The Conversation

Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?

Written by Brian Allan, Associate Professor of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In 2018 scientists of the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control tested a new way to suppress mosquito populations carrying the Zika virus. RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images

This summer, for the first time, genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in the U.S.

On May 1, 2020, the company Oxitec received an experimental use permit from the U.S....

Low-wage essential workers get less protection against coronavirus – and less information about how it spreads

Written by Jasmine Kerrissey, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Labor Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Essential workers don't always have access to the PPE they need.Lorado/Getty Images

Low-wage essential workers are more likely to face dangerous working conditions and food insecurity than high-wage workers, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our research provides some of the first data on the safety of essential workers during the pandemic.

Ou...

California's early shelter-in-place order may have saved 1,600 lives in one month

Written by Andrew Friedson, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Colorado Denver

California was one of the first states to enact shelter-in-place orders.Aydin Palabiyikoglu/Getty Images

The primary strategy to slow the spread of the coronavirus has been social distancing, which reduces contact between individuals.

While the federal government can recommend social distancing, the decision to issue formal measures ultimately...

Parasitic worms in your shellfish lead a creepy but popular lifestyle

Written by Andrew David, Assistant Professor of Biology, Clarkson University

Parasites do very well for themselves, which is why they are so common in the animal kingdom.Geoffrey Read, CC BY

If you’re an oyster lover, seeing a shaggy worm slither across your appetizer is revolting – even though such worms are harmless to people. An internet search using the keywords “oyster” and “worm”...

Physicists hunt for room-temperature superconductors that could revolutionize the world's energy system

Written by Pegor Aynajian, Associate Professor of Physics, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Wind turbines and solar panels in Southern California.4kodiak/E+ via Getty Images

Waste heat is all around you. On a small scale, if your phone or laptop feels warm, that’s because some of the energy powering the device is being transformed into unwanted heat.

On a larger scale, electric grids, such as high power lines, lose over 5% of their...

Kids need physical education – even when they can't get it at school

Written by Collin A. Webster, College of Education Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Professor of Physical Education, University of South Carolina

Strong PE programs encourage students to remain physically active for life.Kathryn Scott/The Denver Post via Getty Images

When I noticed my 12-year-old son was spending about seven hours a day doing his school work online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I immediately became concerned. As a researcher who focuses on how to get kids to be more...

New Jersey's small, networked dairy farms are a model for a more resilient food system

Written by Andrew Carlson, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton University

Richard Byma from By-Acre farms in Sussex County, New Jersey, tends to his Holstein herd. Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images)

Cow’s milk is a major part of many Americans’ diets because it contains key vitamins and calcium. But milk consumption has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other foods, including beef, eggs, fr...

Doctors can't treat COVID-19 effectively without recognizing the social justice aspects of health

Written by Zoë Julian, Health Services Researcher and Clinical Instructor, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Emergency medical technicians bring a patient into Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 6, 2020 in New York.Bryna R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images.

Recent data shows that black, Latino, indigenous and immigrant communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, due in large part to the persistent legacy of structural racism...

In Brazil's raging pandemic, domestic workers fear for their lives – and their jobs

Written by Mauricio Sellmann Oliveira, Visiting Scholar, Dartmouth College

Ladijane Sofia da Concecão, one of millions of unemployed housekeepers in Brazil, accepts a food donation from a friend in São Paulo, May 7, 2020. Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

Brazil has emerged as one of the worst-hit countries in the coronavirus crisis, with hundreds of thousands of cases affecting people from all backgrounds....

When it comes to reopening churches in the pandemic, Supreme Court says grace ain’t groceries

Written by Ross D. Silverman, Professor of Public Health and Law, Indiana University

Churches have to weigh the risk to congregants in opening too soon.AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The highest court in the land has given states some leeway in determining when and how to safely reopen places of worship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move lends support to state officials making science-informed decisions that may inhibit church congregants...