The Conversation

What the coronavirus does to your body that makes it so deadly

Written by Benjamin Neuman, Professor of Biology, Texas A&M University-Texarkana

SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (pink dots) on a dying cellNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Coronaviruses belong to a group of viruses that infect animals, from peacocks to whales. They’re named for the bulb-tipped spikes that project from the virus’s surface...

Express gratitude – not because you will benefit from it, but others might

Written by Jennifer Cheavens, Associate Professor of Psychology, The Ohio State University

People take part in a 'applause for care' flash mob as part of a campaign to acknowledge the work of employees working in healthcare in Amsterdam.Olaf Kraak/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

The world is currently in the midst of a pandemic where the most useful thing many of us can do is stay at home and keep away from others. Schools, restaurants, office...

5 ways that the coronavirus will change college admissions this fall

Written by Robert Massa, Adjunct Professor, Rossier School of Education, USC, University of Southern California

Schools may compete more aggressively for students.Uppercut Images/Getty Images

Editor’s note: The new coronavirus is spreading across the United States just as many high school seniors were applying to colleges or awaiting acceptance letters. Here, Robert Massa, who teaches about higher education at the University of Southern California and...

Bob Dylan brings links between JFK assassination and coronavirus into stark relief

Written by Aniko Bodroghkozy, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia

Then – as now – Americans found themselves transfixed by the news.International Center of Photography

Over the past few weeks, the coronavirus has turned the country’s cultural spigot off, with sports suspended, museums closed and movies postponed.

But the virus hasn’t stopped Bob Dylan, who, on the evening of March 26,...

Coronavirus cases are growing exponentially – here's what that means

Written by Andrew D. Hwang, Associate Professor of Mathematics, College of the Holy Cross

U.S. Army soldiers work to set up a field hospital inside CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle.AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

In the U.S., scientists stress that the number of coronavirus cases has been growing exponentially. In ordinary speech, the term “exponential” usually means “really fast.”

To mathematicians like myself,...

There are many COVID-19 tests in the US – how are they being regulated?

Written by David Pride, Associate Director of Microbiology, University of California San Diego

If only COVID-19 testing was as simple as a pregnancy test.Taechit Taechamanodom

When it comes to COVID-19 testing in the United States, the situation is about as messy as it gets.

The U.S. went from having no tests, or assays, available for COVID-19 diagnostics to having multiple different tests available in a span of just a few weeks. Today more...

Coronavirus: Telemedicine is great when you want to stay distant from your doctor, but older laws are standing in the way

Written by Frank V. Zerunyan, Professor of the Practice of Governance, University of Southern California

Telehealth gives patients at home access to doctors miles away, a huge benefit when resources are limited and travel is dangerous. Jae Young Ju/ iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

As of April 1, there are more than 179,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. Nowhere has been hit harder than New York City where there are more than 76,0...

Antibodies in the blood of COVID-19 survivors know how to beat coronavirus – and researchers are already testing new treatments that harness them

Written by Ann Sheehy, Professor of Biology, College of the Holy Cross

A person who has recovered from COVID-19 donates plasma in Shandong, China.STR/AFP via Getty Images

Amid the chaos of an epidemic, those who survive a disease like COVID-19 carry within their bodies the secrets of an effective immune response. Virologists like me look to survivors for molecular clues that can provide a blueprint for the design of...

Delaying 'nonessential' abortions during coronavirus crisis endangers women's health and financial future

Written by Yana Rodgers, Professor of Labor Studies, Rutgers University

The operating room at the Whole Woman's Health clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, Sept. 4, 2019. Texas says abortions are nonessential during coronavirus. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Several U.S. states are blocking health clinics from providing abortions, declaring the procedure to be “nonessential” during coronavirus business closures. Other...

Should we wear masks or not? An expert sorts through the confusion

Written by Thomas Perls, Professor of Medicine, Boston University

The guidance on masks appears to be shifting, but social distancing is still the key step people can take.Muhammad Fayyaz Rub/Shutterstock.com

As a professor at Boston University’s School of Medicine and a geriatrician at Boston Medical Center caring for the most vulnerable in this pandemic, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about...