The Conversation

Labor Day celebrates earning a living, but remember what work really means

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Doing a job to help other people can give greater meaning to work.Photo by Eddie Kopp for Unsplach, CC BY-ND

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. employment is dire. Economists estimate that 1 in 5 workers have lost their jobs. As a result, many people are finding it difficult to keep a roof overhead and put food on the table. Yet there can...

Why masks are a religious issue

Written by Leslie Dorrough Smith, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program, Avila University

Anti-mask protesters at a rally in Orem, Utah.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Seemingly everyone has an opinion on masks: when to wear them, how to wear them, which ones are best and even whether we should be wearing them at all.

For those in this last camp, a popular argument is that the coverings aren’t the problem, but being forced by a government...

Monuments 'expire' – but offensive monuments can become powerful history lessons

Written by Alan Marcus, Professor, University of Connecticut

Charlottesville city workers drape a tarp over the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in 2018. Debate over removing the statue continues today.AP Photo/Steve Helber, File

Historical monuments are intended to be timeless, but almost all have an expiration date. As society’s values shift, the legitimacy of monuments can and often does...

Steroids cut COVID-19 death rates, but not for everyone – here’s who benefits and who doesn’t

Written by Bryan McVerry, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

Steroids could do more harm than good in patients with milder cases of COVID-19.Go Nakamura/Getty Images

New studies show that treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with inexpensive steroids can cut their risk of dying from the illness by a third. The results are so clear that the World Health Organization changed its advice on Sept. 2 and now...

Tom Seaver, like Robin Williams, had Lewy body dementia, but what is this strange illness?

Written by Melissa J. Armstrong, Associate Professor, Neurology, University of Florida

Tom Seaver at Shea Stadium in Flushing, N.Y. in 1969, when he led the once 'Lovable Losers' to the World Series. The Mets won, and many cited Seaver's pitching mastery and leadership. Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Lewy body dementia was highlighted in the news twice this week with the death of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver from Lewy body dementia...

Tom Seaver, like Robin Williams, had Lewy body dementia, but what is this strange illness? A neurologist explains

Written by Melissa J. Armstrong, Associate Professor, Neurology, University of Florida

Lewy body dementia was highlighted in the news twice this week with the death of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver from Lewy body dementia...

Why do brides wear white?

Written by Marlise Schoeny, Assistant Curator for the Ohio State Historic Costume & Textiles Collection, Adjunct Instructor for the Columbus College of Art and Design, The Ohio State University

Wedding gown bodice, circa 1836.The Ohio State Historic Costume & Textiles Collection

“A wedding gown represents far more than just a dress. It is also the embodiment of a dream,” said Vera Wang.

For most American brides, that dream is realized in a beautiful white wedding gown. It’s a seemingly timeless tradition that is often...

The complicated legacy of the Pilgrims is finally coming to light 400 years after they landed in Plymouth

Written by Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Plimoth Plantation, in Plymouth, Mass., is a living museum that's a replica of the original settlement, which existed for 70 years.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

The 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ voyage to Plymouth will be celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic with a “remembrance ceremony” with state and local officials and a...

Why COVID-19 vaccines need to prioritize 'superspreaders'

Written by Dana Goldman, Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair and Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, Pharmacy, and Economics, University of Southern California

How should COVID-19 vaccine be prioritized?AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File

Once safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are available, tough choices will need to be made about who gets the first shots.

A committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – at the behest of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and...

CRISPR can help combat the troubling immune response against gene therapy

Written by Samira Kiani, Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh

Introducing healthy genes to replace defective ones is the essence of gene therapy.KTSFotos/Getty Images

One of the major challenges facing gene therapy - a way to treat disease by replacing a patient’s defective genes with healthy ones - is that it is difficult to safely deliver therapeutic genes to patients without the immune system...