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The Anatomy of Comfort Music – DJBooth

June 23, 2020 medical

Photo Credit: Apple Music

Comfort music has taken on new importance. Im talking about the music we turn to for some sense of escapism, rooted reality, or pure joythe three essential elements of a comfort project. A cursory scroll of any social media platform will prove soothing music has never felt more crucial.

While we are still looking for music for the beautiful hashtag of our current moment, Id wager most of us music-heads are reaching further and further into our archives and playing the music with which we are most familiar and secure. Looking at some recent examples of the escapist, realistic, and joyful projects released in the hip-hop sphere, well break down the anatomy of comfort music, hopefully to the point of inspiring you, the reader, to assess your listening and indulge in your own comfort projects.

Transportive ability is the first and most obvious element of comfort music. You know, the music that immediately brings you to a better, perhaps sunnier and more inviting place. Released on May 22, 2020, Kota The Friends newest album, EVERYTHING, is 12 songs and 37 minutes of summertime.

From the first notes of opener Summerhouse, Kota sounds intent on taking us out of our present quarantine lives and into a world where the sun beams down, the cars speed by, friends are packed in together, and weve got a Couple of Ls, couple of blunts, couple of wins / Couple of drinks, couple of girls, couple of trips in tow. As the first verse of Summerhouse progresses, Kota sounds positively enthused. His energy is contagious. By the pre-chorus, Kota inspires cheesing of the highest order:

Sunshine, sunshine, yeah / I could fall in love right here / I could be young right here, I could live it up like, aye / Sit up in the sun like, aye, kick it in the cut all day / Listen to the drums all day, bang-bang-bang

Later, on Away Park, Kota digs deep into his memories and sparks in us memories we have yet to experience: I want that back in the day, circa 2008, beer cans by the lake / Fall in love for the fate, find someone and escape / You pour, I relate, we both outta place, get drunk hop the gate / Build Rome in a day, hold hands til they break.

Theres a subtle romance to these bars, and the swirling productionhandled by Hello Oshay, Kota, Alex Banin, and Kaiittakes us right to Kotas 2008. At the same time, it enchants our present. Kota has us in a time-bending trance, where our setting is anywhere but here. Were away from all of thisthe standard email greeting nowadays being In light of all of this.

A little over a month ago, I penned a piece ahead of my big move to Philadelphia with my girlfriend. Now that were all settled, but quarantine is still in effect, I turn to Kota The Friends EVERYTHING to bring us down to the beach, the park, up against the sunset, and into summer nights filled with lightning bugs and good tidings.

In reality, shes in the kitchen cooking a HelloFresh meal while Im fiddling with my camera in the living roomphotographing the cats, of course. Theres something to be said for how seamlessly Kotas music works its way into my life, how it makes me feel so far away from my present reality, but also makes me feel secure in my current moment. Such is the essence of comfort music, how it brings us there, just to bring us back.

On the opposite end of the comfort music spectrum is the need to be rooted in reality. This element refers to the times where we do not want to look away or disconnect. Still, we want to feel a closeness to realityto understand better, appreciate, or navigate said reality.

Always true to the hard facts and concrete emotions, Armand Hammers latest record, their most lush and loose project to date, Shrines, contains the necessary dose of reality so familiar to both billy woods (See: 2019s Hiding Places and Terror Management) and ELUCIDs (See: Duncecaps Miserable Then, and ELUCIDs discography) collective solo works.

Back in 2018, I asked Armand Hammer if they spoke the truth, to which ELUCID replied: When Armand Hammer makes records, or when I make records, I dont think that I have the truth. Its true to me, and maybe other people can jive with that, but its more like a personal statement when I make music. billy woods seconded this notion, and within this deeply personal answer is the magic of Armand Hammers rooting music. They make grounding works by speaking to a truth laden within them, as opposed to working at truisms or universalities.

I would say that every time that Im really proud of myself in rapping is when I said something that I think is essentially true, woods told me two years ago. Shrines is an essentially true record, dealing with grim reality while also injecting humor as the gentlemen are so intent on accomplishing. woods straight-laced imagery contrasts against ELUCIDs more obscure poetic leanings, and together, they blend to represent the world in which we live. They represent a world devoidon the surfaceof peace and answers. They represent the need to dig and excavate and define life for yourself.

Shrines is a comforting album because of the work it asks of the listener because it brings the listener nose-to-nose with truth. Because the breath of reality is hot on our faces, we can take comfort in the simple fact we are engaging with our world. Its not the most apparent method of self-soothing, but it can be the most effective. At the very least, it stands to be the most cathartic.

