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Millions around the world have waited for news about a COVID-19 vaccine, regarding it as the beginning of the end for the global pandemic and a herald for the eventual return to “normal life.” Recent announcements from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna that their respective late-stage vaccine trials have shown a 90% or better effectiveness rate have received international applause, excitement furthered with estimates that doses could be ready as early as December.

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UNLV researcher Edwin Oh and colleagues have implemented wastewater surveillance programs to screen samples for the presence of COVID-19 and to extract the RNA from the SARS-COV-2 virus to find targets that make vaccines more effective.

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As the race for a COVID-19 vaccine intensifies, health care officials are reminding the public not to forget another important vaccine this fall: the flu shot. Flu season in the U.S. technically began in September, with illnesses expected to peak in December and February, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Less than half of Americans received a flu vaccine during the 2019-2020 flu season, and a staggering 405,000 hospitalizations and 22,000 deaths were attributed to influenza.

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UNLV political experts on swing states, pushing beyond the old blue state-red state model, and a 2020 election where changing suburbs will influence outcomes.

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There’s a saying that true friendships stand the test of time. But does that apply to Facebook friendships that are tested by differing longtime political beliefs? As we approach a contentious Election Day 2020 that mirrors or perhaps even ups the ante on the divisiveness of the 2016 cycle, we turned to UNLV communication studies assistant professor Natalie Pennington.

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Abraham Lincoln. The country’s 16th president is known for many things: Signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Appearing on the $5 bill. Helping to usher in the modern-day practice of mail-in voting. Not familiar with that last one? UNLV professor Michael Green to the rescue! He’s a historian who specializes in the Civil War era, which is right around the time mail-in ballots became a prominent piece of U.

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For months, two names — presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden — have consistently dominated news headlines and social media feeds in the leadup to Election Day 2020. Some, however, might be left wondering, especially following the chaotic presidential debate just last week, if Trump and Biden are the only options out there.

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Lady Justice and Lady Liberty. Strong female symbols have long been used to represent the embodiment of American ideals and freedom. So, it almost seems fitting that two women — the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and President Donald Trump’s presumptive replacement nominee Amy Coney Barrett — are at the heart of tensions over a vacancy on the country’s highest court.

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The COVID-19 pandemic. Race relations. The Supreme Court. The economy. When President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden meet for the first of three presidential debates on Tuesday night, millions of viewers are expected to tune in. But will America really be listening? Given the country’s all-time high partisanship and the extremely tiny pool of voters who have yet to make up their minds five weeks out from the 2020 general election, analysts are putting in their bets on the influence of televised debates and the chances of actually swaying voters.

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Continued school closures and distance learning have drawn more than the ire of parents and teachers concerned about the impacts to education. Child advocates are worried about the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on youth stuck at home with their abusers. For months, researchers tracking data from across Nevada and the nation have been logging significant dips in child abuse reports — a phenomenon attributed to the lack of face time children are getting with teachers, who are trained to spot potential signs of maltreatment and required by law to report it to authorities.

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The year 2020 hasn’t just been one for the history books: It’s made quite an impact on K-12 grade books as well. As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on into another school year, the school playground has instead become a battleground for adults — teachers, parents, school administrators, public health officials, lawmakers — rowing over the future of education: Should schools reopen? Is remote learning just as effective as in-person classes, and is the technology available to ensure equity for all students? For schools that open, is enough funding available to effectively protect teachers and students from COVID-19? For those that don’t, what about parents’ need to return to work despite the need for at-home teaching? For answers, we turned to Bradley Marianno, a UNLV College of Education professor and expert on teachers’ unions.

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Kendra Gage describes implicit bias as the stories we make up about people before we get to know them. It’s a practical and personal definition from an historian who studies what some consider an unlikely, even unpopular, topic for a white professor — the civil rights movement. Because of her chosen discipline, Gage, an assistant professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies in the UNLV College of Liberal Arts, said she’s received questions and double-takes from students and others who are surprised to find her at the helm of an African American Studies class.

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A steady stream of media reports detailing the deaths of unarmed Black Americans at the hands of police. False 911 calls aimed at bringing harm to African Americans engaged in innocuous, everyday activities. Street protests calling for an end to discrimination and police brutality.  As racial tensions swirled this summer, so did calls on social media for those who support the social justice movement for African American civil rights to amplify Black voices and support Black businesses.

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Silver, bug-eyed extraterrestrials zooming across the cosmos in bullet-speed spaceships. Green, oval-faced creatures hiding out in a secret fortress at Nevada’s Area 51 base. Cartoonish, throaty-voiced relatives of Marvin the Martian who don armor and Spartan-style helmets. We humans are fascinated with the possibility of life on the Red Planet.

