The Conversation

Gene therapy and CRISPR strategies for curing blindness (Yes, you read that right)

Written by Hemant Khanna, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Researchers are now testing treatments for several kinds of visual impairment. BRIAN MITCHELL / Getty Images

In recent months, even as our attention has been focused on the coronavirus outbreak, there have been a slew of scientific breakthroughs in treating diseases that cause blindness.

Researchers at U.S.-based Editas Medicine and Ireland-based...

Days with both extreme heat and extreme air pollution are becoming more common – which can't be a good thing for global health

Written by Yangyang Xu, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University

Much of India experiences both extreme heat and extreme air pollution, as seen in this photo of the Akshardham Hindu temple. Days with both are going to increase. Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

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

The big idea

Days of extreme high heat and extreme air pollution are both increasing...

Hip-hop is the soundtrack to Black Lives Matter protests, continuing a tradition that dates back to the blues

Written by Tyina Steptoe, Associate Professor of History, University of Arizona

Rapper YG, center in white, at a June 7 protest over the death of George Floyd.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The sound of Public Enemy’s 1989 song “Fight the Power” blared as face-masked protesters in Washington, D.C. broke into a spontaneous rendition of the electric slide dance near the White House.

It was the morning of June 14,...

New York opens traffic-clogged streets to people during pandemic, the city's latest redesign in times of dramatic change

Written by Amy D. Finstein, Assistant Professor of Architectural History, College of the Holy Cross

Harvest Kitchen restaurant, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, making use of New York City's new policy of opening streets to walking, biking and dining.Ron Adar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On some normally congested New York City streets, cars are gone, replaced by diners tentatively returning to restaurants – though only outside...

Most white parents don't talk about racism with their kids

Written by David Chae, Human Sciences Associate Professor & Director, Society, Health, and Racial Equity Lab, Auburn University

Talking about race is important, but not every family does it – or does it well.MStudioImages/Getty Images

Though race and racism are at the top of Americans’ public discussion, most white parents don’t talk about those issues with their kids.

Research on how white parents discuss race with their children is sparse. However, past...

Coronavirus responses highlight how humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don't fit their worldview

Written by Adrian Bardon, Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University

The more politicized an issue, the harder it is for people to absorb contradictory evidence.Drew Angerer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Bemoaning uneven individual and state compliance with public health recommendations, top U.S. COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci recently blamed the country’s ineffective pandemic response on an American...

Prisoners in US suffering dementia may hit 200,000 within the next decade – many won't even know why they are behind bars

Written by Rachel Lopez, Associate Professor of Law, Drexel University

An inmate at California Men's Colony prison.Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Prison officials are bracing for a silver tsunami that will flood correctional facilities with elderly and often vulnerable prisoners.

Like the rest of the United States population, the prison population is aging fast. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, people over the...

Economic policies can induce people to quarantine safely during the pandemic

Written by Roberto Chang, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Rutgers University

Folks are more likely to social distance properly if there are economic incentives to do so.Malte Mueller/Getty Images

Recent economic proposals to deal with COVID-19, like those summarized by UC Berkeley economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas, have focused on compensating households and businesses for income losses due to lockdowns and other health...

A selective retreat from trade with China makes sense for the United States

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

A moored container ship in Qingdao, China.Getty Images

Trade tensions and mistrust are escalating between the U.S. and China. Soon after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that China recommitted to its January trade deal obligations after a face-to-face meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat on June 17, he upbraided the country for...

5 things you should do right now to fight the rising number of COVID-19 cases

Written by Kacey Ernst, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona

Wearing a mask and using hand sanitizers can protect you and your family at this critical time. d3sign/Getty Images

The increase of COVID-19 cases across the country calls for quick action. Sure, you and your family are exhausted from distancing, you miss your loved ones and you want to get back to your support groups or church.

But the...