An offshoot of rooted reality is our need to find joy in our current moment. The music which sparks the most happiness in us is nothing short of precious, and such is the case with Jack Harlows catalog, and his most recent EP, Sweet Action, featuring his now-Platinum single, WHATS POPPIN.

The swagger and ease Jack brings to this EP make it an immediate confidence boost and a staple of my comfort music quiver. Theres not much thinking to do here. You put on Sweet Action, and you simply feel good. In an era where information and misinformation overload are rampant, having a project that instantly releases a dose of good energy feels necessary and, in some ways, powerful.

When youre recording, what keeps you excited is you can feel theres inspiration in the writingeven if its something simple, Jack told me during the release week of Sweet Action. Its the natural simplicity of his themes on I WANNA SEE SOME ASS and the groove of OUT FRONTthe vocal trick of pussy runs the world on that song in particularthat breeds comfort.

Flows are coming easier than ever, he said. Its like dancing. Especially when Im freestyling. The fluidity of Sweet Action makes it the perfect comfort project, for it sparks joy with ease and puts a smile on your face not dissimilar from the way Kota The Friends imagery relaxes you.

The goal is to get out of thinking and into feeling, Jack ultimately concluded during our talk. Stepping into feeling makes Sweet Action a product of immense breeziness and cheer. Though I rush to intellectualize everything in my life, Sweet Actions seven-song runtime breaks me away from that tendency.

The project is an invitation to enjoy life as it stands, to praise the present. The music on Sweet Action, the way Jack finds sticky melodies and crafts endless earworms, invites us to fall for life as it stands. In contrast to Kota taking us somewhere else, and Armand Hammer bringing us closer to the essence of reality, Jack turns reality into a dance party. He is the DJ and the main event in one.

Packed with vocal and emotional tricks, Sweet Action exists as perfect comfort music. At every turn, Jack dazzles and distracts, just to whip around and enhance our surroundings. I play Sweet Action once a day, a byproduct of its brisk runtime, and I feel myself growing more and more comfortable as it takes hold of my morning routine. Jack Harlow makes joyful music to live with, music to uplift any situation. He summons smiles and conjures laughter. And Ill be damned if a good laugh by way of jeering lyricism isnt a cure for an aching present.

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The Anatomy of Comfort Music - DJBooth

Anatomy

Join ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actor Alex Blue Davis and David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, for a live conversation about…

June 23, 2020 medical

Its LGBTQ Pride Month, and as the usual celebrations have gone virtual, protests have brought people out into the streets.

On June 25th at 2 PM EST, Insiders Canela Lpez will bring a timely Pride conversation to our audience via Zoom. Well delve into topics like mental health, healthcare, the recent landmark Supreme Court case protecting LGBTQ workers from job discrimination, and the protests for Black and trans lives.

Lpez will speak with David Johns, the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organisation dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBTQ people; and Alex Blue Davis, a transgender actor who plays Dr. Casey Parker on Greys Anatomy. Parker is the first trans doctor to appear on the show.

In addition to the discussion, there be also be time for an audience Q&A. Click here to register for this free event.

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Anatomy

There Are Whispers That McDreamy Will Be In Grey’s Anatomy S17! – WSFM

June 23, 2020 medical

Everyones guilty pleasure, Greys Anatomy found its production delayed during COVID-19.

But obviously to make up for it, the show has gotten back McDreamy to soothe our wounds.

Well, its not confirmed but rumour has it that Patrick Dempsey has signed a contract allowing the show to use his likeness in the upcoming season.

If youve fallen behind on the show (fair enough, there are A LOT of episodes) or whether you need a refresher, you can watch Greys on Stan!

Link:
There Are Whispers That McDreamy Will Be In Grey's Anatomy S17! - WSFM

Human Behavior

The Human Hacking Conference 2021: Plan to be Amazed! – Security Boulevard

June 23, 2020 medical

Weve got great news! Plans are in motion for The Human Hacking Conference (HHC) 2021, so mark your calendar for March 11-13, 2021. Look for the link to register for the HHC in the Bonus Section of this blog!! Did you attend this years HHC? Then you no doubt agree with HHC trainer Robin Dreeke, who described it as a triumphal event and . . . probably the safest environment you could possibly be in. Everyone was there to help each other learn, grow and collaborate together. From Dreekes comment, its evident that the HHCs core value, leave them feeling better for having met you, influenced the entire event. Whether you are a returning attendee, or plan to attend for the first time, what can you expect from the Human Hacking Conference 2021? Well give you a sneak peek and briefly outline the history of the HHC.

