The Conversation

A new data-driven model shows that wearing masks saves lives – and the earlier you start, the better

Written by Biplav Srivastava, Professor of Computer Science, University of South Carolina

The computer model simulates how many COVID-19 cases could have been prevented in a particular county in the U.S.Leontura/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Dr. Biplav Srivastava, professor of computer science at the University of South Carolina, and his team have developed a data-driven tool that helps demonstrate the effect of wearing masks...

200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction

Written by Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University

Workmen dissecting a whale carcass in Antarctica, circa 1935Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Two hundred years ago, on November 17, Connecticut ship captain Nathaniel Palmer spotted the Antarctic continent, one of three parties to do so in 1820. Unlike explorers Edward Bransfield and Fabian von Bellingshausen, Palmer was a sealer who quickly saw...

Genocide claims in Nagorno-Karabakh make peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan unlikely, despite cease-fire

Written by Brian Grodsky, Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Soldiers patrol the mountainous, disputed border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, on Nov. 8.Stanislav Krasilnikov\TASS via Getty Images

A Russian-brokered cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan this week halted fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory, where long-standing hostilities reerupted on Sept. 27.

The deal...

President-elect Biden's new COVID-19 task force gives the US a fresh chance to turn around a public health disaster

Written by Catherine Lynne Troisi, Associate Professor of Management, Policy, and Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Biden and Harris meet with their COVID-19 advisers virtually on Nov. 9.AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

A change in administration in January will bring a new pandemic strategy for the United States. President-elect Joe Biden has announced his transition COVID-19 advisory council, and there are high expectations that its recommendations to combat the...

Once a symbol of desegregation, Ruby Bridges' school now reflects another battle engulfing public education

Written by Connie L. Schaffer, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, University of Nebraska Omaha

US deputy marshals escort 6-year-old Ruby Bridges outside William Frantz Public School in New Orleans in 1960.AP Photo

On Nov. 14, 1960, after a long summer and autumn of volleys between the Louisiana Legislature and the federal courts, Ruby Bridges, a 6-year-old Black girl, was allowed to enroll in an all-white school. Accompanied by federal...

An AI tool can distinguish between a conspiracy theory and a true conspiracy – it comes down to how easily the story falls apart

Written by Timothy R. Tangherlini, Professor of Danish Literature and Culture, University of California, Berkeley

In the age of social media, conspiracy theories are collective creations.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

The audio on the otherwise shaky body camera footage is unusually clear. As police officers search a handcuffed man who moments before had fired a shot inside a pizza parlor, an officer asks him why he was there. The man says to investigate a pedophile...

Ingredients in flu vaccine won't hurt you – two pharmacists explain why

Written by Terri Levien, Professor of pharmacy, Washington State University

A man in San Pablo, California, gets a flu shot at a drive-through flu shot clinic Nov. 6, 2014.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Misunderstandings about flu vaccines have existed for decades, leading to vaccine mistrust and lower-than-ideal vaccination rates. Now that a coronavirus vaccine appears to be close, experts are concerned that the lack of...

Preserving cultural and historic treasures in a changing climate may mean transforming them

Written by Erin Seekamp, Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University

With global travel curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are finding comfort in planning future trips. But imagine that you finally arrive in Venice and the “floating city” is flooded. Would you stay anyway, walking through St. Mark’s Square on makeshift catwalks or elevated wooden passages – even if you...

Amy Coney Barrett sizes up 30-year-old precedent balancing religious freedom with rule of law

Written by Mark Satta, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University

An early case will test Justice Barrett's credentials as a favorite of religious conservatives.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s first week as an active Supreme Court justice began on Nov. 2 and almost immediately included a case that could test her credentials as a religious conservative.

On the surface, Fulton v. City...

What's next for American evangelicals after Trump leaves office?

Written by Stewart Clem, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology, Aquinas Institute of Theology

Many evangelical voters believe they found a protector in chief in Donald Trump. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Donald Trump, by his own words and actions, does not appear to be the most religious person.

He has claimed he doesn’t seek forgiveness from God, and he once tried to put money in a Communion plate. Apart from his controversial photo op whil...