The Conversation

The mystery of a 1918 veteran and the flu pandemic

Written by Ruth Craig, Emerita Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth College

Beds with patients in an emergency hospital in Camp Funston, Kansas, during the influenza epidemic around 1918.National Museum of Health and Medicine., CC BY

Vaccination is underway for the 2017-2018 seasonal flu, and next year will mark the 100-year anniversary of the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed roughly 40 million people. It is an opportune...

How the proposed budget and tax cuts could stunt new affordable housing

Written by Michelle D. Layser, Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University

For many Americans, there is no such thing as affordable housing in today's real estate market.Aleutie/Shutterstock.com

Low-income Americans are already struggling to keep a roof over their heads due to a growing affordable housing shortage.

But budgets drafted by the Trump administration and Congress, along with provisions in the tax cut package,...

The opioid crisis is at its worst in rural areas. Can telemedicine help?

Written by Jamey Lister, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Wayne State University

People wait in line for a methadone clinic to open in Hoquiam, Washington, a small town within a predominantly rural area.David Goldman/AP Photo

Some of the communities hit hardest by the opioid epidemic are in rural America. However, many of those same communities lack access to comprehensive treatment.

To address the epidemic’s increasing...

FBI tries to crack another smartphone: 5 essential reads

Written by Jeff Inglis, Science + Technology Editor, The Conversation US

Who should be allowed inside?PopTika/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories.

Federal investigators following up on the mass shooting at a Texas church on Nov. 5 have seized the alleged shooter’s smartphone – reportedly an iPhone – but are reporting they are unable to unlock it, to...

Could Atlanta be on track to elect a white mayor?

Written by Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor, Political Science, Emory University

Atlanta mayoral candidates Keisha Lance Bottoms (left) and Mary Norwood will face off in December.AP Photo/David Goldman

On Nov. 7, none of the 12 candidates for mayor of Atlanta received more than 50 percent of the vote.

That means the two candidates with the most votes, Councilwomen Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood, will face off in a Dec. 5...

Why solar 'microgrids' are not a cure-all for Puerto Rico's power woes

Written by Peter Fox-Penner, Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy, and Professor of Practice, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

In addition to its many other devastating human consequences, Hurricane Maria left the island of Puerto Rico with its power grid in ruins. Power was knocked out throughout the island, with an estimated 80 percent of its transmission and distribution wires incapacitated. When hospitals and other critical users could not get backup power and water...

How the tax package would slam higher ed

Written by Ted Afield, Associate Clinical Professor and Director of the Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, Georgia State University

The proposed tax bill could make higher ed even less affordable. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

The tax code overhaul pending in Congress is littered with provisions that would make it a lot harder for most Americans to go to college or grad school.

All told, the changes proposed by House Republicans would require Americans to spend US$65 billion more to...

Public shaming of workplace harassers may force employers to stop protecting them

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Companies are likely taking notice as more women speak up about workplace harassment.AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, a growing number of workplace harassment victims have decided to go public. Since this used to be pretty rare, it marks an important shift.

Along with the torrent of harassment revelations through the...

Democrats' sweep of Virginia shows the state is moving beyond its Confederate past

Written by Toni-Michelle C. Travis, Professor of American Politics, George Mason University

In its first election since Trump became president, Virginia gave Democrats a sweeping victory. This one-time swing state and former Confederate capital elected Democrats in all three statewide races – governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, a mild-mannered physician from Virginia’s eastern shore,...

The emotional challenges of student veterans on campus

Written by Ann Cheney, Assistant Professor, Center for Healthy Communities, University of California, Riverside

For veterans going back to school, student life can involve many stresses.US Department of Education, CC BY

This Veterans Day, Americans will honor the heroism and sacrifice of the nearly 22 million men and women who have served in the U.S. military. Among them will be student veterans. Since 2009, nearly one million veterans have benefited from...