The safest place to be during a pandemic

+ archaeology and diseases, what's a derecho? US Edition - Today's top story: I study coronavirus in a highly secured biosafety lab – here's why I feel safer here than in the world outside [View in browser]( US Edition | 17 June 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair It takes between 30 and 45 minutes for vaccine developer Troy Sutton to don all the gear he needs to enter Penn State’s high-containment biosafety lab. Read his account of why he feels safer [handling live SARS-CoV-2 virus in that lab]( than going to the grocery store. This week’s research and science news also features the latest findings on [airborne spread of the coronavirus]( and why, from an evolutionary medicine perspective, the virus is [different from many other pathogens](. And with public protests across the country, a legal scholar examines the risks of using [big data and surveillance technologies in law enforcement](. Martin La Monica Deputy Editor Troy Sutton works with potentially deadly pathogens but the right precautions greatly reduce the risks. Penn State [I study coronavirus in a highly secured biosafety lab – here’s why I feel safer here than in the world outside]( Troy Sutton, Pennsylvania State University To find a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, scientists need to work hands-on with the highly infectious coronavirus. It happens in a super secure lab designed to keep them safe and prevent any escapes. Dead men do tell tales through their physical remains. AP Photo/Francesco Bellini [What the archaeological record reveals about epidemics throughout history – and the human response to them]( Charlotte Roberts, Durham University; Gabriel D. Wrobel, Michigan State University; Michael Westaway, The University of Queensland People have lived with infectious disease throughout the millennia, with culture and biology influencing each other. Archaeologists decode the stories told by bones and what accompanies them. An artistic rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. Getty Images / s-cphoto [How the coronavirus escapes an evolutionary trade-off that helps keep other pathogens in check]( Athena Aktipis, Arizona State University; Joe Alcock, University of New Mexico Pathogens typically face a trade-off between virulence and transmission. But that's not the case with SARS-CoV-2. Other Good Finds - [What is a derecho? An atmospheric scientist explains these rare but dangerous storm systems]( Russ Schumacher, Colorado State University Hurricane and tornado winds spin in circles, but there's another, equally dangerous storm type where winds barrel straight ahead. They're called derechos, and are most common in summer. - [People are getting sick from coronavirus spreading through the air – and that’s a big challenge for reopening]( Douglas Reed, University of Pittsburgh SARS-CoV-2 can be spread through the air. But just how much of a factor that is has been hard to determine. Recent evidence suggests it is common, posing problems as public places begin to reopen. - [High-tech surveillance amplifies police bias and overreach]( Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, American University Police forces across the country now have access to surveillance technologies that were recently available only to national intelligence services. The digitization of bias and abuse of power followed. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111