News Room

The United States has just passed the dark milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, with many experts warning of the possibility of hundreds of thousands more dead and gravely ill in the months ahead. The country has also experienced enormous economic and social upheaval, with millions forced into unemployment, hunger, and homelessness. In the absence of a vaccine, the interventions policies that are known to stop the spread of the coronavirus—like stay-at-home orders and school closures—have also upended the course of normal life.

Computer algorithms and machine learning are helping students succeed in math. Some experts see such efforts as a crucial next step in education.

Let's look at a standard N95 mask to understand why the U.S. is so dependent on overseas suppliers for personal protective equipment (PPE). It has several individual components: filter, shell, coverweb, nose clip, nose foam, and straps. Each of those requires raw materials, chiefly polyester, polypropylene, and aluminum.

Trusted analysis of the top Iowa and national stories.

The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the airline industry. Passenger numbers are down more than two-thirds from last year, and airlines have been canceling flights and shutting down routes. It’s frustrating for travelers, but for patients on organ transplant waitlists, the loss of flights can put a life-saving kidney or heart out of reach.