The Conversation

Trump wasn't the first president to try to politicize the civil service – which remains at risk of returning to Jackson's 'spoils system'

Written by Barry M. Mitnick, Professor of Business Administration and of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

Trump put a portrait of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office when he was president. Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images

The federal government’s core civilian workforce has long been known for its professionalism. About 2.1 million nonpartisan career officials provide essential public services in such diverse areas as agriculture, national parks,...

COVID-19 misinformation on Chinese social media – lessons for countering conspiracy theories

Written by Kaiping Chen, Assistant Professor of Science Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Influencers and women without huge numbers of followers are more effective than others at debunking conspiracy theories on Chinese social media.AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 have accompanied the pandemic from the beginning. Crucial to managing the pandemic is mitigating the effects of misinformation, which the World Health...

Why using fear to promote COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing could backfire

Written by Amy Lauren Fairchild, Dean and Professor, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University

Images of death have been used as a scare tactic in public health campaigns for years.Buda Mendes/Getty Images

You probably still remember public service ads that scared you: The cigarette smoker with throat cancer. The victims of a drunk driver. The guy who neglected his cholesterol lying in a morgue with a toe tag.

With new, highly transmissible...

To make the US auto fleet greener, increasing fuel efficiency matters more than selling electric vehicles

Written by John DeCicco, Research Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan

A used car superstore in Colma, California.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

President Biden has proposed ambitious goals for curbing climate change and investing in a cleaner U.S. economy. One critical sector is transportation, which generates 28% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions – more than either electric power production or industry.

Shifting...

Thawing permafrost is full of ice-forming particles that could get into atmosphere

Written by Jessie Creamean, Research Scientist, Colorado State University

Permafrost is thawing across the Arctic, releasing microbes and organic materials that have been trapped in the frozen ground for thousands of years.NOAA via Wikimedia Commons

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

The big idea

Permafrost – frozen soil in the far north – is thawing, releasing greenhouse gases a...

Travelers coming from Italy may have driven first US COVID-19 wave more than those from China, study suggests

Written by Jeff Prince, Professor and Chair of Business Economics and Public Policy, Indiana University

The U.S. banned travel from China early, but the late timing of other travel bans meant the coronavirus had other routes into the U.S.AP Photo/John Minchillo

The coronavirus was still a far-away problem in Wuhan when U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ban on travel from China in late January 2020. Six weeks later, as the coronavirus ravaged...

Why it takes 2 shots to make mRNA vaccines do their antibody-creating best – and what the data shows on delaying the booster dose

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

After a second dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, a swarm of antibodies attacks the virus.Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

With the U.S. facing vaccination delays because of worker shortages and distribution problems, federal health officials now say it’s OK to push back the second dose of the two-part vaccine by as much as...

A universal influenza vaccine may be one step closer, bringing long-lasting protection against flu

Written by Patricia L. Foster, Professor Emerita of Biology, Indiana University

Wouldn't it be nice if one shot could protect you for life?Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

A bad year for flu can mean tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. Getting vaccinated can protect you from influenza, but you have to get the shot every year to catch up with the changing virus and to top up the short-lived immunity the vaccine provides....

Why the next major hurdle to ending the pandemic will be about persuading people to get vaccinated

Written by Timothy Callaghan, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University School of Public Health, Texas A&M University

Maria Saravia, a worker at the University of Southern California's Keck Hospital, adjusts her mother's mask before her COVID-19 vaccination.Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Today, more Americans hope to receive a COVID-19 vaccine than current vaccine supply will allow. Consequently, although President Joe Biden’s initial prom...

Can Biden fix the vaccine mess? An expert says yes

Written by Margaret Riley, Professor of Law, Public Health Sciences, and Public Policy, University of Virginia

Joe Biden, then president-elect, received his COVID-19 vaccination in December.Joshua Roberts via Getty Images

When President Joe Biden was sworn in on Jan. 20, he inherited the raging COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most difficult crises any incoming president has ever faced. More than 400,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus, and tens of...