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The icy backstory to that 'clink clink' you'll hear when raising a toast to the end of 2020

  • Written by Tulasi Srinivas, Professor of Anthropology, Religion and Transnational Studies, Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies, Emerson College
imageIce with a slice of history.Instants/Getty Images

If ever there was a year to toast drawing to an end, it’s 2020. Over the festive period, people around the world will be raising a glass to better times ahead.

Accompanying sighs of relief will likely be the subtle tinkling of ice.

In researching a book on the social, medical and moral history...

Read more: The icy backstory to that 'clink clink' you'll hear when raising a toast to the end of 2020

Should pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine? Will it protect against asymptomatic infections and mutated viruses? An immunologist answers 3 questions

  • Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia
imageI am a physician, and I just got my first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.William Petri, CC BY-SA

This week I was vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, which brought to mind some frequently asked questions about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

I am a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Virginia, where I...

Read more: Should pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine? Will it protect against asymptomatic infections...

How curators transferred Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks' archives to escape wildfires

  • Written by Emily Lin, Head of Digital Curation and Scholarship, UC Merced, University of California, Merced
imageThe sequoias that live on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California are the largest trees in the world by volume.Erin Donalson/EyeEm via Getty Images

Editor’s note: As wildfires came dangerously close to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in September 2020, the curator of the archives there worked with Emily Lin, librarian...

Read more: How curators transferred Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks' archives to escape wildfires

How holiday cards help us cope with a not-so-merry year, according to a professor of comedy

  • Written by Matthew McMahan, Assistant Director, Comedic Arts, Emerson College
imageA colorful vintage cartoon greeting card depicts a caricature of a soldier receiving a message from the ‘Pigeon Express'.Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The first Christmas card was, perhaps predictably, one of good cheer. The concept is commonly credited to Sir Henry Cole, the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum...

Read more: How holiday cards help us cope with a not-so-merry year, according to a professor of comedy

Can employers require workers to take the COVID-19 vaccine? 6 questions answered

  • Written by Ana Santos Rutschman, Assistant Professor of Law, Saint Louis University
imageA patient care director in New York receives the coronavirus vaccine. Eduardo Munoz/Pool via AP

Editor’s note: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency in charge of enforcing laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, on Dec. 16 said that employers can require employees to get vaccinated before entering the...

Read more: Can employers require workers to take the COVID-19 vaccine? 6 questions answered

Can Joe Biden 'heal' the United States? Political experts disagree

  • Written by Arie Kruglanski, Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland
imageA Trump supporter and an anti-Trump demonstrator shout at each other near Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., Nov. 14, 2020.Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Editor’s note: When Joe Biden becomes president on Jan. 20, 2021, he will lead a fractured nation whose political factions are separated by a chasm. In his victory speech,...

Read more: Can Joe Biden 'heal' the United States? Political experts disagree

Why it matters that the coronavirus is changing – and what this means for vaccine effectiveness

  • Written by David Kennedy, Assistant Professor of Biology, Penn State
imageThe French government will not accept any passengers arriving from the U.K. amid fears over the new mutant coronavirus strain. Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images

A new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom, with over 1,400 cases since September. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, generally accumulates...

Read more: Why it matters that the coronavirus is changing – and what this means for vaccine effectiveness

Why should I trust the coronavirus vaccine when it was developed so fast? A doctor answers that and other reader questions

  • Written by Lana Dbeibo, Assistant professor of clinical medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine
imagePharmacist Jessica Sahni prepares a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in New York City. Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

Editor’s Note: With a coronavirus vaccination effort now underway, you might have questions about what this means for you and your family. If you do, send them to The Conversation, and we will find a physician or researcher to...

Read more: Why should I trust the coronavirus vaccine when it was developed so fast? A doctor answers that...

How high school sports became the latest battleground over transgender rights

  • Written by Elizabeth A. Sharrow, Associate Professor of Public Policy and History, University of Massachusetts Amherst
imageHigh school athletes, including Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, both transgender girls, compete in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2019.AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb

This year, 20 states proposed to ban transgender girls – meaning those assigned male at birth but who live and identify as girls – from competing on girls interscholastic sports...

Read more: How high school sports became the latest battleground over transgender rights

The morality of feeling equal empathy for strangers and family alike

  • Written by Brendan Gaesser, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York
imageIn a divided nation, a little empathy goes a long way.Brent Stirton/Getty Images

The year 2020 has been no stranger to suffering. In the midst of a global pandemic, widespread financial hardship and violence arising from systemic racism, empathy for others’ suffering has been pushed to the front and center in U.S. society.

