Ethics, vaccines and the need for universal access

+ the evidence on mail-in voting US Edition - Today's top story: Ending the pandemic will take global access to COVID-19 treatment and vaccines – which means putting ethics before profits [View in browser]( US Edition | 16 July 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair With no vaccine or cure for COVID-19, even the richest and best insured Americans suddenly understand what it’s like not to have the medicines they need to survive. But poor people in the U.S. and around the world have long known that desperation, due to a drug distribution system that values profit over patients. That system isn’t just amoral – it will [also hurt the global coronavirus fight](, writes bioethicist Nicole Hassoun of Binghamton University. Because “in a global pandemic, an outbreak anywhere threatens people everywhere.” Also today: - [Rock weathering to fight climate change]( - [Corporate activism’s dual-edged sword]( - [Oklahoma history and ‘Indian Country’]( Catesby Holmes Religion Editor | International Editor Indian health workers doing health checks in Mumbai, June 17, 2020. AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File [Ending the pandemic will take global access to COVID-19 treatment and vaccines – which means putting ethics before profits]( Nicole Hassoun, Binghamton University, State University of New York The high cost of pharmaceuticals often means only the richest patients get lifesaving medicines. As coronavirus drugs emerge, it will require hard, creative work to ensure they're available to all. Politics + Society - [Research on voting by mail says it’s safe – from fraud and disease]( Edie Goldenberg, University of Michigan Voting by mail is rarely subject to fraud, does not give an advantage to one political party over another and can in fact inspire public confidence in the voting process. Health - [Contact tracing’s long, turbulent history holds lessons for COVID-19]( Amy Lauren Fairchild, The Ohio State University; Lawrence O. Gostin, Georgetown University; Ronald Bayer, Columbia University Trust in the confidentiality of contact tracing broke down during the AIDS epidemic. Today, it's faltering again. Science + Technology - [A new anti-platelet drug shows potential for treating blood vessel clots in heart attacks, strokes and, possibly, COVID-19]( Xiaoping Du, University of Illinois at Chicago Scientists have developed and tested a new anti-clotting drug in mice that shows promise for treating heart attacks and stroke. It may also prove useful for COVID-19. - [How brains do what they do is more complex than what anatomy on its own suggests]( Salvatore Domenic Morgera, University of South Florida A bioengineer explains how a clearer picture of brain structure and function may fine-tune the ways brain surgery attempts to correct structure and medication tries to correct function. Economy + Business - [Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights, Trump: The risks and rewards of corporate activism]( Joshua T. Beck, University of Oregon Companies are increasingly taking stands on hot-button political issues from LGBT rights to Black Lives Matter. New research shines light on whether and when it can benefit the bottom line. Education - [Until teachers feel safe, widespread in-person K-12 schooling may prove impossible in US]( Michael Addonizio, Wayne State University An effort to bring three teachers together while they taught young students online over the summer in Arizona didn't bode well. - [Ransomware criminals are targeting US universities]( Nir Kshetri, University of North Carolina – Greensboro As colleges and universities strive to protect their campuses from COVID-19, they must also pay attention to cyberattacks that target sensitive data, a cybersecurity expert warns. Ethics + Religion - [Protestantism’s troubling history with white supremacy in the US]( Tiffany Puett, St. Edward's University White supremacists feed off a narrative of America being white and Protestant. The Church's history in the US is enmeshed with racist ideology. - [Zounds! What the fork are minced oaths? And why are we still fecking using them today?]( Kirk Hazen, West Virginia University From 16th-century playwrights to 'The Good Place,'" wordplay has found clever ways to get around uttering profane and blasphemous language. - [Oklahoma is – and always has been – Native land]( Dwanna L. McKay, Colorado College The Supreme Court's July 9 ruling that half of Oklahoma belongs to the Muscogee Nation confirms what Indigenous people already knew: North America is 'Indian Country.' Environment + Energy - [An effective climate change solution may lie in rocks beneath our feet]( Benjamin Z. Houlton, University of California, Davis To avoid global warming on a catastrophic scale, nations need to reduce emissions and find ways to pull carbon from the air. One promising solution: spreading rock dust on farm fields. Trending on Site - [Mask resistance during a pandemic isn’t new – in 1918 many Americans were ‘slackers’]( J. Alexander Navarro, University of Michigan As the US battled the 1918 influenza pandemic, some communities staged contentious battles against wearing masks. Sound familiar? - [5 ways higher education can be seen as hostile to women of color]( Amy Bonomi, Michigan State University Women of color are woefully underrepresented in leadership positions in higher education. What will it take to turn things around? - [Ticks spread plenty more for you to worry about beyond Lyme disease]( Jerome Goddard, Mississippi State University Tick-borne diseases are becoming more common in the United States. A public health entomologist outlines some of the lesser-known threats ticks pose to human health. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111