Grieving and Frustrated: Black Scientists Call Out Racism in the Wake of Police Killings

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June 09, 2020

Dear Reader, Black scientists are calling for action on racism in society and in science. By using #BlackintheIvory on Twitter, hundreds of Black academics described ways in which they had personally faced prejudice in STEM because of their identity. Many stated ways in which institutions and colleagues, from collaborators to meeting organizers, could support Black scientists. Tomorrow there will be an academic strike in support of the larger movement. The goal is "to hit pause, to give Black academics a break and to give others an opportunity to reflect on their own complicity in anti-Black racism in academia and their local and global communities." Check out our main story to learn more about these initiatives. Also in today's news: Physicians and health experts are calling on police to stop using crowd-control weapons like pepper spray and tear gas during protests because they help spread the coronavirus and increase the severity of COVID-19. Lastly, read our Q&A with a behavioral scientist who explains why you work harder when you get close to achieving a goal.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Policy & Ethics Grieving and Frustrated: Black Scientists Call Out Racism in the Wake of Police Killings An academic strike is planned for this week, alongside marches and demonstrations worldwide By Nidhi Subbaraman,Nature magazine

Physics Direct Proof of Dark Matter May Lurk at Low-Energy Frontiers Mysterious effects in a new generation of dark matter detectors could herald a revolutionary discovery By Daniel Garisto

Public Health Teargassing Protesters during an Infectious Outbreak Is 'a Recipe for Disaster' Some scientists call for police to stop using the chemical irritants, which could increase the risk of spreading COVID-19 By Will Stone,Kaiser Health News

Behavior & Society Why Feeling Close to the Finish Line Makes You Push Harder Behavioral scientist Oleg Urminksy explains why you work harder when you get close to achieving a goal By Katy Milkman,Kassie Brabaw

Environment How to Set a Price on Carbon Pollution A smart combination of math and policy choices can determine a practical tax that will cut CO2 emissions  By Gilbert E. Metcalf

Physics Beware of 'Theories of Everything' Nature is under no obligation to conform to our mathematical ideas—even the most brilliant ones By Avi Loeb

Engineering Green Infrastructure Can Be Cheaper, More Effective than Dams A new report advocates for governments to increase funding for projects like floodplain restoration By Daniel Cusick,E&E News

Arts & Culture Ancient DNA Rewrites Dead Sea Scroll History By sequencing DNA from the dust of dead sea scrolls, scientists were able to glean new clues about the ancient manuscripts. Christopher Intagliata reports. By Christopher Intagliata | 02:40

Computing The Quantum App Store Is Coming Quantum computing is still the province of specialized programmers—but that is likely to change very quickly By Dario Gil

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FROM THE ARCHIVE We Are Never Just Scientists The gender and racial gaps in scientific professions illustrate the need for greater inclusion at all levels By Krista Bywater,Kristy L. Duran,Rukmani Vijayaraghavan,Claire Horner-Devine,Kelly Ramirez,Jane Zelikova | March 2017

QUOTE OF THE DAY "If academia wants to support Black scientists, they'll train and support them instead of using black bodies for a number quota. If academia wants to support Black scientists, it won't take another senseless death and uprising for it to be clear that Black lives matter." Lesley Weaver, cell biologist and incoming assistant professor at Indiana University in Bloomington

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