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After the worldwide protests that erupted over the killing of George Floyd, it is hard for me to imagine any person, company, or institution, continuing to discount the role that racism plays in our society. People all over are demanding an end to racial discrimination that is embedded in our social systems.  In hospitality, emerging research has shined light on the perception of discrimination among industry workers, but personally, it comes as no surprise to me.

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As COVID-19 spread across the globe, ravaging a path of illness and death, public health and government officials championed shelter-in-place orders to provide a safe haven away from the virus.  But months later, preliminary data shows that the lockdown orders had the opposite effect on one particular demographic: Victims of intimate partner violence who were trapped at home with their abusers.

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You’ve probably felt it before. As a new hiree. In a challenging class. Or while making small talk with really, really smart people. Many can relate to impostor syndrome — a psychological phenomenon in which a person feels that they are a fraud in a network of successful individuals, despite being well-experienced and qualified in the field.

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As uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine wears on, there remains one constant: a reliance on the internet, social media, and streaming services for work, school, entertainment, and keeping in touch with friends and family. But is the increased screen time — and the resulting onslaught of emails, memes, and media consumption that come with the removed barrier between work and home — taking a toll on our mental health? For answers, we turned to Simon Gottschalk, a UNLV sociology professor and author of “The Terminal Self: Everyday Life in Hypermodern Times,” which examines the social and psychological toll of our increasingly online lives on work, education, family life, interactions, our sense of self, and more.

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Marshmallow-soft couch cushions and a cutesy vintage chair here. Dim lighting and blackout curtains there. Ah, there’s nothing like the comforts of home. Except during a pandemic. Across the nation, new work-from-home and distance learning routines amid the COVID-19 outbreak have many people -- and their strained necks, backs, and eyes -- wishing they could trade those home comforts for the comforts of the office.

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For many, love has long been associated with flowers, candy, and counting down the hours until they see their crush or significant other again. During the age of coronavirus? Just like every other part of life, the mechanics of romance have changed. Newly dating partners are longing for one another after weeks apart due to the quarantine; longtime cohabitating and married couples are spending more time together than ever, deepening bonds for many while some could use a breather from seeing their (not so) loved one’s face.

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Beginning in 2007 through 2009, the Great Recession affected Las Vegas more than anywhere else in the United States. The Las Vegas’s economy will, once again, be dealt a difficult hand as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, according to Stephen M. Miller, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and economics professor at Lee Business School.

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As February turned to March, the race for the White House dominated daily news coverage, social media feeds, and office and dinner conversations. Pretty typical during an election year. As Super Tuesday came and went, candidates for the Democratic Party nomination continued to bow out of the race to set up an epic showdown between Bernie and Biden.

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The barrage of coronavirus-related news stories can be dizzying. Even for the seemingly well-informed, it’s become increasingly difficult to sift through it all to discern truly helpful tips to keep our homes and families safe and to regain a little bit of control in our lives.  Take cleaning, for example. Just as we’re getting the social distancing thing down by staying safe at home, we’re beginning to take a long, hard look at our house cleaning habits.

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With calls from elected and health officials to self-isolate to prevent the spread of coronavirus, more and more people are turning to social media as their primary means of entertainment and connection with friends and the outside world. But can too much social media while social distancing take a toll on your mental and even physical health? We checked in with Natalie Pennington -- a UNLV communication studies professor who researches the benefits and harms of social media -- to get her take on the best ways to make your online experience work for you.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, people have been asked to stay out of public spaces and reduce interpersonal contact to limit the transmission of the virus. This process has the unfortunate name of “social distancing,“ which has connotations of removing oneself socially and emotionally as well as physically from the public sphere.

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UNLV history professor Elizabeth Nelson separates facts about the effects of marketing, consumerism, and social media on the holiday's evolution from fiction about love's golden age.

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UNLV wine expert Murray Mackenzie dishes on the best beverage blends for meat, vegetarian, dessert, and cheese offerings.

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From table manners to table settings, UNLV etiquette expert Murray Mackenzie has the scoop.

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UNLV communication studies professor and social media researcher unveils the biggest online dealbreakers, cling makers, and tips for culling your contact list.

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As Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicks off this October, a UNLV public health professor is reminding people that men are also at risk. Statistics show that about 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, leading to it be seen primarily as a “woman’s disease.” But that view unintentionally creates a health disparity for men, who — with a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer sitting at about 1 in 883 — often face barriers to diagnosis and treatment due to a lack of awareness among the general public, policymakers, and health care professionals, says Marya Shegog, director of health programs at The Lincy Institute at UNLV.

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Weeks after the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) made history by winning its fourth FIFA World Cup – and in the process smashing global television ratings for the sport – throngs of adoring fans continue to laud the players daily on news programs and social media. But despite world dominance, the female athletes are still paid only a fraction of what their male counterparts earn.

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How does the body react when you nix sugar from your diet? UNLV nutritionist Samantha Coogan shares a solution for withdrawal symptoms, and what to expect when they’re over.