Robots on the coronavirus front lines

+ Challenges of getting sick time off, college kids at home Edition: US - Today's top story: Robots are playing many roles in the coronavirus crisis – and offering lessons for future disasters [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 22 April 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note Social distancing has become a mantra as society confronts the coronavirus pandemic, but social distancing isn’t an option for health care workers and first responders. Not everything medical workers do has to be hands-on, however. Robots are increasingly handling many routine hospital tasks, from delivering meals to sterilizing rooms. It’s a case of automation reducing drudgery and limiting danger. Texas A&M roboticist Robin Murphy and her colleagues [have catalogued]( two dozen ways robots are being used around the world to respond to the pandemic, in hospitals and beyond. Also today: - [Religious influence in public health]( - [Why social distancing is so painful for teenagers]( - [A link between blood sugar and COVID-19 vulnerability?]( Eric Smalley Science and Technology Editor Top story A nurse (left) operates a robot used to interact remotely with coronavirus patients while a physician looks on. MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images [Robots are playing many roles in the coronavirus crisis – and offering lessons for future disasters]( Robin R. Murphy, Texas A&M University ; Justin Adams, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering; Vignesh Babu Manjunath Gandudi, Texas A&M University Robots are helping health care workers and public safety officials more safely and quickly treat coronavirus patients and contain the pandemic. They have something in common: They're tried and tested. Economy + Business - [Taking advantage of unpaid leave can increase the chances that workers will face economic hardship]( Pamela Joshi, Brandeis University Not all Americans can take paid leave, and some workers can't take any time off at all if they or their loved ones get sick. Those are big problems during pandemics. Health - [Chronic conditions worsen coronavirus risk – here’s how to manage them amid the pandemic]( Laurie Archbald-Pannone, University of Virginia While COVID-19 raises the risk for people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and COPD, social distancing can make it harder to keep up diets and medication. - [Cracks in COVID-19 treatment reveal need to bolster primary care]( Tuba Agartan, Providence College Without massive change, the US health care system will continue to be disorganized and inefficient. Science + Technology - [Blood sugar levels may influence vulnerability to coronavirus, and controlling them through conventional means might be protective]( Adam M. Brufsky, University of Pittsburgh What does high blood sugar have to do with vulnerability to COVID-19? And is there a role for the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine in lowering blood sugar in COVID-19 patients? - [Teens are wired to resent being stuck with parents and cut off from friends during coronavirus lockdown]( Catherine Bagwell, Emory University Together the social and emotional 'jobs' of adolescence – developing intimate friendships and achieving autonomy – make teens uniquely resistant to calls for social distancing. Education - [5 ways parents can support their college-age children who’ve been forced to return home due to COVID-19]( Matthew J. Mayhew, The Ohio State University Before you nag your college-age child to pull their own weight, consider the circumstances they face during the COVID-19 pandemic, advises the author of a book on college students. Politics + Society - [Just like Trump, Brazil’s Bolsonaro puts the economy ahead of his people during coronavirus]( Bruno Dupeyron, University of Regina; Catarina Segatto, Universidade Federal do ABC Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been called the South American version of Donald Trump. His behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic shows why. - [Armenian genocide: US recognition of Turkey’s killing of 1.5 million was tangled up in decades of geopolitics]( Eldad Ben Aharon, Leiden University As Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is marked around the globe, a historian examines the little-known players in the long-running fight in the US Congress to pass a bill acknowledging the Genocide. Ethics + Religion - [Beating coronavirus requires faith leaders to bridge gap between religion and science]( Katherine Marshall, Georgetown University Given that some people look to religious authorities not health officials in times of crisis, faith leaders can promote hand-washing and social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus. Environment + Energy - [To protect people in the Great Lakes region from climate extremes, weatherize their homes]( Nicholas Rajkovich, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Climate change is making extreme weather events, both hot and cold, more frequent across the Great Lakes region. Weatherizing low-income residents' homes is an important way to prepare. Arts + Culture - [Can an intelligence test forecast which quarterback draft prospects will have NFL success?]( Joshua D. Pitts, Kennesaw State University For nearly 50 years, teams have administered the controversial Wonderlic test to measure cognitive ability. Two researchers decided to study its effectiveness as an evaluation tool. Most read on site - [How the rich reacted to the bubonic plague has eerie similarities to today’s pandemic]( Kathryn McKinley, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Then – as now – the wealthy fled to the countryside, while the urban poor were forced to work on the front lines. - [1918 flu pandemic killed 12 million Indians, and British overlords’ indifference strengthened the anti-colonial movement]( Maura Chhun, Metropolitan State University When the 1918 influenza pandemic struck India, the death toll was highest among the poor. - [Making masks at home – what you need to know about how to reduce the transmission of coronavirus]( Susan L. Sokolowski, University of Oregon; Karen L. LaBat, University of Minnesota At-home mask makers should carefully consider fit and fabric variables when designing face coverings to help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2. 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