Sick without symptoms

+ refugees tell their own coronavirus stories Edition: US - Today's top story: Infected with the coronavirus but not showing symptoms? A physician answers 5 questions about asymptomatic COVID-19 [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 30 April 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note One of the things that’s so frustrating about covering the coronavirus pandemic is how much we just don’t know. As scientists work overtime to fill in all these knowledge gaps, the rest of us are left wondering. That’s why I was happy that University of Virginia infectious disease specialist William Petri agreed to round up what studies so far suggest about asymptomatic coronavirus. How can you catch a virus, spread it and fight it off, all [without knowing you’d been infected?]( Also today: - [Why small businesses struggle to get the aid they need]( - [Friday is Day of the Indoctrinator]( - [Can your town handle the coronavirus and a natural disaster at the same time?]( Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Top story Even if you’re feeling fine, you might be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. John Lamparski/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images [Infected with the coronavirus but not showing symptoms? A physician answers 5 questions about asymptomatic COVID-19]( William Petri, University of Virginia Your body can be infected and fight off SARS-CoV-2 without your ever noticing. Economy + Business - [Coronavirus: Why is it so hard to aid small businesses hurt by a disaster?]( Maria K. Watson, Texas A&M University About one in four businesses say they're two months away from permanent closure, yet many of the neediest businesses are struggling to get some of the aid intended for them. - [Why apparel brands’ efforts to police their supply chains aren’t working]( Jason Judd, Cornell University; Sarosh Kuruvilla, Cornell University New research shows much of the information the apparel industry relies on to ensure factories comply with labor and safety laws is falsified or otherwise unreliable. Science + Technology - [How Apple and Google will let your phone warn you if you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus]( Johannes Becker, Boston University; David Starobinski, Boston University Bluetooth wireless communication makes it possible for people to get alerts on their phones when they've been exposed to the coronavirus. Adding the right cryptography scheme keeps those alerts private. - [How could an explosive Big Bang be the birth of our universe?]( Michael Lam, Rochester Institute of Technology The term 'Big Bang' might make you think of a massive explosion. Put the thought out of your head. Rather than an explosion, it was the start of everything in the universe. Politics + Society - [Refugees tell stories of problems – and unity – in facing the coronavirus]( Karen Jacobsen, Tufts University; Charles Simpson, Tufts University From getting schooling for their children through an app in the wrong language to trouble finding gloves and masks, refugees across the globe face different challenges in dealing with the coronavirus. - [Language differences spark fear amid the coronavirus pandemic]( Stanley Dubinsky, University of South Carolina; Kaitlyn E. Smith, University of South Carolina; Michael Gavin, University of South Carolina Fear of strangers extends beyond racism and discrimination against people who look like they might come from another place – it includes people who sound different, too. Environment + Energy - [Can your community handle a natural disaster and coronavirus at the same time?]( Mark Abkowitz, Vanderbilt University If the forecasts are right, the US could be facing more natural disasters this year – on top of the coronavirus pandemic. Local governments aren't prepared. - [Endangered tigers face growing threats from an Asian road-building boom]( Neil Carter, University of Michigan A new study forecasts that thousands of miles of new road construction will cut through tiger habitat across Asia by 2050. Planning can make these projects more tiger-friendly. Health + Medicine - [Masks and distancing make it tough for the hard-of-hearing, but here’s how to help]( Nicole Marrone, University of Arizona Audiologists recommend enhanced communication strategies in the time of coronavirus to help the nearly 60 million Americans living with hearing loss in one or both ears. Ethics + Religion - [Brazilian mystics say they’re sent by aliens to ‘jump-start human evolution’ – but their vision for a more just society is not totally crazy]( Kelly E. Hayes, IUPUI Brazil's Valley of the Dawn faith is often dismissed as a cult. But many of the group's fantastical rituals are a recognizable reaction to this harsh world of inequality, loneliness and pandemics. Most Read on Site - [The unintended consequences of marijuana decriminalization]( Nikolay Anguelov, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Decriminalizing medical and recreational marijuana may exacerbate racial inequality within the criminal justice system, among other things. - [How understanding the prisoner’s dilemma can help bridge liberal and conservative differences]( Dylan Selterman, University of Maryland A professor's extra credit question goes to show how, as humans, we do care for each other. The challenge is: how do we apply it to more pressing problems of the world? - [How the Trump administration accidentally insured over 200,000 through Obamacare]( Coleman Drake, University of Pittsburgh; David Anderson, Duke University The idea, says our experts, was to shut down Obamacare. But it didn't work out that way. This could take on more importance as the number of uninsured swells due to coronavirus. 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