Racism leaves its mark on the brain and body

+ how foreign spies shape policy from within US Edition - Today's top story: Racism produces subtle brain changes that lead to increased disease risk in Black populations [View in browser]( US Edition | 15 December 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [How Putin won far-right fans abroad]( - [Meet the extinct breed of dogs once kept for their wool]( - [Can you ace this week’s news quiz?]( Lead story Researchers have known for decades that racism can have a detrimental effect on the health of those who endure even small acts of aggression throughout their lives. But research into specifically how discriminatory behaviors can become a part of a person’s biology and even alter their brain chemistry is still in the early stages. Clinical neuroscientists Negar Fani and Nathaniel Harnett are working to untangle the complex ways in which [racism leaves its mark on the brain](, specifically in Black populations in Atlanta. They are learning that everyday racial discrimination can alter both the structure and function of the brain and cause certain brain regions to be in continual overdrive, burning energy that is costly to the whole body. This, in turn, leads to a “weathering” of sorts, Fani and Harnett explain, which translates to higher disease risk. But, they write, validation and support toward people who are subject to discrimination can go a long way toward helping them find healing and restoration. One last note: we’re starting to test out a new service to let you get some of our headlines via text. If you’d like to try it, [sign up here](. [ [Get our Understanding AI series – four emails delivered over the course of a week, with experts explaining this confusing topic.]( ] Amanda Mascarelli Senior Health and Medicine Editor Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( Coping with everyday affronts comes at a cost and requires a certain level of emotional suppression. RyanJLane/E+ via Getty Images [Racism produces subtle brain changes that lead to increased disease risk in Black populations]( Negar Fani, Emory University; Nathaniel Harnett, Harvard Medical School Racial threats and slights take a toll on health, but the continual invalidation and questioning of whether those so-called microaggressions exist has an even more insidious effect, research shows. Politics + Society - [A US ambassador working for Cuba? Charges against former diplomat Victor Manuel Rocha spotlight Havana’s importance in the world of spying]( Calder Walton, Harvard Kennedy School Cuba gets less attention as an espionage threat than Russia or China, but is a potent player in the spy world. 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