The 1918 Flu Faded in Our Collective Memory: We Might 'Forget' the Coronavirus, Too

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August 13, 2020

Dear Reader,   Check out highlights from today's top stories: The worldwide “forgetting” and ongoing rediscovery of the 1918 flu provide a window into the science of collective memory. And they offer tantalizing clues about how future generations might regard the current coronavirus pandemic. A rare, cracked fossil has allowed paleontologists to see the world through the eyes of a 429-million-year-old trilobite. FEMA will reward states and communities that seek to address the effects of climate change under a new grant program that provides an unprecedented amount of money for resilience projects and planning.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Public Health The 1918 Flu Faded in Our Collective Memory: We Might 'Forget' the Coronavirus, Too The legacy of the 20th century’s deadliest pandemic shows how large groups remember—and forget—their shared past By Scott Hershberger

Evolution A 429-Million-Year-Old Trilobite Had Eyes like Those of Modern Bees Rare, cracked fossil shows the world through ancient eyes By Riley Black

Climate Disaster Program Allocates Unprecedented Funds for Climate Resilience Communities will be able to tap into $500 million to mitigate against disasters by, for example, strengthening building codes By Thomas Frank,E&E News

Biology The Science of Sourdough: How Microbes Enabled a Pandemic Pastime Scientists peer into those jars on the kitchen counter to find out how what’s really happening By Bob Holmes,Knowable Magazine

Behavior & Society Darwin, Expression and the Lasting Legacy of Eugenics If evolution is seen as the study of unseen development, the camera provided the illusion of quantifiable benchmarks—an irresistible proposition for the advocates of eugenics By Jessica Helfand

Space Why Lava Worlds Shine Brightly (It's Not the Lava) Scientists determined that “lava world” exoplanets do not derive their brightness from molten rock but possibly get it from reflective metallic clouds. Christopher Intagliata reports. By Christopher Intagliata | 02:21

Cognition Unveiling the Illusion How Giovanni Strazza rejected reality to make marble lifelike

FROM THE STORE Special Editions Volume 29, Issue 3s

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Lessons from Past Outbreaks Could Help Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic The 1918 influenza pandemic and 2002–2003 SARS outbreak suggest social distancing measures, communication and international cooperation are the most effective methods to slow COVID-19 By Sara Goudarzi | March 2020

QUOTE OF THE DAY "If there's one cognitive instrument that is the most ubiquitous, most natural..., it's narrative. Not all human cultures have arithmetic number systems, let alone calculus. But all human cultures use narratives." James Wertsch, psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis

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