The Conversation

Synthetic odors created by activating brain cells help neuroscientists understand how smell works

Written by Edmund Chong, Ph.D. Student in Neuroscience, New York University

When you sniff a particular scent, your brain cells fire in a recognizable pattern.Maskot via Getty Images

When you experience something with your senses, it evokes complex patterns of activity in your brain. One important goal in neuroscience is to decipher how these neural patterns drive the sensory experience.

For example, can the smell of...

Why are scientists trying to manufacture organs in space?

Written by Alysson R. Muotri, Professor of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego

This Bioculture System will let biologists learn about how space impacts human health by studying cells grown in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. NASA/Ames Research Center/Dominic Hart

Gravity can be a real downer when you are trying to grow organs.

That’s why experiments in space are so valuable. They have...

Brazil's Bolsonaro has COVID-19 – and so do thousands of Indigenous people who live days from the nearest hospital

Written by Nadia Rubaii, Co-Director, Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, and Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Satere-mawe Indigenous men in face masks paddle the Ariau River, in hard-hit Manaus state, during the coronavirus pandemic, May 5, 2020. Ricardo Oliveira /AFP via Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has denied the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and ridiculed social distancing, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on July...

3 things 'ZeroZeroZero' gets right about the cocaine trade

Written by Kendra McSweeney, Professor of Geography, The Ohio State University

'ZeroZeroZero' is a drama based on truth that shows a clear picture of the modern cocaine trade.Amazon

The Amazon Prime Video series “ZeroZeroZero” shows U.S. viewers an accurate picture of the modern cocaine trade that’s rarely seen on screen. It is loosely based on Italian journalist Roberto Saviano’s nonfiction book by...

It takes a long time to vote

Written by Jonathan Coopersmith, Professor of History, Texas A&M University

Voters in Lexington, Kentucky, waited more than 90 minutes to vote on June 23.AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley

The Conversation, CC BY-ND

“No citizen should have to wait more than 30 minutes to vote,” declared a 2014 federal report on how to conduct elections. That report was responding to the long lines in the 2012 presidential election, when...

Supreme Court hands victory to school voucher lobby – will religious minorities, nonbelievers and state autonomy lose out?

Written by Frank S. Ravitch, Professor of Law & Walter H. Stowers Chair of Law and Religion, Michigan State University

Protesters gather as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visits a school in Maryland.Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Supreme Court’s recent decision that Montana cannot exclude donations that go to religious schools from a small tax credit program could have consequences felt far beyond the state.

The 5-4 ruling in Espinoza...

COVID-19: As offices reopen, here's what to expect if you're worried about getting sick on the job

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

A brave new world. Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

If you’re among the tens of millions of people returning to work or preparing to do so after months sheltering in place, you may be worried it will put you and your family at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19.

The dilemma may be especially stark for the millions of Americans who can expect to...

Should architecturally significant low-income housing be preserved?

Written by Ashima Krishna, Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

A 1974 photograph of Buffalo's Shoreline Apartments.George Burns/National Arcvhives at College Park

This past January, in Buffalo, New York, the second phase of demolition for a low-income housing complex called Shoreline Apartments commenced.

The property owner had long wanted to replace the crumbling buildings. Residents also sought a safer and...

Is the COVID-19 pandemic cure really worse than the disease? Here's what our research found

Written by Olga Yakusheva, Associate Professor in Nursing and Public Health, University of Michigan

The economic impact of coronavirus restrictions can also take a human toll.mladenbalinovac via Getty Images

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

The big idea

The coronavirus pandemic catapulted the country into one of the deepest recessions in U.S. history, leaving millions of Americans without jobs or health insurance....

Rare neurological disorder, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, linked to COVID-19

Written by Sherry H-Y. Chou, Associate Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh

COVID-19 has been linked to neurological problems in those with severe disease.Ralwel / Getty Images

The patient in the case report (let’s call him Tom) was 54 and in good health. For two days in May, he felt unwell and was too weak to get out of bed. When his family finally brought him to the hospital, doctors found that he had a fever and...