The HHC is sponsored by the Social Engineering Village. It was founded by world-renowned human hacking expert, author, and corporate security advisor Chris Hadnagy. The HHC teaches techniques in human deception, body language analysis, cognitive agility, intelligence research, and security best practices. It features multi-hour learning tracks taught by world-renowned leaders in behavior, physiology, deception, technology, and psychology. They explore such topics as Nonverbal Communication, Pentesting, Physical and Psychological Influence, and Personal Development. The HHC also features a variety of speaking sessions ranging from expert-level presenters with fast-paced content, to panels and keynotes. In addition, there are three evening events plus networking opportunities. So, now that you know about the HHC, its time to introduce you to the trainers.

We have amazing trainers lined up for the multi-hour learning tracks. Returning for the Human Hacking Conference 2021 are Dov Baron, Brittney Caldwell, Robin Dreeke, Joe Navarro, Stephanie Paul, Ian Rowland, and R. Paul Wilson. Joining the HHC trainers in 2021 will be Mark Bowden, Shelby Dacko, Chris Hadnagy, Chase Hughes, Curt Klump, Maxie Reynolds, and Vinny Troia. Heres a preview of what to expect from the workshops.

Baron aka The Dragonist, is a corporate cultural strategist with over 30 years of international speaking on the evolving world of NextGen leadership. Inc. Magazine lists Dov as a Top 100 Leadership Speaker. He is the founder of Full Monty Leadership and a bestselling author. Dovs workshop focuses on finding your Dragon Fire that can and will fuel you, even in crisis, to change anything you want. He discusses the cognitive neuroscience of emotions known as both Emotional Logic and Affective Neuroscience. After attending this workshop, you come away with practical and effective leadership skills and strategies.

Bowden is a bestselling author on body language and human behavior. He is well-known for his GesturePlane System, and the specific use of open palm hand gestures in what he coins as the TruthPlane. In this intriguing workshop, Mark demonstrates his TRUTHPLANE GesturePlane System. Mark shows how Its not often what you say but how you say it that gets results.

Caldwell is a freelance actor, playwright, director, and the owner of The Vacation Theatre Group. She has 15 years of performance experience and directs Social-Engineer, LLCs Masters Level Social Engineering training course. In Brittneys workshop, see how non- verbal behaviors tell your story long before you ever say a word. Brittney teaches how to develop strategies to remain calm and on task while engaging. Brittneys workshop gives you a set of tools enabling you to create non-verbal behaviors that produce exceptional results.

Dacko is a Professional Social Engineer with SocialEngineer, LLC and volunteers for the Innocent Lives Foundation. Her specialties include vishing, OSINT work, and educational material production. Shelby teams up with Curt Klump to teach Day Two of the three-day ALL NEW SE Pentest workshop that takes you through the process of conducting three main aspects of a remote SE Pentest. In Day Two of the workshop, Shelby and Curt focus on vishing. Attendees learn what vishing is, the psychology of vishing, as well as how to develop a flags list and a pretext. And, you get hands on experience in vishing. All exercises in this workshop culminate with information you need for Day Three.

Dreeke is a retired FBI Special Agent and former Chief of the Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program. He is the CEO of People Formula, a behavioral analysis expert and a professional speaker, trainer, facilitator, and bestselling author. Robins workshop consists of three blocks, each with a specific goal and takeaway. To begin with, in Block One you will learn ten specific techniques to develop in-person and virtual rapport. Next, Block Two demonstrates the five steps to building trust after rapport. Robin closes his workshop with Block Three by focusing on the six signs of trustworthiness and predictability.

Hadnagy aka the Human Hacker, is a security consultant, author, speaker, and professional social engineer. He is the CEO of SocialEngineer, LLC, a consulting and training company specializing in social engineering. Chris teams up with Maxie Reynolds for Day Three of the ALL NEW SE Pentest track, which focuses on phishing. Attendees learn what phishing is, the psychology of phishing, and how to set up a corporate phishing program. With the data learned from Days One and Two, attendees develop four levels of a single phish to use against a target. At the end of this course those who graduate receive a certificate of passing if they accomplish all three days of work while remaining within the boundaries and the rules of the class.

