Coronavirus creates census problems

Edition: US - Today's top story: Students could be undercounted in the census as coronavirus closes colleges – here's why that matters [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 23 March 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note When a staff member at my brother’s small college tested positive for the coronavirus, the school sent students away and moved all classes for the rest of the year online. Across the U.S., the same story has played out at many colleges and universities, with students leaving campus to move back into their parents’ homes. Dudley Poston, a sociologist at Texas A&M University, points out that this scattering could have major consequences for the 2020 census. “Counties with large universities depend heavily on student responses to the decennial census,” he writes – [but he estimates millions of students could now be undercounted](. Also today: - [Coronavirus weekly from The Conversation international network]( - [Building materials made with live cells]( - [The ethics and medical risk of traveling during the pandemic]( Aviva Rutkin Data Editor Top story Howard University students moving out of dorms in Washington. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo [Students could be undercounted in the census as coronavirus closes colleges – here’s why that matters]( Dudley L. Poston, Jr., Texas A&M University Census data are used to determine federal funding on everything from highway construction to poverty services. With many students heading back to their parents' homes, college towns may take a hit. Health + Medicine - [Fleeing from the coronavirus is dangerous for you, the people you encounter along the way and wherever you end up]( Rebecca S.B. Fischer, Texas A&M University Universities and colleges around the world are closing. People are fleeing from cities. Some people are being forced to move but others must weigh the risks and ethical concerns of travel. - [How do we protect ourselves at home during coronavirus, and what if someone has been exposed? 4 questions answered]( Brian Labus, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Casey Barber, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Shawn Gerstenberger, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Before schools and workplaces closed, people could have been exposed. How do we best manage that? - [Coronavirus weekly: as the virus spreads, economies grind to halt]( Martin La Monica, The Conversation Citizens around the world look warily at the rates of illnesses and deaths at home and abroad as the economic effects of COVID-19 start to hit. Arts + Culture - [When restaurants close, Americans lose much more than a meal]( Rebecca L. Spang, Indiana University Restaurants have always been about more than feeding city residents. During the 1918 flu pandemic, they were kept open as sites of social solidarity. 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One federal agency had the answer. - [Workers left out of government and business response to the coronavirus]( Thomas Kochan, MIT Sloan School of Management If government and business collaborate with workers, a scholar of labor relations writes, current economic problems could get less severe, the recovery smoother and lasting prosperity more likely. Ethics + Religion - [Ancient Greeks purged city-states of disease as they would a human body – and it was the most vulnerable that suffered]( Meghan Henning, University of Dayton; Candida Moss, University of Birmingham The Greeks treated their city-states like bodies. To protect them from disasters, it was the poor that were often sacrificed. Science + Technology - [Buildings grown by bacteria – new research is finding ways to turn cells into mini-factories for materials]( Wil Srubar, University of Colorado Boulder Researchers are turning microbes into microscopic construction crews by altering their DNA to make them produce building materials. The work could lead to more sustainable buildings. Most read on site - [COVID-19 treatment might already exist in old drugs – we’re using pieces of the coronavirus itself to find them]( Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco Among the more than 20,000 drugs approved by the FDA, there may be some that can treat COVID-19. A team at the University of California, San Francisco, is identifying possible candidates. - [10 misconceptions about the 1918 flu, the ‘greatest pandemic in history’]( Richard Gunderman, Indiana University The so-called 'Spanish flu' didn't actually come from Spain. What else do people often misunderstand about this famous crisis? - [Should I exercise during the coronavirus pandemic? Experts explain the just right exercise curve]( Tamara Hew-Butler, Wayne State University; Mariane Fahlman, Wayne State University Schools are closed, houses of worship have suspended services, and many restaurants are down to delivery only. Must we also stop exercising? Two exercise physiologists explain what's safe. [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