The Conversation

Simple safety tips for trick-or-treating after Fauci greenlighted Halloween 2021

Written by Meg Sorg, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

Experts give trick-or-treating the green light this year.Anchiy/E+ Collection via Getty Images

The air is getting chillier, pumpkins are perched on porches and kids across the country are planning their spooky costumes. As a professor of pediatric nursing and a mom to four young children, I know the excitement and anxiety that pandemic holidays...

What's behind the magic of live music?

Written by Mariusz Kozak, Associate Professor of Music and Music Theory, Columbia University

After taking a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, Lollapalooza returned to Chicago in summer 2021.Michael Hickey/Getty Images

For months, fans were relegated to watching their favorite singers and musicians over Zoom or via webcasts. Now, live shows – from festivals like Lollapalooza to Broadway musicals – are officially back.

The songs...

Yes, we should be keeping the healthier hand-washing habits we developed at the start of the pandemic

Written by Melissa Hawkins, Professor of Public Health, American University

Washing your hands is an easy and effective way to reduce the spread of illness. Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Moment via Getty Images

People were washing their hands so much early in the pandemic that sensitive skin and soap shortages were common problems in 2020.

All this focus on hand-washing was for good reason. The science uniformly demonstrates tha...

Having COVID-19 or being close to others who get it may make you more charitable

Written by Nancy R. Buchan, Associate Professor of International Business, University of South Carolina

A volunteer distributes face masks in a rural California community in February 2021.Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

People who got COVID-19 or were directly affected by the disease, either by losing loved ones or having close friends or relatives become...

As a patriot and Black man, Colin Powell embodied the 'two-ness' of the African American experience

Written by Chad Williams, Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University

A complex legacy.AP Photo/Vincent Michel

Colin Powell knew where he fit in American history.

The former secretary of state – who died on Oct. 18, 2021 at 84 as a result of COVID-19 complications – was a pioneer: the first Black national security advisor in U.S. history, the first Black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and also the...

Cellphone data shows that people navigate by keeping their destinations in front of them – even when that's not the most efficient route

Written by Carlo Ratti, Professor of Urban Technologies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

People navigate cities in much the same way animals navigate their environments.Max Böhme/Unsplash

Think of your morning walk to work, school or your favorite coffee shop. Are you taking the shortest possible route to your destination? According to big data research that my colleagues and I conducted, the answer is no: People’s brains...

Does raising the minimum wage kill jobs? The centurylong search for the elusive answer shows why economics is so difficult – but data sure helps

Written by Veronika Dolar, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY Old Westbury

The fight over the minimum wage continues.AP Photo/John Raoux

For decades it was conventional wisdom in the field of economics that a higher minimum wage results in fewer jobs.

In part, that’s because it’s based on the law of supply and demand, one of the most well-known ideas in economics. Despite it being called a “law,”...

How ‘managed retreat’ from climate change could revitalize rural America: Revisiting the Homestead Act

Written by Hillary A. Brown, Professor of Architecture and Director of the Urban Sustainability Program, City College of New York

Small inland towns can offer a haven for people escaping coastal climate change.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Southern Italy’s rural Calabria region announced an innovative project in 2021 to breathe new life into its small towns. It plans to offer young professionals thousands of dollars if they move in and commit to launch a business, preferably a...

Teachers must often face student attacks alone

Written by Charles Bell, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University

Teachers report post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing or witnessing attacks from students.Andrey Zhuravlev/iStock via Getty Images

When “Ms. Kyles,” a social studies teacher in a suburban district, heard her colleague scream in a nearby classroom, she ran to her aid. It appeared that a female student had attacked a classmate....

A forgotten mangrove forest around remote inland lagoons in Mexico's Yucatan tells a story of rising seas

Written by Sula E Vanderplank, Adjunct Professor, San Diego State University

A stand of red mangroves in the calm, calcium-rich, fresh waters of the San Pedro Mártir River, Tabasco, Mexico.Ben Meissner, CC BY-ND

The San Pedro River winds from rainforests in Guatemala through the Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico. There, this peaceful river widens into a series of slow-flowing lakes. Along a remote 50-mile...