The Conversation

Will the new 15-minute COVID-19 test solve US testing problems?

Written by Zoë McLaren, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Easy, fast coronavirus testing is critical to controlling the virus.AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

On Aug. 26, the Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization to a new rapid antigen test for COVID-19 called the BinaxNOW test.

I study public health policy to combat infectious disease epidemics. Testing is one of the most powerful...

If Trump refuses to accept defeat in November, the republic will survive intact, as it has 5 out of 6 times in the past

Written by Alexander Cohen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University

Trump has refused to say he will accept the outcome of the upcoming election.Alex Wong/Getty Images

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump refused to promise to accept the results of the election. Likewise, in 2020, his continued assault on the reliability and legitimacy of mail-in voting has laid the groundwork for chall...

Can a college course teach students to 'unlearn' racism?

Written by Jennifer E. Cross, Professor of Sociology, Colorado State University

Can a college course help students understand people of different races?AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Many Americans are asking how they can be more sensitive to members of different racial groups, a desire fueling sales of books like “How to be an Anti-racist” and the presence of “Hate has no home here” signs in front yards. But...

Race and class can color teachers’ digital expectations for their students – with white students getting more encouragement

Written by Matt Rafalow, Sociologist and Visiting Scholar, University of California, Berkeley

Is he learning something?Pollyana Ventura/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Schools that rely on remote learning during the pandemic are trying to ensure that all kids have the devices and internet bandwidth they need. While important, it takes more than everyone having comparable equipment and working WiFi for all children to get an equal shot.

In my new...

Does forgetting a name or word mean that I have dementia?

Written by Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor Medicine, Geriatrics, University of Virginia

Your medical team should determine whether you have dementia or just normal memory loss due to aging.Fred Froese via Getty Images

The number of cases of dementia in the U.S. is rising as baby boomers age, raising questions for boomers themselves and also for their families, caregivers and society. Dementia, which is not technically a disease but a...

Why sign language is vital for all deaf babies, regardless of cochlear implant plans

Written by Kimberly A. Wolbers, Professor of Deaf Education, University of Tennessee

Learning how to say 'more.'JGI/Jamie Grill via Getty Images

When their newborn failed a hearing test, Quinn and Kai were distraught. Their pediatrician reassured them their baby was a candidate for a cochlear implant – an electronic device consisting of an external part worn behind the ear and an internal part surgically placed under the skin...

Ethnic diversity on campus helps break down stereotypes

Written by Xuechunzi Bai, Graduate student researcher, Princeton University

Students who attend racially diverse colleges benefit socially. FatCamera/GettyImages

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

The big idea

When students attend ethnically diverse colleges, their enriched experience transforms how they view different ethnic groups and better prepares them for life and work in 21st century...

Don't be so shocked at the Falwell claims – research on Christian sex websites reveals an adventurous side to evangelical sexual culture

Written by Kelsy Burke, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Jerry Falwell Jr. who resigned after 13 years serving as president of Liberty University.AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File

Many headlines in the past week have speculated publicly on the sex lives of Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki Falwell.

While both Falwells have told the press that the scandal is, more or less, all Becki’s fault an...

I'm a public health researcher, and I'm dismayed that the CDC's missteps are causing people to lose trust in a great institution

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

Workers on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020 removed the main sign to the visitors' entrance to the CDC, leaving instead a temporary one made of cardboard-like material.Lynne Anderson, CC BY-SA

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been the premier U.S. public health agency since its founding on July 1, 1946.

The CDC is responsible for assuring...

Shortened census count will hurt communities of color

Written by Aggie Yellow Horse, Assistant Professor of Asian Pacific American Studies and Justice and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University

Community groups, like this one in Phoenix, have been working to get people of color to contribute their information to the census.AP Photo/Terry Tang

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau is having a harder time than in the past counting all Americans, and is now saying its workers will spend less time trying to count everyone.

In...