How data shines a light on health gaps

+ what's causing western wildfires, innovator personalities US Edition - Today's top story: How a new way of parsing COVID-19 data began to show the breadth of health gaps between Blacks and whites [View in browser]( US Edition | 16 September 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Doctors have long seen differences in the outcomes of Blacks and whites when it comes to many diseases, but COVID-19 has revealed an even wider chasm than many thought. In a bit of data detective work, scientists and public health experts carefully examined the data to better understand that health gap. Health information scholar David Buys of Mississippi State University explains why it’s important to [disaggregate public health data]( by gender, ethnicity, disability, and neighborhoods, along with age and race. - [Walling off social media companies doesn’t work]( - [Lessons from the polio vaccine race]( - [How the pandemic could change college applications]( Lynne Anderson Senior Health + Medicine Editor Breaking down COVID-19 data into demographic groups helps scientists learn more about the virus. izusek via Getty Images [How a new way of parsing COVID-19 data began to show the breadth of health gaps between Blacks and whites]( David R. Buys, Mississippi State University Getting the real answers on health gaps requires a deep dive into the demographics. Environment + Energy - [Climate change and forest management have both fueled today’s epic Western wildfires]( Steven C. Beda, University of Oregon Debating whether climate change or forest management has caused the devastating wildfires in California, Washington and Oregon is a false choice. Economy + Business - [Banning apps like TikTok and WeChat is a good way to ensure a country will trail in tech leadership and profits]( Huatong Sun, University of Washington Despite efforts to wall off regional or national internets, social media companies will have to continue aggressively competing across borders if they are to grow. - [To be a great innovator, learn to embrace and thrive in uncertainty]( Todd Saxton, Indiana University Many great innovators have personality traits in common. Comfort with uncertainty is critical, but passion, curiosity and a number of other learnable skills can prime you for an innovate idea. Science + Technology - [Ancient DNA is revealing the genetic landscape of people who first settled East Asia]( Melinda A. Yang, University of Richmond By studying the DNA of people who lived in East Asia thousands of years ago, scientists are starting to untangle how the region was populated. - [Lessons from how the polio vaccine went from the lab to the public that Americans can learn from today]( Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh; Randy P. Juhl, University of Pittsburgh A tragic error showed how complicated it can be to distribute vaccines on a mass scale. Education - [5 ways the COVID-19 pandemic could affect your college application]( Whitney Soule, Bowdoin College An admissions dean seeks to take the worry out of applying for college when traditional things like grades, standardized tests and extracurricular activities have been disrupted by COVID-19. Arts + Culture - [Why San Francisco felt like the set of a sci-fi flick]( Johndan Johnson-Eilola, Clarkson University The eerie San Francisco skyline evoked sci-fi movies for a reason. Filmmakers are increasingly using color grading to tinge their films with two hues, orange and teal, to unsettle viewers. Politics/Election '20 - [Why do women change their stories of sexual assault? Holocaust testimonies may provide clues]( Allison Sarah Reeves Somogyi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A scholar who studies Holocaust survivors sees an explanation for why women change their stories of sexual assault, even now in the #MeToo era. Trending on site - [Coronavirus is hundreds of times more deadly for people over 60 than people under 40]( Nir Menachemi, IUPUI Using random testing, researchers in Indiana were able to calculate death rates by age, race, and sex and found sharp increases in risk of death among older and non-white state residents. - [Americans are renouncing U.S. citizenship in record numbers – but maybe not for the reasons you think]( Brett Goodin, New York University Some 10,000 people are likely to give up their US passport this year, way above average. Are they fleeing COVID-19? Nasty politics? Taxes? None of the above, says an expert on American citizenship. - [What’s in wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?]( Luke Montrose, Boise State University Wildfires blanketing several Western cities are creating hazardous health conditions. Don't count on cloth masks to protect your lungs. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111