The Conversation

The US was not prepared for a pandemic – free market capitalism and government deregulation may be to blame

Written by Elanah Uretsky, Associate Professor of International and Global Studies, Brandeis University

In reprioritizing public health, the U.S. limited its ability to respond quickly and effectively to the pandemic.Anton Petrus/Moment via Getty Images

It’s unclear when the pandemic will come to an end. What may be an even more important question is whether the U.S. will be prepared for the next one. The past year and a half suggests that the...

Is COVID-19 here to stay? A team of biologists explains what it means for a virus to become endemic

Written by Sara Sawyer, Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder

The best way to stop a contagious virus like COVID-19 is through a worldwide vaccination program.Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Now that kids ages 5 to 11 are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination and the number of fully vaccinated people in the U.S. is rising, many people may be wondering what the endgame is for COVID-19.

Early on in the...

US Muslims gave more to charity than other Americans in 2020

Written by Shariq Siddiqui, Assistant Professor & Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, IUPUI

A Muslims Giving Back volunteer delivers warm food to a homeless man in New York City in April 2020.P Photo/Wong Maye-E

Muslim Americans gave more to charity in 2020 than non-Muslims, we found in a new study. They are also more likely to volunteer, we learned.

Only 1.1% of all Americans are Muslim, and their average income is lower than...

Matching tweets to ZIP codes can spotlight hot spots of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Written by Mayank Kejriwal, Research Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Southern California

Public health officials need to know where to focus their vaccination outreach efforts.AP Photo/Teresa Crawford

Public health officials are focusing on the 30% of the eligible population that remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 as of the end of October 2021, and that requires figuring out where those people are and why they are unvaccinated.

People...

A new, lower threshold for lead poisoning in children means more kids will get tested – but the ultimate solution is eliminating lead sources

Written by Gabriel Filippelli, Chancellor's Professor of Earth Sciences and Director of the Center for Urban Health, IUPUI

Testing kids for lead exposure starts with a fingertip prick. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its blood lead reference value – the level at which children ages 1-5 are considered to have high exposure to lead. Since 2012, this threshold had been set at 5 micrograms of lead per...

Librarians help students navigate an age of misinformation – but schools are cutting their numbers

Written by Karen W. Gavigan, Professor of Information Science, University of South Carolina

Nearly 80% of high school students struggle to verify the credibility of a source, a 2016 study found.Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision Collection via Getty Images

School librarians hear the question all the time: Why do we need school libraries and school librarians when students have the internet?

The perception is that a computer and Wi-Fi are...

Forests can't handle all the net-zero emissions plans – companies and countries expect nature to offset too much carbon

Written by Doreen Stabinsky, Professor of Global Environmental Politics, College of the Atlantic

Companies' net-zero pledges count on vast expanses of forest to hold carbon so they can continue emitting.AFP via Getty Images

Net-zero emissions pledges to protect the climate are coming fast and furious from companies, cities and countries. But declaring a net-zero target doesn’t mean they plan to stop their greenhouse gas emissions...

Supreme Court appears to suggest right to guns at home extends to carrying them in public too

Written by Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Supporters of gun controls rally outside the Supreme Court.Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

Faced with the question “does the constitutional right to possess a gun extend outside the home?” the majority of the Supreme Court appears to be heading toward the answer “yes.”

On Nov. 3, 2012, justices heard oral arguments over New...

Lessons from the Virginia governor's race: Pay attention to voters' concerns instead of making it all about national politics

Written by Mary Kate Cary, Adjunct Professor, Department of Politics and Senior Fellow, UVA's Miller Center, University of Virginia

Exit political stage, heading to the right.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

I teach political speech writing. My students know that earlier this year I served on a committee that wrote the University of Virginia’s statement on free speech and free inquiry, which stated that “All views, beliefs, and perspectives deserve to be articulated and...

Another problem with daylight saving time: It raises your risk of hitting deer on the road

Written by Tom Langen, Professor of Biology, Clarkson University

The likelihood of hitting a deer is highest during morning and evening twilight.Patrick Pleul/Picture alliance via Getty Images

Daylight saving time ends in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 7, 2021, and most of us will be setting our clocks back an hour. There is a long-running debate about the benefit of the time change, given how it disrupts...