Ancient Monks Got That Quarantine Feeling, Too
Listlessness, boredom, torpor, that "noonday demon" that tempts you away from spiritual connections—that's what was called acedia.
How the Public Health Community Prepares for Pandemics
Public healthcare experts have been anticipating and planning for a pandemic like COVID-19 for years. These research reports and scholarly articles explain how.
Surviving a Pandemic, in 1918
A century ago, Catholic nuns from Philadelphia recalled what it was like to tend to the needy and the sick during the great influenza pandemic of 1918.
Could Foreign Policy Stop Another Pandemic?
Diseases know no borders. International cooperation and solidarity, say scholars, are as essential as funding.
What’s the Difference between Pandemic, Epidemic, and Outbreak?
The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. What exactly does that mean?
With the Coronavirus, Science Confronts Geopolitics
The containment of COVID-19 raises pressing questions related to the freedom of scientific information, civil liberties, and human rights, one scholar explains.
Are Viruses Alive? Define Life.
Scientists have different ideas about whether viruses are living beings. But they have solid advice on how to destroy them: wash up.
When Language Goes Viral
How do innocuous words become insidious in the face of a public health emergency?
The True Costs of Managing Pandemics
The fear of the next global virus isn't just media indulging in catastrophizing; it's a collective concern for global economic and political health.