Hughes is a bestselling author and the CEO of Applied Behavior Research. He is recognized as one of the top behavior profilers in the United States, with 20 years of creating the most advanced behavior skills courses and tactics available worldwide. At HHC 2021, Chases workshop introduces you to human behavior skills and delves into the six elements of pure influence. Discover how to hear between the lines in less than six minutes. Chase also teaches the fourteen most effective things to look for when reading body language.

A Professional Social Engineer and Human Risk analyst with Social-Engineer, LLC, Curt is a jack-of-all-trades with some level of expertise in construction, acting, directing, music, and biomanufacturing. Curt teams up with Shelby Dacko to teach Day Two of the ALL NEW SE Pentest track, which focuses on vishing. Attendees learn what vishing is, the psychology of vishing, as well as how do develop a flags list and a pretext. In this workshop you get hands on experience in vishing. All exercises culminate with information you need for Day Three.

For 25 years, Joe served as an FBI special agent working both criminal and counterintelligence matters. He is a bestselling author and considered one of the worlds leading experts on human behavior and nonverbal communications. In this workshop, Joe shows how FBI agents use nonverbals in a forensic setting. He also shows how body language is used to assess for inconsistencies between what is said and what is truly felt.

Paul is the founder of Stephanie Paul, Inc which specializes in coaching executives, sales teams, TEDx speakers, and fundraisers to become master communicators. She brings with her twenty-nine years of entertainment experience as an actress and an improv, as well as a stand-up and sketch comedian. Stephanies highly interactive learning track teaches effective skills and tools for developing influential and convincing story structure. As an additional bonus, you also learn entertainment tricks of the trade.

Reynolds is a Physical Pentester and Professional Social Engineer with Social-Engineer, LLC. She is a certified Ethical Hacker, and Digital Forensic Investigator with a background in Oil and Gas. Maxie teams up with Chris Hadnagy for Day Three of the ALL NEW SE Pentest track, which focuses on Phishing. Attendees learn what phishing is, the psychology of phishing, and how to set up a corporate phishing program. With the data learned from Days One and Two, attendees develop four levels of a single phish to use against a target. At the end of this course those who graduate receive a certificate of passing if they accomplish all three days of work while remaining within the boundaries and the rules of the class.

Rowland aka The Mind Man, is a corporate speaker, trainer and consultant. Ian helps people and companies to be more successful by teaching amazing, transformative mind skills that deliver practical benefits in life and in business. Ians workshop, reveals the art of cold reading and how to apply these techniques to business contexts. Rowlands workshop also features live demonstrations and practice sessions. See firsthand that cold reading is an amazing, practical and useful communication skill.

Troia spent nearly a decade engineering and designing security systems for the U.S. Department of Defense, and he has become one of the medias top go-to experts on cyber-related controversies. Troia starts the ALL NEW SE Pentest with Day One Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) gathering. Day One teaches what OSINT is, how it can be used, physical observation skills and examples, as well as Google dorking. Day One culminates with information you need for Day Two.

R. Paul Wilson is a filmmaker, author, and award-winning conjuror and magician. Wilsons highly interactive and entertaining workshop prepares attendees to recognize and evade future attacks based on human deception. Take a deep dive into how con artists, fraudsters, hackers and social engineers design methods of attack to deceive victims around the world.

The HHC is a cornerstone educational event where you receive expert training on how to hack thoughts, actions, and the people around you. The skills and insights you gain from attending the HHC benefit you both personally and professionally. This quote from HHC 2020 trainer Robin Dreeke sums up what you can expect, I was excited to share my content. But even more excited to be an attendee. The cast of characters were phenomenal.

Plan to attend and be amazed by the Human Hacking Conference 2021! Follow us on our social media to see exclusive sneak peek videos with our trainers!

But waittheres more! The registration for the HHC is now live!! Dont delayregister here.

If you missed the first Human Hacking Conference, our special podcast and blog give you a behind the scenes look at HHC 2020.

Social-Engineer podcast host, Chris Hadnagy, speaks with several of the amazing trainers who presented at the 2020 Human Hacking Conference. Get key takeaways from their presentations. You can listen to the podcast here.

You can also read about the 2020 Human Hacking Conference in our blog, The Human Hacking Conference: Year Alpha.

The post The Human Hacking Conference 2021: Plan to be Amazed! appeared first on Security Through Education.

NIH investigators hope CD47 study leads to broad-spectrum infectious diseases immunotherapy – National Institutes of Health

June 23, 2020 medical

News Release

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

National Institutes of Health investigators and colleagues have discovered that when the immune system first responds to infectious agents such as viruses or bacteria, a natural brake on the response prevents overactivation. Their new study in mBio describes this brake and the way pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, turn it on. Their finding provides a potential target for an immunotherapy that might be applied to a wide range of infectious diseases.