As society grapples...

Read more: The morality of feeling equal empathy for strangers and family alike

More Articles ...

  1. South Africa's inability to honestly confront AIDS shows the dangers of America's COVID-19 denialism
  2. Thousands of ocean fishing boats could be using forced labor – we used AI and satellite data to find them
  3. The psychology of fairness: Why some Americans don't believe the election results
  4. Oppression in the kitchen, delight in the dining room: The story of Caesar, an enslaved chef and chocolatier in Colonial Virginia
  5. Obama book offers key insight about how laws really get made
  6. Secular 'values voters' are becoming an electoral force in the US – just look closely at 2020's results
  7. Why do different countries have different electric outlet plugs?
  8. New antidepressants can lift depression and suicidal thoughts fast, but don’t expect magic cures
  9. If I have allergies, should I get the coronavirus vaccine? An expert answers this and other questions
  10. International Statistic of the Year: Race for a COVID-19 vaccine
  11. ¿Está regresando la Estrella de Belén?
  12. Granny's on Instagram! In the COVID-19 era, older adults see time differently and are doing better than younger people
  13. In Trump election fraud cases, federal judges upheld the rule of law – but that's not enough to fix US politics
  14. Why Facebook antitrust case relies so heavily on Mark Zuckerberg's emails
  15. When families of murder victims speak at death penalty trials, their anguish may make sentencing less fair
  16. What you need to know about this year's winter solstice and the great conjunction
  17. Here's why Christmas movies are so appealing this holiday season
  18. Llamas are having a moment in the US, but they've been icons in South America for millennia
  19. FDA authorized first over-the-counter COVID-19 test – useful but not a game changer
  20. The top scientific breakthrough for 2020 was understanding SARS-CoV-2 and how it causes COVID-19 – and then developing multiple vaccines
  21. Why retired generals rarely lead the Pentagon
  22. As heavenly bodies converge, many ask: Is the Star of Bethlehem making a comeback?
  23. 10 reasons why Anthony Fauci was ready to be the face of the US pandemic response
  24. Why the Puritans cracked down on celebrating Christmas
  25. Cuba redobla el acoso a quienes piden libertades creativas después de diálogo 'inédito' con artistas
  26. Black candidates can win in swing districts
  27. Wildfire smoke changes dramatically as it ages, and that matters for downwind air quality – here's what we learned flying through smoke plumes
  28. President Trump's use of the authoritarian playbook will have lasting consequences
  29. Cuba cracks down on artists who demanded creative freedoms after 'unprecedented' government negotiations
  30. US nonprofits raised $2.5 billion on Giving Tuesday in 2020
  31. 4 signs that food pantries improve the diets of low-income people
  32. 5 ways MacKenzie Scott’s $5.8 billion commitment to social and economic justice is a model for other donors
  33. Museum specimens could help fight the next pandemic – why preserving collections is crucial to future scientific discoveries
  34. Americans aren't getting enough to eat during the coronavirus pandemic – here's what's happening in Los Angeles County
  35. K-12 schools need to take cyberattacks more seriously
  36. The reality of Black men's love lives and marriages is very different than what's usually shown on TV – I spent years actually talking to them
  37. Why being stuck at home – and unable to hang out in cafes and bars – drains our creativity
  38. Companies accused of crimes get more digital privacy rights than people under new Trump policy
  39. COVID-19 means a lot more work for families of children with disabilities, but schools can help
  40. Will going out in the cold give you a cold?
  41. Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Why the Gospels disagree over the circumstances of Christ's birth
  42. The coronavirus vaccine: A doctor answers 5 questions
  43. Racial stereotypes drive students of color away from STEM, but many still persist
  44. What vaccine distribution planners can learn from Amazon and Walmart
  45. Virgin births from parthenogenesis: How females from some species can reproduce without males
  46. COVID-19 further exposes inequalities in the global financial system
  47. Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed
  48. Ancient Greek desire to resolve civil strife resonates today – but Athenian justice would be a 'bitter pill' in modern America
  49. It takes a lot of energy for machines to learn – here's why AI is so power-hungry
  50. Plastic pipes are polluting drinking water systems after wildfires – it's a risk in urban fires, too