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How optimizing indoor humidity can help stop the spread of Covid and flu

OPINION: Recent CDC guidelines for indoor air quality disregard the benefits of humidity. But research shows it can kill viruses and help thwart infections.

Photograph of a small child with a backpack staring through some railings at an empty schoolyard.

Society

How to recover from the Great Education Disruption

OPINION: Children around the world were out of school for months, with big impacts on learning, well-being and the economy. How do we avoid a ‘generational catastrophe’?

Conceptual illustration shows a cityscape, two people staring out of windows and a giant red coronavirus hovering in the sky.

The Mind

Pandemic psychology: Nothing new under the Sun

OPINION: Our behavior during Covid-19 echoes that of individuals, societies and governments during past plagues. We can and should do better.

Photo shows people volunteering after a devastating earthquake in Nepal to recover bricks and heritage items from a destroyed temple in 2015. The volunteers, shown in silhouette, pass items hand to hand from the roof down to the ground.

Society

How to short-circuit short-term thinking

OPINION: Human behavior is fueling major social dilemmas — from climate change to the Covid pandemic to the spread of misinformation. But that means it’s also the solution, if only we can harness psychology for the common good.

Lab researchers wearing full protective suits, supplied with clean air, are shown in a lab.

Society

Question the ‘lab leak’ theory. But don’t call it a conspiracy.

OPINION: If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, labels get in the way of facts and make the truth that much harder to find.

Photo shows the exterior of a large building with a sign saying “This Hospital is CLOSED. If this is an emergency, call 911.”

Society

Let’s change how we pay for hospitals

OPINION: Many health facilities were already in fiscal straits before Covid-19 — except in Maryland. The state’s innovative and sound approach could be the answer to rescuing systems nationwide.

Illustration shows a variety of ways that scientists might work in a lab to find potential new therapies.

Health & Disease

Why we are developing a patent-free Covid antiviral therapy

OPINION: During global health crises such as pandemics, drug discovery should be publicly funded and open, with no research secrets locked away

Illustration shows a networked globe with coronavirus particles.

Health & Disease

Building an immune system for the planet could prevent the next pandemic

OPINION: We need a global information network that spans borders so we can spot — and stop — new pathogens before they threaten world health

Panoramic photo shows a green lawn in Central Park, with park-goers, trees and the city skyline visible.

Society

Covid cut pollution and got us outside. Let’s keep it up.

OPINION: Urban planners need to find ways to reduce traffic and provide equal access to green spaces

Health & Disease

Let’s put community health workers to work

OPINION: Covid laid bare the scope of health disparities in the US and around the world. Research shows that trained lay people may be the best way to bring evidence-based care to those who need it most.

Collage shows people's hands using devices such as a phone or laptop in a virtual meeting, with an illustration of the planet superimposed on top.

Food & Environment

Let’s keep meetings virtual after Covid

OPINION: We don’t want to go back to living on planes and out of suitcases. Virtual meetings are cheaper, more accessible and better for the planet.

Health & Disease

Covid job loss: The cause of the next epidemic?

OPINION: Being out of work — even for a just a few months — may be bad for your health

Photo shows a dad seated on the floor with a laptop balanced on his lap and writing in a planning calendar while talking on the phone. A baby sits at his knee, playing with blocks.

Society

Remote work can be a lot better than this

OPINION: Under the right conditions (i.e., not during a pandemic), telework can be great for both employers and employees

Health & Disease

Four ways HIV activists have saved lives during Covid

OPINION: We owe these early fighters a debt of gratitude for transforming our response to public health crises.

Health & Disease

Yes, all this screen time is hurting your eyes

OPINION: A neuroscientist says that he’s particularly worried about kids, who may have spent much of last year learning online. Some easy hacks can help.

Photo shows an unhoused man with his belongings resting in a covered bus stop in Washington, DC, in February 2021. A digital sign in the bus stop tracks upticks in the US national debt.

