You don’t have to be alone to feel lonely

A history of loneliness [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 19 March 2018 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note Loneliness, according to some, is an “epidemic,” a silent killer that doesn’t discriminate on the basis of income, politics or nationality. But according to Amherst College Assistant Professor of English Amelia Worley, [loneliness is a relatively new concept](. The word was rarely used until the 17th century, and back then described the vulnerability of being separated from friends, families and neighbors. Today, you can be surrounded by these same people but nonetheless feel incredibly alone. So what’s changed? By contrast, immigration is an issue that has deeply divided Americans, not just along party lines, but also in another important way. University of Montana legal scholar Anthony Johnstone writes that the Trump administration’s recent decision to sue California over its sanctuary laws is the latest evidence of [a centuries-old battle between the federal government and state governments](. Financial markets around the world went a bit berserk in February. This echoed an event exactly one decade ago when an obscure corner of Wall Street crashed. Similar problems led to both events. And in both cases, after a brief spell of unease, markets recovered. The 2008 incident, however, turned out to be a proverbial dead canary in a coal mine that foreshadowed the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. This year’s sell-off [should be seen as another canary](, argue economists Steven Pressman and Robert H. Scott III. Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Top Stories Edward Hopper’s ‘Office in a Small City’ (1953). Gandalf's Gallery [A history of loneliness]( Amelia S. Worsley, Amherst College Although loneliness may seem timeless and universal, the word seems to have originated in the 16th century, President Donald Trump reviews border wall prototypes in San Diego. AP Photo/Evan Vucci [Sessions suing California is the latest battle in a centuries-old war for power over immigration]( Anthony Johnstone, The University of Montana A legal scholar explains how even in the early days of the republic, Americans struggled to agree on who had the final say on immigration issues. An ice sculpture titled ‘Main Street Meltdown’ melts near Wall Street. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II [Recent stock market sell-off foreshadows a new Great Recession]( Steven Pressman, Colorado State University; Robert H. Scott III, Monmouth University The collapse of an obscure corner of the financial market a decade ago foreshadowed the Great Recession. The stock-market swoon in February should offer a similar warning. 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Trending on site - [Adult human brains don't grow new neurons in hippocampus, contrary to prevailing view]( Shawn Sorrells, University of California, San Francisco; Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, University of California, San Francisco; Mercedes Paredes, University of California, San Francisco The scientists behind a controversial new study were surprised by their own results. But they carefully did all they could to 'prove a negative,' and their neurogenesis study is shaking up the field. - [Potent Mexico City earthquake was a rare 'bending' quake, study finds – and it could happen again]( Diego Melgar, University of Oregon; Xyoli Pérez-Campos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Not all earthquakes are made equal. A new study on the 2017 quake that killed 300 in Mexico City finds that both its location and cause were unusual — but seismologists say another strike is possible. - [Want better sex? Try getting better sleep]( Laurie Mintz, University of Florida Research demonstrates a two-way relationship between sleep problems and sexual problems, as well as between satisfying sex and sound sleep. If you want better sex, you need better sleep. Today’s quote [Kurdish women have long been exceptions in the mostly conservative Middle East.]( [Kurdish troops fight for freedom — and women's equality — on battlegrounds across Middle East]( Haidar Khezri Indiana University [Haidar Khezri] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111