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The Conversation

Cults
The Church of QAnon: Will Trumpian conspiracy theories form the basis of a dangerous new religious movement?

The Church of QAnon: Will Trumpian conspiracy theories form the basis of a dangerous new religious movement?

The Conversation

By Marc-André Argentino | – Followers of the QAnon movement believe in wild and dangerous conspiracy theories about U.S. President Donald Trump. Now a faction within the movement has been interpreting the Bible through QAnon conspiracies. I have been studying the growth of the QAnon movement as part of my research into how extremist religious […]

Domestic Terrorism
When Leaders like Trump call for Vigilanteism, White Supremacists have through History been Happy to Oblige

When Leaders like Trump call for Vigilanteism, White Supremacists have through History been Happy to Oblige

The Conversation

By Shannon M. Smith | – White supremacist and militia organizations are exploiting the government’s chaotic response to the coronavirus for recruitment efforts. Whatever his intention, these groups interpret President Donald Trump’s tweets to “LIBERATE” states and calling armed protesters “very good people” as support for their cause. Recent research by the Tech Transparency Project […]

Epidemics
As 27 Million Lose Job-based Health Insurance, Imagine if there were No Obamacare

As 27 Million Lose Job-based Health Insurance, Imagine if there were No Obamacare

The Conversation

By Simon F. Haeder | – The loss of 31 million jobs due to coronvirus has an added downside: 27 million have lost job-based health insurance. The worst may still lie ahead. One study estimated that 25 to 43 million people could lose coverage from their employer. The situation for many Americans feels dramatic. Fortunately, […]

Epidemics
Despite the Opposition of Some, The Science is Clear: Masks Stop the Spread of Coronavirus and should be Mandatory

Despite the Opposition of Some, The Science is Clear: Masks Stop the Spread of Coronavirus and should be Mandatory

The Conversation

By Jeremy Howard | I’m a data scientist at the University of San Francisco and teach courses online in machine learning for fast.ai. In late March, I decided to use public mask-wearing as a case study to show my students how to combine and analyze diverse types of data and evidence. Much to my surprise, […]

Climate Crisis
Climate Social Distancing: As sea levels rise, are we ready to live behind giant walls?

Climate Social Distancing: As sea levels rise, are we ready to live behind giant walls?

The Conversation

By Hannah Cloke | – Climate change, it’s fair to say, is complicated. And it’s big. One of the main challenges of responding effectively is simply getting your head around the scale of the problem. This is not unique in the study of the physical world, of course. Scientists and economists spend a lot of […]

Epidemics
Fleas to flu to coronavirus: how ‘death ships’ spread disease through the ages

Fleas to flu to coronavirus: how ‘death ships’ spread disease through the ages

The Conversation

By Joy Damousi | – One of the haunting images of this pandemic will be stationary cruise ships – deadly carriers of COVID-19 – at anchor in harbours and unwanted. Docked in ports and feared. The news of the dramatic spread of the virus on the Diamond Princess from early February made the news real […]

Climate Crisis
Why it doesn’t make Economic Sense to Ignore Climate Change in our Recovery from the Epidemic

Why it doesn’t make Economic Sense to Ignore Climate Change in our Recovery from the Epidemic

The Conversation

By Anna Skarbek| – It will be tempting for some to overlook the climate change challenge in the rush to restart the economy after the pandemic . . . In the United States, the Trump administration is reportedly contemplating a coronavirus rescue package tailored specifically to oil and natural gas producers, while the Chinese government […]

African-Americans
The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery highlights again the Fatal Danger of Jogging while Black

The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery highlights again the Fatal Danger of Jogging while Black

The Conversation

By Rashawn Ray | – Unsteady cellphone footage follows a jogger – an apparently young, black man – as he approaches and attempts to run around a white pickup truck parked in the middle of a suburban road. Moments later he lies dead on the ground. The killing of Ahmaud Arbery took place on Feb. […]

Epidemics
Lockdown Singing: the Science of why Music helps us connect in Isolation

Lockdown Singing: the Science of why Music helps us connect in Isolation

The Conversation

By David M. Greenberg and Ilanit Gordon | – “Don’t hold back, sing with all of your heart,” said our colleague Simon Baron-Cohen on a Zoom meeting the other night with his fellow band members. Simon is director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University by day and bass player of the blues and […]

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