists chant and strive for buddhahood
  41. Why do smoke alarms keep going off even when there's no smoke?
  42. The insurrection at the Capitol challenged how US media frames unrest and shapes public opinion
  43. How does the 25th Amendment work, and can it be used to remove Trump from office after US Capitol attack?
  44. Connected workouts can help you get fit alongside virtual buddies during the pandemic
  45. US Capitol protesters, egged on by Trump, are part of a long history of white supremacists hearing politicians' words as encouragement
  46. Pikas are adapting to climate change remarkably well, contrary to many predictions
  47. Was it a coup? No, but siege on US Capitol was the election violence of a fragile democracy
  48. 'Once you engage in political violence, it becomes easier to do it again' – an expert on political violence reflects on events at the Capitol
  49. Yellow Gadsden flag, prominent in Capitol takeover, carries a long and shifting history
  50. COVID-19 crisis in Los Angeles: Why activating 'crisis standards of care' is crucial for overwhelmed hospitals