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The Conversation

Hurricanes and wildfires are colliding with the COVID-19 pandemic – and compounding the risks

  • Written by Ali Mostafavi, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University
imageEvacuations during Hurricane Laura could increase the risk of exposure to COVID-19.AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

With the Hurricane Laura hitting Louisiana and Texas as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm and wildfires menacing the western U.S., millions of Americans are facing the complex risks of a natural disaster striking in the...

Read more: Hurricanes and wildfires are colliding with the COVID-19 pandemic – and compounding the risks

Mail-in voting's potential problems only begin at the post office – an underfunded, underprepared decentralized system could be trouble

  • Written by Jennifer Selin, Kinder Institute Assistant Professor of Constitutional Democracy, University of Missouri-Columbia
imageA massive shift to mail-in voting will be hard for many of the state and local officials who run elections.Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

While much of the recent attention on mail-in voting has focused on the U.S. Postal Service or on the likelihood of voter fraud, there is a lesser-known, looming problem for the November elections: The burden of...

Read more: Mail-in voting's potential problems only begin at the post office – an underfunded, underprepared...

Afghanistan's peace process is stalled. Can the Taliban be trusted to hold up their end of the deal?

  • Written by Sher Jan Ahmadzai, Director, Center for Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska Omaha
imageAfghan security personnel inspect the rubble of Afghanistan's intelligence services building after a car bomb blast claimed by the Taliban killed at least 11 people, July 13, 2020. AFP via Getty Images

Five months after the United States signed an historic accord with the Taliban – the Islamic militant group that sheltered al-Qaida leader...

Read more: Afghanistan's peace process is stalled. Can the Taliban be trusted to hold up their end of the deal?

Emily Dickinson is the unlikely hero of our time

  • Written by Matthew Redmond, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of English, Stanford University
image'The Dyings have been too deep for me,' Dickinson wrote in 1884.Wikimedia Commons

Since her death in 1886, Emily Dickinson has haunted us in many forms.

She has been the precocious “little dead girl” admired by distinguished men; the white-clad, solitary spinster languishing alone in her bedroom; and, in more recent interpretations, the...

Read more: Emily Dickinson is the unlikely hero of our time

The right to vote is not in the Constitution

  • Written by Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell
imageVoters in Nashville, Tennessee, faced long lines in March 2020.AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

If you’re looking for the right to vote, you won’t find it in the United States Constitution or the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights recognizes the core rights of citizens in a democracy, including freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly. It...

Read more: The right to vote is not in the Constitution

Presidents have a long history of condescension, indifference and outright racism towards Black Americans

  • Written by Stephen A. Jones, Adjunct Instructor of History, Central Michigan University
imageTheodore Roosevelt was one of many U.S. presidents who was racist.Bettman/Getty

The fury over racial injustice that erupted in the wake of George Floyd’s killing has forced Americans to confront their history. That’s unfamiliar territory for most Americans, whose historical knowledge amounts to a vague blend of fact and myth that was...

Read more: Presidents have a long history of condescension, indifference and outright racism towards Black...

The tech field failed a 25-year challenge to achieve gender equality by 2020 – culture change is key to getting on track

  • Written by Francine Berman, Hamilton Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
imageThe tech field has a long way to go to achieve gender parity.10'000 Hours/DigitalVision via Getty Images

In 1995, pioneering computer scientist Anita Borg challenged the tech community to a moonshot: equal representation of women in tech by 2020. Twenty-five years later, we’re still far from that goal. In 2018, fewer than 30% of the employees...

Read more: The tech field failed a 25-year challenge to achieve gender equality by 2020 – culture change is...

Declining antibodies and immunity to COVID-19 – why the worry?

  • Written by Alexander (Sasha) Poltorak, Professor of Immunology, Tufts University
imageAn artist's impression of antibodies (red and blue) responding to an infection with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (purple). KTSDESIGN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images

Most people are aware that testing for antibodies in a person’s blood can show if someone has had a specific disease, such as COVID-19. Those antibodies provide protection...

Read more: Declining antibodies and immunity to COVID-19 – why the worry?

TikTok is a unique blend of social media platforms – here's why kids love it

  • Written by Kevin Munger, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Social Data Analytics, Pennsylvania State University
imageYoung people creating a TikTok video in Lithuania.Photo by Alfredas Pliadis/Xinhua via Getty Images

TikTok, a social media platform targeted at young mobile phone users, was the second-most downloaded app in the world in 2019. It was the most downloaded app in July 2020.

