The Conversation

How the Postal Service helped stamp identity on America – and continues to deliver a common bond today

Written by Amy Werbel, Professor of the History of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

United States Postal Service mail carrier Frank Colon, 59, departs on his delivery route at the Remcon Circle Post Office amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 30, 2020 in El Paso, Texas.PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images

Americans overwhelmingly support a federal bailout for the cash-starved United States Postal Service. They view the USPS as a...

Mobile technology may support kids learning to recognize emotions in photos of faces

Written by Yalda T. Uhls, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers and Assistant Adjunct Professor in Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

Many kids use screens all day long and are adept at reading what they see on them.LWA/Dann Tardif/DigitalVision via Getty Images

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

The big idea

An essential social skill is understanding emotion. Children learn about emotion even before language by paying attention to a...

Coronavirus deaths in San Francisco vs. New York: What causes such big differences in cities' tolls?

Written by Laura B. Balzer, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics & Director of the UMass Causality Lab, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Nurses and other health care workers in New York mourned colleagues who have died during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

San Francisco and New York City both reported their first COVID-19 cases during the first week of March. On March 16, San Francisco announced it was ordering residents to stay home to avoid...

India's coronavirus pandemic shines a light on the curse of caste

Written by Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University

Migrant workers leaving New Delhi to go back to their villages amid the coronavirus lockdownAP Photo/Manish Swarup

Long before the outbreak of COVID-19, a more pernicious form of social distancing was widespread across India: the Hindu caste system. In one form or another, this system – which has existed in the region for over a millennium...

Dying virtually: Pandemic drives medically assisted deaths online

Written by Anita Hannig, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Brandeis University

The late Youssef Cohen moved from New York to Oregon in 2016 because of its aid-in-dying law. During the pandemic, assisted dying for terminal patients has gone online. John Moore/Getty Images

The coronavirus has stripped many of a say in the manner and timing of their own deaths, but for some terminally ill people wishing to die, a workaround...

Opening up US will trigger more COVID-19 cases, but disease models suggest how to avoid a second peak

Written by Joseph Eisenberg, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology, University of Michigan

As states open up, more coronavirus spread is expected, and models can show whether public health measures are working. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

According to a widely cited forecasting study, relaxed social distancing rules will lead to a two-fold increase in deaths from COVID-19. Predicting how much the mortality will increase, however, is fraught...

From the research lab to your doctor's office – here's what happens in phase 1, 2, 3 drug trials

Written by Mindy Aisen, Clinical Professor of Neurology, University of Southern California

Finding a cure for the coronavirus requires more than anecdotal evidence.Skaman306/Moment via Getty Images

For COVID-19, like all illnesses, the drugs and vaccines to treat or prevent the disease must be backed by rigorous evidence. Clinical trials are the source of this evidence.

With vaccines and drugs for the coronavirus already entering human...

Giving private schools federal emergency funds slated for low-income students will shortchange at-risk kids

Written by Derek W. Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

Low-income Seattle students began to pick up bagged lunches in March after their school closed.Karen Ducey/Getty Images

Public schools have faced three distinct challenges since the coronavirus pandemic began – scrambling to make sure that low-income children don’t go hungry, teaching students remotely who lack internet access and...

Coronavirus, 'Plandemic' and the seven traits of conspiratorial thinking

Written by John Cook, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University

No matter the details of the plot, conspiracy theories follow common patterns of thought.Ranta Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus

The conspiracy theory video “Plandemic” recently went viral. Despite being taken down by YouTube and Facebook, it continues to get uploaded and viewed millions of times. The video is an interview with conspiracy...

Obamacare's insurance safety net protects many of the millions losing their employer-provided health insurance – but not all

Written by Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University

Across the U.S., millions have lost jobs, paychecks and health insurance. Getty Images / Spencer Pratt

The loss of 31 million jobs due to coronvirus has an added downside: 27 million have lost job-based health insurance. The worst may still lie ahead. One study estimated that 25 to 43 million people could lose coverage from their employer.

The...