When a cell senses an infectious agent with molecules called pathogen recognition receptors, part of its response is to increase cell surface expression of a molecule called CD47, otherwise known as the dont eat me signal. Increased CD47 expression dampens the ability of cells called macrophages, the immune systems first responders, to engulf infected cells and further stimulate the immune response. Upregulation of CD47 on cells was observed for diverse types of infections including those caused by mouse retroviruses, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, LaCrosse virus, SARS CoV-2, and by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Salmonella enterica typhi.

By blocking CD47-mediated signaling with antibodies in mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, the authors demonstrated they could enhance the speed of pathogen clearance. Furthermore, knocking out the CD47 gene in mice improved their ability to control M. tuberculosis infections and significantly prolonged their survival. In addition, retrospective studies of cells and plasma from people infected with hepatitis C virus indicated that humans also upregulate CD47. In these studies, inflammatory cytokine stimuli and direct infection both promoted increased CD47 expression.

This highly collaborative research project involved 14 different institutions and was led by scientists from NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Montana, and Stanford University in Stanford, California. The findings open the possibility of using CD47 blockade as a new immunotherapeutic to treat a wide range of different infections. There may be circumstances where host responses need boosting and CD47 represents a novel target for host-directed therapies in such cases, the scientists write, mentioning SARS-CoV-2, HIV, HPV and Ebola virus among several possibilities.

M Caspi Tal et al. Upregulation of CD47 is a host checkpoint response to pathogen recognition. mBio DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01293-20 (2020).

Kim J. Hasenkrug, Ph.D., Chief of NIAIDs Retroviral Immunology Section, is available for comment.

This press release describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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NIH investigators hope CD47 study leads to broad-spectrum infectious diseases immunotherapy - National Institutes of Health

Human Behavior

Is A Second Wave Of Coronavirus Coming? – Kaiser Health News

June 23, 2020 medical

This story was produced in partnership with PolitiFact.

As Americans continue to grapple with the novel coronavirus, one question is on a lot of peoples minds: Are we already seeing, or will we eventually see, a second wave of the virus?

On June 16, Vice President Mike Pence penned anop-ed in The Wall Street Journal headlined, There Isnt a Coronavirus Second Wave, where he said the country was better off than media reports suggested.

Yet the same day, in aninterview with the same newspaper, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top federal infectious disease expert, threw cold water on Pences assertion by warning of a possible resurgence. People keep talking about a second wave, he said. Were still in a first wave.

Subscribe to KHNs free Morning Briefing.

Defining a coronavirus wave is somewhat more art than science, but other scientists looking at the number of new daily infections echo Faucis caution.

The number of new daily infections (as seen in this chart) declined by only about one-third between its peak in early March and its most recent low point in early June. And since early June, the data shows an upward spike, approaching where it stood at that peak.

We checked with experts to better understand what wave were currently in, what the outlook is for a possible new wave, and what, if anything, we can learn from the history of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was the last major pandemic in the United States. Heres what we found.

Are We Out Of The First Wave Yet?

Theres no official definition of when a wave begins or ends but, generally speaking, it requires a peak in infections followed by a substantial reduction. A new rise and peak would signal the start of another wave.

It is probably not realistic for the number of new cases to drop to zero, but ideally one would like to see sustained decreases in the number of new cases over time or stability in the number of new cases over time, said Nicole Gatto, an associate professor in the School of Community and Global Health at Claremont Graduate University in California.

The chart above, showing the national picture, suggests there was an easing in the number of new cases, but not a large drop prior to the current spike, scientists say.And certain states have not come close to finishing their first wave.

Some places, such as New York and Boston, have what appears to be a clear first peak or wave, said Brooke Nichols, an assistant professor at Boston Universitys School of Public Health. Some places are still in the first wave.

The following chart shows states that have experienced a first wave and substantially brought down their new infections.

Meanwhile, other states havent yet turned the corner on the first wave:

If youre in a state that is still seeing an increase in cases, it would not be accurate to talk about a second wave, Gatto said. What causes those peaks, and whether or not there will be more than one peak, as opposed to one continuous wave, will be human behavior and how humans react to what is going on around them.

Were There Multiple Waves During The 1918 Influenza Epidemic?

There were at least three distinct waves of influenza in1918 and 1919, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. The pandemic was simultaneous with World War I, and the war is believed to have spread the virus around the globe more quickly than it otherwise would have.

