The Conversation

What are Asian giant hornets, and are they really dangerous? 5 questions answered

Written by Akito Y Kawahara, Associate Professor and Curator of Insects, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

Asian giant hornets (_Vespa mandarinia japonica_) drinking sap from tree bark in Japan.Alpsdake/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Editor’s note: According to recent press reports, two Asian giant hornets – a species not known to occur in North America – were found in northwest Washington state in late 2019, and a hornet colony was found and...

For parents of color, schooling at home can be an act of resistance

Written by Monisha Bajaj, Professor of International and Multicultural Education, University of San Francisco

Educating your children at home brings the power to choose what they learn.MoMo Productions/Getty Images

My 6-year-old hates the British. To be more specific, the British Empire that ruled over up to a quarter of the world’s land by the early 1900s. Hates that one of the biggest diamonds in the world, found in India over 1,000 years ago, now...

Science fiction builds mental resiliency in young readers

Written by Esther Jones, Associate Professor of English, affiliate with Africana Studies and Women's & Gender Studies, Clark University

Science fiction offers readers a way to rethink social dilemmas. MATJAZ SLANIC/Via Getty Images

Young people who are “hooked” on watching fantasy or reading science fiction may be on to something. Contrary to a common misperception that reading this genre is an unworthy practice, reading science fiction and fantasy may help young people...

What US states can learn from COVID-19 transition planning in Europe

Written by Holly Jarman, John G. Searle Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

A nearly deserted street in the city of Nice, France, on May 6, the 51st day of lockdown there. Europe's method of reopening is markedly different from the U.S. plan.Getty Images / Valery Hache

After a rapid rise in coronavirus cases throughout Europe – particularly Italy and Spain – tough public health measures “flattened the...

Why the military can use emergency powers to treat service members with trial COVID-19 drugs

Written by Jennifer Bard, Visiting Professor of Law, University of Florida

Military medical personnel have helped support hospitals with heavy patient loads.John Moore/Getty Images

Infectious disease has always been one of the military’s greatest threats. By its own estimates, the U.S. Army lost almost as many soldiers from the 1918 flu as died on the battlefields of the first World War.

Troops are at risk during an...

The tooth fairy as an essential worker in a child's world of wonder

Written by Brandon Barker, Assistant Professor of Folklore, Indiana University

Smiling schoolboys reveal their missing teeth.Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us /Contributor via Getty Images

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, adults and children alike have called on political leaders and health experts to address a concern: Is now a bad time to lose a tooth?

In April, the premier of Quebec, François Legault, and New...

Historic power struggle between Trump and Congress reviewed by Supreme Court

Written by Stanley M. Brand, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government, Pennsylvania State University

Justices of the Supreme Court will hear a crucial case on the limits of presidential power. Getty/Saul Loeb/AFP

The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in two cases concerning congressional demands, known as subpoenas, for materials that President Donald Trump claims are intrusions into his private affairs and are not legitimate uses of...

Historic power struggle between Trump and Congress to be reviewed by Supreme Court

Written by Stanley M. Brand, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government, Pennsylvania State University

Justices of the Supreme Court will hear a crucial case on the limits of presidential power. Getty/Saul Loeb/AFP

On May 12, the Supreme Court will hear argument in two cases concerning congressional demands, known as subpoenas, for materials that President Donald Trump claims are intrusions into his private affairs and are not legitimate uses of...

Coronavirus unemployment at nearly 15% is still shy of the record high reached during the Great Depression

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Business closures across the U.S. have caused job losses to spike. AP Photo/Paul SancyaCC BY-ND

The U.S. unemployment rate jumped from 4.4% in March to a roughly 90-year high of 14.7% in April.

But could the rate, as some predict, surpass the record 25% joblessness the U.S. experienced at the peak of the Great Depression?

As a macroeconomist who has...

What needs to go right to get a coronavirus vaccine in 12-18 months

Written by Marcos E. García-Ojeda, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Merced

A coronavirus vaccine is coming, but when? Francesco Carta fotografo/Moment via Getty Images

I, like many Americans, miss the pre-pandemic world of hugging family and friends, going to work and having dinner at a restaurant. A protective vaccine for SARS-Cov2 is likely to be the most effective public health tool to get back to that world.

Anthony...