The Conversation

Viruses live on doorknobs and phones and can get you sick – smart cleaning and good habits can help protect you

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

Disinfecting an area takes time and effort. And there is only so much you can do. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

One vomiting episode from someone infected with norovirus emits billions and billions of individual viruses. That’s enough to fuel an outbreak – and is exactly what happened in an elementary school in Seattle, Washington a few months ago...

10 misconceptions about the 1918 flu, the 'greatest pandemic in history'

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

U.S. Red Cross volunteers in 1918.Apic/Getty Images

Pandemic: It’s a scary word.

But the world has seen pandemics before, and worse ones, too. Consider the influenza pandemic of 1918, often referred to erroneously as the “Spanish flu.” Misconceptions about it may be fueling unfounded fears about COVID-19, and now is an especially...

Experts agree that Trump's coronavirus response was poor, but the US was ill-prepared in the first place

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

President Donald Trump with members of the president's Coronavirus Task Force at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

As the coronavirus pandemic exerts a tighter grip on the nation, critics of the Trump administration have repeatedly highlighted the administration’s changes to the nation’s pandemic response team...

Telecommuting could curb the coronavirus epidemic

Written by Mohja Rhoads, Research Consultant and Lecturer in Policy, Planning and Development, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Less than 30% of the workforce has the ability to work from home.Westend61/Getty ImagesCC BY-ND

Recent surveys from both the National Household Transportation Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that around 29% of the United States workforce has the option to work at home, and around 15% usually does so.

Working from home pays a...

What coronavirus symptoms should I look for, and when do I call the doctor? A doctor answers 4 questions

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

A nurse at a drive-up coronavirus testing station set up by the University of Washington Medical Center on Friday, March 13, 2020.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

As the nation adjusts to the threat of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, it’s only natural to worry whether a cough or aches and pains could be signs you have become infected...

Mubarak's lasting legacy on Egypt's Coptic Christians

Written by Ramazan Kılınç, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska Omaha

A 2005 presidential election poster of then-President Hosni Mubarak that said: '70 million Egyptian Muslims and Christians say yes to Mubarak.'AP Photo/Hasan Jamali

The rule of Egypt’s former leader Hosni Mubarak, who died in February at age 91, will be remembered by many for its repressive tactics and the unprecedented Arab Spring protests...

Reports of the death of congressional oversight are greatly exaggerated

Written by Kirsten Carlson, Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

The U.S .Capitol on February 20, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Getty/Alex Edelman/AFP

For over 200 years, Congress and the executive branch have maintained a delicate balance of power. When disputes between the two branches have arisen, they have compromised and turned to the courts only as a last resort.

Recently, an appeals court ruled in House...

How to talk to someone you believe is misinformed about the coronavirus

Written by Emma Frances Bloomfield, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Don't shout or lecture – just talk.fizkes/Shutterstock.com

The medical evidence is clear: The coronavirus global health threat is not an elaborate hoax. Bill Gates did not create the coronavirus to sell more vaccines. Essential oils are not effective at protecting you from coronavirus.

But those facts have not stopped contrary claims from...

Netflix's 'Self-Made' miniseries about Madam C.J. Walker leaves out the mark she made through generosity

Written by Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Director of Undergraduate Programs, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI

Octavia Spencer, left, stars in this rags-to-riches tale, along with Blair Underwood.Amanda Matlovich/Netflix

The Netflix series “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” brings to life part of a fascinating rags-to-riches tale I’ve been researching for the past 10 years.

Walker, widely documented to have been...

Prosecutors are increasingly – and misleadingly – using rap lyrics as evidence in court

Written by Erik Nielson, Associate Professor of Liberal Arts, University of Richmond

You wouldn't think Bob Marley 'shot the sheriff,' but rappers are held to a double standard.k1003mike/Shutterstock.com

Rapper Darrell Caldwell, better known to fans as Drakeo the Ruler, was on his way to stardom. Hailed as one of the most original rappers to emerge from Los Angeles in a generation, he had garnered hundreds of thousands of followers...