It’s also become a geopolitical football. Owned by Chinese company...

Read more: TikTok is a unique blend of social media platforms – here's why kids love it

What makes Donald Trump and John Wayne heroes of the Christian Right?

  • Written by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Professor of History, Calvin University
imageFaith leaders pray with President Donald Trump during a rally for evangelical supporters in Miami in January 2020.AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

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

The big idea

White evangelical support for Donald Trump has long puzzled observers. To many, it seems hypocritical that Christians who have long touted...

Read more: What makes Donald Trump and John Wayne heroes of the Christian Right?

More Articles ...

  1. What the Falwell saga tells us about evangelicals and gender roles
  2. 5 ways families can enjoy astronomy during the pandemic
  3. Forced sterilization policies in the US targeted minorities and those with disabilities – and lasted into the 21st century
  4. Why police unions are not part of the American labor movement
  5. La invención de la brujería satánica: al principio nadie creía pero después vino la 'caza de brujas'
  6. School nurses should be leading the COVID-19 response, but many schools don't have one
  7. Video: Current rates of vaccine hesitancy in the US could mean a long road to normalcy
  8. A man was reinfected with coronavirus after recovery – what does this mean for immunity?
  9. Biloxi's 15-year recovery from Hurricane Katrina offers lessons for other coastal cities
  10. Western wildfires are spinning off tornadoes – here’s how fires create their own freakish weather
  11. Extreme wildfires can create their own dangerous weather, including fire tornadoes – here's how
  12. Constant dieters might be choosing the wrong way to lose weight
  13. Reopening elementary schools carries less COVID-19 risk than high schools – but that doesn't guarantee safety
  14. While the US is reeling from COVID-19, the Trump administration is trying to take away health care
  15. Voters aren’t the only ones who dread slow mail – struggling small businesses are also at risk from Postal Service delays
  16. Approval of a coronavirus vaccine would be just the beginning – huge production challenges could cause long delays
  17. ¿Tienes hijos o sobrinos pequeños? Estas son tres maneras de ayudarlos a interactuar pese al COVID-19
  18. Economic hardship from COVID-19 will hit minority seniors the most
  19. Voting by mail is convenient, but not always secret
  20. Latin American women are disappearing and dying under lockdown
  21. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, what should you say to someone who refuses to wear a mask? A philosopher weighs in
  22. The labor-busting law firms and consultants that keep Google, Amazon and other workplaces union-free
  23. Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life
  24. Challenge trials for a coronavirus vaccine are unethical – except for in one unlikely scenario
  25. How Alexei Navalny revolutionized opposition politics in Russia, before his apparent poisoning
  26. IBD: How a class of killer T cells goes rogue in inflammatory bowel disease
  27. El coronavirus puede transmitirse a través del aire. ¿Cómo se pueden detectar las partículas donde viaja el COVID-19?
  28. Los ladrillos (sí, como los de tu casa) pueden almacenar energía eléctrica
  29. Joe Biden appealed to 2 different audiences in his acceptance speech – 2 experts discuss which punches landed
  30. Why Steve Bannon faces fraud charges: 4 questions answered
  31. Mail-in voting does not cause fraud, but judges are buying the GOP's argument that it does
  32. Here's what it'll take to clean up esports' toxic culture
  33. Why companies were so quick to endorse Black Lives Matter
  34. Outdoor classes hold promise for in-person learning amid COVID-19
  35. I'm a lung doctor testing the blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors as a treatment for the sick – a century-old idea that could be a fast track to treatment
  36. Parents of bereaved children are also heroes of the pandemic – they can help build resilience in kids
  37. Is NCAA football too big to fail?
  38. Trump greenlights drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but will oil companies show up?
  39. The partisan pandemic: Do we now live in alternative realities?
  40. What's in that wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?
  41. 9 reasons you can be optimistic that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be widely available in 2021
  42. Belarus, explained: How Europe's last dictator could fall
  43. Police solve just 2% of all major crimes
  44. A potential new weapon in the fight against COVID-19: Food coloring
  45. Yes, God can be hurt, but not in the way Trump claims, according to theologians
  46. I prepare aspiring teachers to educate kids of color – here's how I help them root out their own biases
  47. Schools looking for space could turn to churches to host classes – doing so has a rich history
  48. Here's how to talk to vaccine skeptics so they might actually hear you
  49. The risk of preterm birth rises near gas flaring, reflecting deep-rooted environmental injustices in rural America
  50. How to talk to vaccine skeptics so they might actually hear you