Watching germs jump species

+ SOTU, soil & civility [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 6 February 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair [Maggie Villiger] A note from... Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Biology experiments are usually done under very clean conditions, with scientists carefully observing what happens when they infect one species of animal with one kind of bacteria, for example. The artificial ecosystems that Richard Bowen and Alan Rudolph write about are way messier, with animals like ducks, chickens, pigeons, blackbirds and rats all living together and interacting. And that’s the point. The Colorado State biologists aim to emulate the barnyards and live-animal markets where new pathogens – like the coronavirus currently spreading outward from Wuhan, China – emerge. They hope these [more chaotic and realistic lab environments]( will yield important insights into disease transmission, and how to stop it. Also today: - [Civility and politics]( - [Churches without pews and parishioners]( - [Silent moments in movies]( Top story Places where lots of animals come into contact can help pathogens move from species to species. Baloncici/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Re-creating live-animal markets in the lab lets researchers see how pathogens like coronavirus jump species]( Richard Bowen, Colorado State University; Alan Rudolph, Colorado State University In the real world, new diseases emerge from complex environments. To learn more about how, scientists set up whole artificial ecosystems in the lab, instead of focusing on just one factor at a time. Health + Medicine - [Fighting coronavirus fear with empathy: Lessons learned from how Africans got blamed for Ebola]( Kevin J.A. Thomas, Pennsylvania State University Immigrants experienced stigma and blame during the Ebola crisis when in fact many were instrumental in stopping the spread of the disease. A scholar who studied that response offers insights. Politics + Society - [Civility in politics is harder than you think]( Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University It's easy to perceive a political opponent as being uncivil – and that opens the door for an uncivil reply as well. - [This is how ancient Rome’s republic died – a classicist sees troubling parallels at Trump’s impeachment trial]( Timothy Joseph, College of the Holy Cross President Trump's impeachment defense that the will of the president is no different from the will of the state and the good of the people has echoes in the decline of ancient Rome's democracy. - [Trump’s excess and extravagance turned the State of the Union into an action movie]( Vanessa B. Beasley, Vanderbilt University The self-references and superlatives used by President Trump made his State of the Union much more excessive linguistically than this speech’s tone typically is. - [The 6 countries in Trump’s new travel ban pose little threat to US national security]( Charles Kurzman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Immigrants from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania constitute less than 1% of terrorism cases in the United States, and none of the cases in the last two years. Arts + Culture - [Oscar-worthy scores unlock a film’s emotional heart]( Michael Slowik, Wesleyan University Sometimes the absence of sound can pack as much of a punch as dramatic music. 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Environment + Energy - [Soil carbon is a valuable resource, but all soil carbon is not created equal]( Jocelyn Lavallee, Colorado State University; Francesca Cotrufo, Colorado State University Storing more carbon in soil helps slow climate change and makes croplands more productive. But there are two kinds of soil carbon that are both important, but function very differently. Ethics + Religion - [What’s a church? That can depend on the eye of the beholder or paperwork filed with the IRS]( Samuel Brunson, Loyola University Chicago A growing number of groups you probably wouldn't think are churches are opting to be treated like churches. And the government isn't stopping them. Most read on site - [Snakes could be the original source of the new coronavirus outbreak in China]( Haitao Guo, University of Pittsburgh; Guangxiang “George” Luo, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Shou-Jiang Gao, University of Pittsburgh A new coronavirus related to SARS and MERS has now traveled from China to the United States. A genetic analysis reveals that this deadly pathogen may have originated in snakes. - [The Trump administration has made the US less ready for infectious disease outbreaks like coronavirus]( Linda J. Bilmes, Harvard Kennedy School The Trump administration has cut funding for infectious disease research and reduced high-level staffing for global health security, leaving the nation less prepared for major outbreaks. - [Quarantines have tried to keep out disease for thousands of years]( Leslie S. Leighton, Georgia State University Even before people understood how germs spread disease, they tried to isolate the sick to keep them from infecting others. Today’s chart - [Enable images to see the chart]( From the article: [R0: How scientists quantify the intensity of an outbreak like coronavirus and its pandemic potential]( [Joseph Eisenberg] Joseph Eisenberg University of Michigan [We need your help today to bring fact-based journalism to the public]( [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