The Conversation

Religious communities are offering baptism by Zoom - such innovation has deep historical roots

Written by Samuel L. Boyd, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

In the German town Winterbach, Catholic Church services are being streamed through YouTube. Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing entire countries to rethink deeply-held social norms. Faith leaders are coming up with new ways to reach their communities, with many turning to online platforms to...

'My first question every time I see a new patient now is: Could this be COVID-19?' A Seattle doctor on the frontlines

Written by Nicholas Johnson, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine & Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (Adjunct), University of Washington School of Medicine, University of Washington

Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WashingtonClare McLean/UW Medicine, Author provided

The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Inside, as usual, patient beds are near capacity, and the emergency department is filled with not only the usual mix of...

With schools everywhere suspended, an education expert answers 4 questions about the upheaval

Written by Jon Pedersen, Dean of the College of Education, University of South Carolina

Millions of American kids are logging into class from home.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Most of the school systems that shut their doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak initially said these closures would be temporary. But health authorities warn that Americans may need to keep up their social distancing for months. Jon Pedersen, dean...

Fleeing from the coronavirus is dangerous for you, the people you encounter along the way and wherever you end up

Written by Rebecca S.B. Fischer, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Texas A&M University

Traveling is risky during the coronavirus outbreak. Places like airports, bus stops, and gas stations especially so. AP Photo/Joeal Calupitan

COVID-19 is affecting life in nearly every corner of the globe. Public health officials are heavily relying on two community interventions to curb the pandemic spread: social distancing and restricted travel....

Students could be undercounted in the census as coronavirus closes colleges – here's why that matters

Written by Dudley L. Poston, Jr., Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University

Howard University students moving out of dorms in Washington.Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

At college dormitories and student apartments across the U.S., census forms will be piling up – but many run the risk of not being filled in.

The spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. has coincided with the start of data collection for the 2020 census.

This...

How do we protect ourselves at home during coronavirus, and what if someone has been exposed? 4 questions answered

Written by Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Erica Cisneros helps her daughters, Emilia and Eden, with their schoolwork at their home on March 18, 2020 in San Anselmo, California. Getty Images/Ezra Shaw

Editor’s note: As coronavirus spreads through the country, states have closed schools and nonessential businesses and prohibited group gatherings. This leaves most of us at home, but...

How one federal agency took care of its workers during the yellow fever pandemic in the 1790s

Written by Julia Mansfield, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, St. Joseph's University

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, at a Senate GOP lunch meeting on March 20, 2020, to discuss the 'phase 3' coronavirus stimulus bill. Getty/ Drew Angerer

U.S. lawmakers are debating strategies to stem the economic impact of the coronavirus. With businesses across the country cutting back hours or closing, the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of...

What happens to charitable giving when the economy falters?

Written by Patrick Rooney, Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Professor of Economics and Philanthropic Studies, IUPUI

Will Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan quickly get money to charities?Peter Barreras/Invision/AP

As the new coronavirus pandemic sends the economy into a tailspin, Patrick Rooney, an economist at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and Jon Bergdoll, a philanthropy statistician, explain what usually happens to giving during...

Buildings grown by bacteria -- new research is finding ways to turn cells into mini-factories for materials

Written by Wil Srubar, Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering and Materials Science, University of Colorado Boulder

A block of sand particles held together by living cells.The University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science, CC BY-ND

Buildings are not unlike a human body. They have bones and skin; they breathe. Electrified, they consume energy, regulate temperature and generate waste. Buildings are organisms – albeit inanimate...

Ancient Greeks purged city-states of disease as they would a human body – and it was the most vulnerable that suffered

Written by Meghan Henning, Assistant Professor of Christian Origins, University of Dayton

The Plague of Athens.Michiel Sweerts/ Los Angeles County Museum of Art/Wikipedia

With the spread of the coronavirus, the world is becoming pointedly aware of the extent to which human beings are interconnected. The rapid spread of the virus has highlighted how much we are dependent upon one another, not just for basic biological needs, but also for...