George Floyd's Autopsy and the Structural Gaslighting of America

Trouble viewing? View in your browser. View all Scientific American publications.

             

June 08, 2020

Dear Reader, The declarations, the truths, the realities of Black people in America are too often disregarded. Across the nation, Black people are suffocating under the weight of anti-Black hatred. They cannot breathe. And even as they gasp for air, structural gaslighting operates to deny the truths of the causes of their suffocation. This statement comes from our lead story, which was authored by 12 physicians who condemn the misreporting about George Floyd's initial autopsy report. The doctors argue that in America, widespread anti-Black violence is often paired with structural gaslighting. Their op-ed explains how the legal system and media emboldened white supremacy, all under the cloak of authoritative scientific rhetoric. In a separate article, the group 500 Women Scientists explains why researchers, academic institutions, and scientific organizations must denounce racial injustice and violence. Also featured in today's roundup: Without providing evidence, scientists claim that "genetic reasons," among other factors, put African-Americans at higher risk of COVID-19 mortality. This racialized view of biology is not only wrong but harmful.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Policy & Ethics George Floyd's Autopsy and the Structural Gaslighting of America The weaponization of medical language emboldened white supremacy with the authority of the white coat. How will we stop it from happening again? By Ann Crawford-Roberts,Sonya Shadravan,Jennifer Tsai,Nicolás E. Barceló,Allie Gips,Michael Mensah,Nichole Roxas,Alina Kung,Anna Darby,Naya Misa,Isabella Morton,Alice Shen

Behavior & Society The Biggest Psychological Experiment in History Is Running Now What can the pandemic teach us about how people respond to adversity? By Lydia Denworth

Policy & Ethics Silence Is Never Neutral; Neither Is Science Ignoring science's legacy of racism or a wider culture shaped by white supremacy doesn't make scientists "objective" By 500 Women Scientists Leadership

Public Health The Biggest Mystery: What It Will Take To Trace The Coronavirus Source SARS-CoV-2 came from an animal, but finding which one will be tricky—as will laying to rest speculation of a lab escape By David Cyranoski,Nature magazine

Policy & Ethics Racism, Not Genetics, Explains Why Black Americans Are Dying of COVID-19 Some scientists and politicians have invoked baseless ideas about unknown genes, ignoring systemic inequality and oppression By Clarence Gravlee

Climate To Save the Climate, Look to the Oceans They can be a source of clean, renewable energy, sustainable food, and more By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Behavior & Society Why Would Anyone Distrust Anthony Fauci? It's because Americans tend to believe in science, but they don't always think scientists share their values By John H. Evans,Eszter Hargittai

Behavior & Society Which Experts Should You Listen to during the Pandemic? It should be a no-brainer: your best bet is to follow those who have actual expertise

Conservation Whale Protections Need Not Cause Lobstering Losses Right whales, other whales and turtles get caught in lobster trap lines, but fewer lines can maintain the same lobster catch levels. By Jason G. Goldman | 02:55

Public Health Zoom Psychiatrists Prep for COVID-19's Endless Ride An epidemiologist points to new stresses in the U.S. mental health system that may persist from the novel coronavirus pandemic By Gary Stix

Behavior & Society What Social Distancing Reveals about East-West Differences The pandemic could spur psychological changes in both the U.S. and China By Gish Jen,Qi Wang

Cognition How to Keep COVID-19 Conspiracies Contained An expert on climate denial offers tips for inoculating people against coronavirus conspiracy notions. By Julia Rosen | 02:39

FROM THE STORE Scientific American Digital & Full Archive For $69 per year, your Digital & Full Archive subscription includes 12 digital issues with full digital archive access back to 1845 and Android and iOS app access.

ADVERTISEMENT

LATEST ISSUES

Questions?   Comments?

Download the Scientific American App

To view this email as a web page, go here. You received this email because you opted-in to receive email from Scientific American. To ensure delivery please add news@email.scientificamerican.com to your address book. Unsubscribe     Manage Email Preferences     Privacy Policy     Contact Us