The Conversation

Test positivity rate: How this one figure explains that the US isn't doing enough testing yet

Written by Ronald D. Fricker, Jr., Professor of Statistics and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Administration, Virginia Tech

As cases surge, testing needs to increase as well.AP Photo/David J. Phillip

The U.S. has performed more coronavirus tests than any other country in the world. Yet, at the same time, the U.S. is notably underperforming in terms of suppressing COVID-19. Confirmed cases – as well as deaths – are surging in many parts of the country. Some...

Energy is a basic need, and many Americans are struggling to afford it in the COVID-19 recession

Written by Sanya Carley, Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University

The COVID-19 recession has made it harder for many Americans to pay their energy bills. Getty Images

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, lower-income families are struggling to pay their energy bills. That’s a big concern during extreme events like summer heat waves, which can be deadly – especially for elderly people,...

The importance of blood tests for Alzheimer's: 2 neuroscientists explain the recent findings

Written by Steven DeKosky, Deputy Director, McKnight Brain Institute, Aerts-Cosper Professor of Alzheimer’s Research, and Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, University of Florida

Dana Gasby, left, interacts with her mother B. Smith in their East Hampton home on Long Island, New York, on Wednesday, January 9, 2019. B. Smith has Alzheimer's Disease.Karten Moran for The Washington Post via Getty Images

A blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease moved closer to reality this week after new findings were announced at the...

Enslaved people's health was ignored from the country's beginning, laying the groundwork for today's health disparities

Written by Eric Kyere, Assistant professor, social work, IUPUI

Freed slaves on the plantation of Confederate General Thomas F. Drayton in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This photograph was taken circa 1865.Getty Images / CORBIS

Some critics of Black Lives Matter say the movement itself is racist. Their frequent counterargument: All lives matter. Lost in that view, however, is a historical perspective. Look back...

5 takeaways from MacKenzie Scott's $1.7 billion in support for social justice causes

Written by Elizabeth J. Dale, Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Leadership, Seattle University

Jeff Bezos's ex-wife is funding efforts to dismantle racism and fight homophobia.Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has announced that she’s disbursed nearly US$1.7 billion to 116 organizations, since first publicly discussing her giving intentions in May of 2019. Most of the...

Next COVID casualty: Cities hit hard by the pandemic face bankruptcy

Written by Mark Davidson, Associate Professor of Urban Geography, Clark University

The pandemic's longterm effects could include city bankruptcies across the U.S.Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images

U.S. cities are fast running out of cash.

The pandemic will reduce local government revenues by an estimated US$11.6 billion in 2020. With COVID-19 requiring residents to stay home and stores to shutter, the bulk of this reduction...

Don't blame cats for destroying wildlife – shaky logic is leading to moral panic

Written by William S. Lynn, Research Scientist, Clark University

Are cats really to blame for the worldwide loss of biodiversity?Dzurag/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A number of conservationists claim cats are a zombie apocalypse for biodiversity that need to be removed from the outdoors by “any means necessary” – coded language for shooting, trapping and poisoning. Various media outlets have por...

Business major fails to attract Latino students

Written by Kevin Singer, PhD Student, Research Assistant with IDEALS (Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Study), North Carolina State University

Latinx students majoring in business are underrepresented in higher education.FatCamera/GettyImages

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequity of the U.S. economy toward minority racial and ethnic groups. Research shows that successful entrepreneurship can help reduce the racial wealth disparity, especially for the Latino community.

For example,...

Why is Eid celebrated twice a year and how has coronavirus changed the festival?

Written by Ken Chitwood, Lecturer, Concordia College New York | Journalist-fellow, USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, Concordia College New York

Worshippers wearing protective face masks and gloves offer Eid al-Fitr prayers in Teheran.AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

Editor’s note: At sundown on July 30, Muslims all over the world celebrated one of the principal festivals, Eid al-Adha. Earlier in May, Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr. Ken Chitwood, a scholar of global Islam, explains the two...

Private browsing: What it does – and doesn't do – to shield you from prying eyes on the web

Written by Lorrie Cranor, Professor of Computer Science and of Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University

The major browsers have privacy modes, but don't confuse privacy for anonymity.Oleg Mishutin/iStock via Getty Images

Many people look for more privacy when they browse the web by using their browsers in privacy-protecting modes, called “Private Browsing” in Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Apple Safari; “Incognito” in Google...