Society

The danger of high public debt is not what you think

OPINION: An overlooked consequence of huge deficit spending during the Covid-19 pandemic could be further loss of public trust in the government

Photograph of a smashed-up car that ran off the road into a lamppost. A fire truck and police cars are in the background.

Society

Another way that Covid can kill: Car crashes

OPINION: Traffic is down, but deaths are up. Here’s how to stay safe on the road.

Photo illustration of someone looking at information about mifepristone, used to terminate early pregnancies, on their smartphone.

Health & Disease

Abortions can happen safely — and entirely — at home

OPINION: The pandemic has taught us how we can deliver better care to patients who seek to terminate pregnancies. Now if only science could triumph over politics.

This scanning electron micrograph shows Clostridium difficile bacterial cells as they are dividing.

Health & Disease

Don’t let Covid boost another killer

OPINION: The pandemic may be interfering with our fight against drug-resistant bacteria. Luckily, the same tactics can beat back both scourges.

The Mind

Pandemic behavior: 4 takeaways, 2 experts and 1 big opportunity

OPINION: So many things about this global health crisis come down to people’s small, day-to-day actions. What have we learned so far?

Image of several coronaviruses floating on a red background

Health & Disease

How enlisting dentists can speed up Covid-19 vaccinations

OPINION: Dental care providers have the skills, the facilities and the trust of patients who might otherwise miss out

A conceptual illustration shows four individuals, three in white coats and all wearing masks, working at a circular table. A set of syringes points to the middle of the table. In the center is a large, blobby coronavirus particle.

Health & Disease

Are too many scientists studying Covid?

The pandemic prompted many scientists to pivot their research to the coronavirus. That’s not an entirely good thing.

A patient breaths in through a breathing apparatus during a medical test

Health & Disease

How to help Covid-19 long-haulers

OPINION: Patients with lingering symptoms need access to specialized clinics — and so much more

A man stands outside a taxicab, face mask on his forehead, looking at the camera

Society

Don’t abandon paid sick leave. It’s a cost-effective tool against Covid-19.

OPINION: Requiring companies to give unwell workers compensated time off isn’t a burden. It’s smart public health policy that reduces the spread of disease.

A family of four gathered in a hotel room, the father standing up by a small table figuring out food, the mother and children sitting on the bed, which has toys and books on it..

Society

A winter of despair for homeless families

OPINION: In the absence of much-needed measures, the pandemic will make the cold days harder and more perilous among our most vulnerable population

Photograph shows a back-view of a man and woman in business attire standing in front of two elevators and reaching for the buttons.

Society

How men can ‘lean in’ on behalf of women

OPINION: Women have been pulled away from their jobs during the pandemic. Here’s what they need right now from male allies in the office.

Conceptual illustration featuring a syringe and virus particles.

Health & Disease

I got the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Or maybe not.

OPINION: Many Americans say they won’t take a vaccine. I am not one of <br xmlns="http://pub2web.metastore.ingenta.com/ns/"/>them — and I have the shots to prove it.

Society

Covid stole my Dad’s final months

OPINION: Because of the pandemic, I couldn’t visit him in his nursing home, and because of his dementia he couldn’t understand why. Mismanagement of this crisis has failed the elderly and caused incalculable hurt.

Health & Disease

7 ways to fix this pandemic — and stop the next one

OPINION: Experts predict another nearly 180,000 deaths by February. It doesn’t have to be that way, writes health security expert Eric Toner.

A still shot from the Eterna online game, which invites citizen scientists to help design RNA molecules with greater stability with an aim of making a potentially more practical Covid vaccine.

Health & Disease

Wanted: Online gamers to help build a more stable Covid-19 vaccine

OPINION: People beat artificial intelligence hands-down at puzzling out new ways to fold molecules for a potential SARS-Cov-2 immunization. Thousands more players are needed.

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Opinion

Science literacy is more important than ever. Help us combat misinformation.