On Climate, Biden Must Do More than Undo Trump's Damage

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December 02, 2020

Dear Reader, Many diagnostic assessments are inherently biased against people of color. In our December issue, the editors of Scientific American argue that it's time to fix this dangerous problem. We explain what needs to be done to give fair care to people left more vulnerable by an inherently racist system. Next, there are trillions of viruses that make up the human virome. Some can harm us, but some could help us, if we can figure out how to use them. An infectious disease specialist explores the possibilities in an article featured below. And, in today's lead story, sustainability editor Andrea Thompson writes about what President-elect Joe Biden must do to address climate change.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Climate On Climate, Biden Must Do More than Undo Trump's Damage The new administration cannot just go back to the future on carbon emissions By Andrea Thompson

Natural Disasters 2020 Is a Record Year for Disaster Shelters, Red Cross Says The combination of hurricanes, wildfires, and the pandemic meant the organization provided four times as much assistance as in an average year By Thomas Frank,E&E News

Behavior & Society The U.S. Has Embraced Immigrant Tech Entrepreneurs. Now It's Europe's Turn Things are finally changing in the E.U., but there's still a long way to go By Ronjini Joshua

Policy & Ethics Take Racism Out of Medical Algorithms Tools used in health care are harming people of color. It's time to fix them By THE EDITORS

Biology Viruses Can Help Us as Well as Harm Us Experts are figuring out how to exploit the 380 trillion viruses that make up the human virome By David Pride

Climate Undersea Earthquakes Reveal Sound Warming Info Travel time differences for sound waves produced by undersea earthquakes in the same place at different times can provide details about ocean warming. By Julia Rosen | 03:16

Space The Future of Mars Exploration Join Scientific American for a conversation about the next steps in humanity's reconnaissance of Mars. Featuring Casey Dreier, senior space policy adviser at The Planetary Society, and space & physics editor Lee Billings, this deep dive will begin with an overview of NASA's upcoming Perseverance rover, slated to land on Mars in February 2021 to search for signs of past and present life and to gather samples for future return to Earth. Dreier and Billings will also discuss the "post-Perseverance" future in which space agencies and private companies may pursue major shifts in Mars exploration strategies, and how those plans could forever change our understanding of—and relationship with—the Red Planet. By Lee Billings,Casey Dreier

FROM THE STORE Ask the Experts: The Environment The fourth eBook in our Ask the Experts series, The Environment tackles questions about the world around us. In these pages, our experts field queries on the weather, natural disasters, natural resources, climate change and unusual phenomena.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY "One word sums up what President-elect Joe Biden must do to address climate change: Restart." Andrea Thompson, associate editor, sustainability at Scientific American

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