The Conversation

How does the Johnson Johnson vaccine compare to other coronavirus vaccines? 4 questions answered

Written by Maureen Ferran, Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose. Phill Magoke/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine in adults. Maureen Ferran, a virologist at the Rochester Institute of Technology, explains how this third authorized vaccine works and explores the...

Alexei Navalny leads Russians in a historic battle against arbitrary rule, with words echoing Catherine the Great

Written by Hilde Hoogenboom, Associate Professor of Russian, Arizona State University

Women form a human chain on Feb. 14 in central Moscow to support jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his wife Yulia Navalnaya and other political prisoners. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of young Russians are protesting the leadership of Vladimir Putin nationwide in freezing temperatures. Thousands have been arrested.

Central...

Facebook's news blockade in Australia shows how tech giants are swallowing the web

Written by Jennifer Grygiel, Assistant Professor of Communications (Social Media) & Magazine, News and Digital Journalism, Syracuse University

Facebook's decision to shut off sharing of Australian news made headlines across the nation.AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

When Facebook disabled Australians’ access to news articles on its platform, and blocked sharing of articles from Australian news organizations, the company moved a step closer to killing the World Wide Web – the...

Deported veterans, stranded far from home after years of military service, press Biden to bring them back

Written by Jennifer Martinez-Medina, PhD Candidate/Political Science Instructor, Portland State University

Mexican-American deported veterans at a Memorial Day ceremony held annually on the bridge that connects Texas to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, May 28, 2018. Herika Martinz/ AFP via Getty Images

Ivan Ocon thought he would be headed back to civilian life as a U.S. citizen after serving the U.S. Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Ocon, who was born in...

What is fascism?

Written by John Broich, Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University

A Donald Trump supporter wears a gas mask and holds a bust of him after he and hundreds of others stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Since before Donald Trump took office, historians have debated whether he is a fascist.

As a teacher of World War II history who has written about fascism, I’ve...

Audio chatrooms like Clubhouse have become the hot new media by tapping into the age-old appeal of the human voice

Written by Damian Radcliffe, Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism, University of Oregon

The name "clubhouse" conveys a sense of exclusivity, belonging and connection.wundervisuals/E+ via Getty Images

Google “What is Clubhouse?” and you’ll find a flurry of articles written in the past few weeks about this fast-growing social network. It’s not yet a year old, and much of the buzz stems from the fact that...

What public school students are allowed to say on social media may be about to change

Written by Scott F. Johnson, Professor of Law, Concord Law School

Student speech in public schools has less protection than speech by adults in the community at large.Noam Galai/Getty Images

After a high school cheerleader in Pennsylvania dropped a series of F-bombs about her school in a Snapchat post over a weekend in the spring of 2017, she was suspended from the cheerleading team and sued the school district,...

Giving while female: Women are more likely to donate to charities than men of equal means

Written by Tessa Skidmore, Research Associate of Philanthropy, Women's Philanthropy Institute; Doctoral student of Philanthropy, IUPUI

Women who are collectively donating to an all-girls school in Peru discuss their charitable giving in a Vienna, Virginia dining room.Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The American poet Ambrose Bierce wrote in 1906 that a philanthropist is “a rich (and usually bald) old gentleman who has trained himself to grin while...

The exercise pill: How exercise keeps your brain healthy and protects it against depression and anxiety

Written by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

The author, Arash Javanbakht, at his gym. Javanbakht did not like to exercise until he found an activity he enjoyed. Arash Javanbakht, CC BY-SA

As with many other physicians, recommending physical activity to patients was just a doctor chore for me – until a few years ago. That was because I myself was not very active. Over the years, as I...

Many Black Americans aren’t rushing to get the COVID-19 vaccine – a long history of medical abuse suggests why

Written by Esther Jones, Associate Professor of English, affiliate with Africana Studies and Women's & Gender Studies, Clark University

Black patients can be wary of the medical establishment.Maskot via Getty Images

Black Americans have been the least inclined of any racial or ethnic group to say they’d get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The proportion of Black people who said they’ll probably or definitely take the shot has risen over time – but even by...