The Conversation

The ethical case for allowing medical trials that deliberately infect humans with COVID-19

Written by Ofer Raban, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Oregon

Could intentionally infecting volunteers in COVID-19 trials speed up a vaccine?AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Despite the urgent need to beat COVID-19, health officials may be delaying the development of an effective vaccine.

Authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere are yet to authorize an ethically charged research procedure called “human challenge...

In the work-from-home battle for space, women are the reluctant nomads

Written by Elizabeth Patton, Assistant Professor of Media and Communication Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Ward Cleaver of the popular sitcom 'Leave It to Beaver' in his study.Universal Pictures

It’s just past 10 a.m. and my partner, on his third virtual meeting today, is working non-stop in our home office. My son has taken over the family room to attend a virtual science camp and video-editing classes and to play video games. I now realize that...

Changing the Federal Reserve mandate could provide a down payment to ending racial inequality

Written by William M. Rodgers III, Professor of Public Policy and Chief Economist, Rutgers University

A Black Lives Matter protester outside the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The job of slicing up the economic pie in the U.S. has traditionally fallen to Congress, with the Federal Reserve tasked with making sure there is enough to go around. But this could soon change.

Under proposals put forward by...

Poets and novelists have been writing about life under COVID-19 for more than a century

Written by Rachel Hadas, Professor of English, Rutgers University Newark

Literature from long ago speaks to the human experience of plague. Marco Rosario Venturini Autieri/Getty

Pondering the now no-longer Dixie Chicks – renamed “The Chicks” – Amanda Petrusich wrote in a recent issue of the New Yorker, “Lately, I’ve caught myself referring to a lot of new releases as prescient...

5 reasons to let students keep their cameras off during Zoom classes

Written by Tabitha Moses, MD/PhD Candidate, Wayne State University

Online classes that require cameras to stay on may pose challenges for students. PeopleImages/GettyImages

As the 2020-21 school year gets underway – both at the K-12 and college level – many students find themselves attending online classes via Zoom or similar teleconferencing platforms.

Although sticking with remote instruction may...

Racism linked to cognitive decline in African American women

Written by Lynn Rosenberg, Professor of Epidemiology, Boston University

For African-American women, experiencing racism can contribute to a variety of health issues.Getty Images / monkeybusinessimages

African Americans have higher rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than white Americans. Chronic stress, associated with cognitive impairment and reduced volume in the brain’s memory area, could be a...

Hit ’em where it hurts – how economic threats are a potent tool for changing people's minds about the Confederate flag

Written by Jordan Carr Peterson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, North Carolina State University

The Mississippi state flag, with a representation of the Confederate battle flag, is raised one last time over the state Capitol building on July 1, 2020.AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Activists nationwide have resumed demanding the removal of statues and symbols that are considered racially offensive – such as of slave owners, Confederate leaders...

A rush is on to mine the deep seabed, with effects on ocean life that aren't well understood

Written by Elizabeth M. De Santo, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Franklin & Marshall College

Manganese nodules on the Atlantic Ocean floor off the southeastern United States, discovered in 2019 during the Deep Sea Ventures pilot test. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

Mining the ocean floor for submerged minerals is a little-known, experimental industry. But soon it will take place on the deep seabed, which belongs to...

Diversity pledges alone won't change corporate workplaces – here's what will

Written by Kimberly A. Houser, Assistant Clinical Professor, Business and Tech Law, University of North Texas

Words alone won't make corporate America more diverse. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Dozen of companies, from Apple to Zappos, have reacted to George Floyd’s killing and the protests that followed by pledging to make their workforces more diverse.

While commendable, to me it feels a bit like deja vu. Back in 2014, a host of tech companies ma...

How one community improved COVID-19 nursing home care with collaboration and communication

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

At a Midwest nursing home, a healthcare worker opens a glass panel to allow a visitor to safely talk with a resident. Getty Images / wanderluster

Nursing home residents worldwide are particularly vulnerable to the ravages of COVID-19. In the U.S. as of Aug. 2, 2020, nearly 46,000 nursing home residents had died from the virus. In addition, deaths...