The first wave began in March 1918 and eased by the summer. The second wave came in the fall, followed by a third wave during the winter and spring of 1919. Heres a rough graphic from anacademic papershowing the waves in deaths:

The first wave was not very deadly, said J. Alexander Navarro, assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. It was about as bad as ordinary strains of seasonal influenza that had been circulating up until that point.

The second wave was the deadliest, and that may have been due to mutations that increased the viruss lethality, although scientists say this is speculative and that such mutations more typically take much longer to develop and spread.

The second wave slowed towards the end of November, in part because more stringent social distancing measures were put in place, said Kenneth Davis, author of More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War. When those were relaxed, a third wave commenced in the winter and spring of 1919.

The third wave lasted into early March, and some suggest there was a fourth wave during the winter of 1920. Each was less deadly than the one before it, Navarro said, although there were regional differences in severity.

The decline in lethality after the second wave was probably shaped in part by the declining number of people who hadnt already been infected, Navarro said. When infections in a population become sufficiently widespread, that can slow the further spread due to herd immunity.

How Much Can The 1918 Pandemic Tell Us About What To Expect Now?

While both pandemicsinvolved an easily transmissible respiratory disease, there are some important differences that make the 1918 pandemic less helpful in predicting the course of the novel coronavirus.

One is that the 1918 outbreak involved influenza, which is caused by a different family of viruses than the coronavirus. This brings both good and bad news.

On the positive side, the coronavirus appears to be much more stable than the influenza virus, and thus less likely to mutate into a more deadly variant, said Ravina Kullar, an infectious disease specialist and adjunct faculty member at UCLA. The coronaviruss spike protein, which enables it to attach to human cells and attack them, appears to be especially resistant to mutation.

On the downside, the coronavirus doesnt seem to have a significant seasonal aspect. Influenza worsens as the weather gets colder but eases up during the warmer months. While we may have seen a reduction in coronavirus infections in recent weeks because more human interactions are moving outdoors, scientists dont expect the same scale of seasonal drop-off for the coronavirus.

What were seeing right now is that its not impacted by the climate, Kullar said. Warm and humid places like Mumbai and Indonesia have struggled with the virus, and in the United States, cases are rising in hot states like Arizona and Florida.

The patterns in mutations and seasonality suggest that the coronavirus may not follow the wave patterns of the 1918 flu. Instead, the spread of the coronavirus may follow something more like a plateau, with spikes possible if social distancing isnt adhered to fully.

There are other differences between now and 1918.

On the upside, we now know much more about viruses and public health, and science is able to devise targeted treatments and vaccines.

On the other hand, the worlds population is bigger and more densely packed. In 1918, the worlds population was smaller than 2 billion, while today itsabout 7.6 billion. Today, we also have commercial aviation, which can carry infected people around the world far faster than trains and ships could in 1918.

A bigger, denser, more mobile population means a greater chance for a virus to continue spreading.

In 1918, some cities saw an easing of the pandemic once they neared herd immunity, but thats not going to be as helpful with the coronavirus. Because the coronavirus is more infectious than the 1918 virus, the percentage of the population needed to reach herd immunity has to be about 65% today, compared with about 35% in 1918.

In 1918, they could get through the pandemic more quickly because of that, and even so, they did it with a staggering death toll, Navarro said. Today, the coronavirus will be with us for a lot longer.

What Factors Could Cause A New Wave?

The biggest risk, scientists say, is a loosening of social distancing measures.A much larger portion of the economy todayis engagedin consumer-driven commerce such as the restaurant and entertainment sector. This heightens the economic pressure to relax social distancing standards. But doing so could worsen the pandemic.

In 1918, once measures were lifted, the population very quickly went back to life as normal, flocking to movies, shops and stores, dance halls and saloons, Navarro said. That led to another spike of cases in many cities.

Nichols said a communitys past experience with the virus can make a difference.In Boston, where Nichols is based, the first wave was relatively severe, and many people know someone who was personally affected by COVID or had a COVID-related death in the family, she said. That affects peoples behavior. In areas where epidemic growth has been slow, the urgency of changing ones behavior is less.

Nichols added that experiencing the summer, when people have the freedom to interact outdoors, could make it harder to practice social distancing in the colder months.

I fear that people will continue their summer socializing patterns into the fall and winter, turning very low-risk interactions into relatively high-risk interactions, she said.

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Is A Second Wave Of Coronavirus Coming? - Kaiser Health News

Human Behavior

After Months Spent Inside, The Great Indoors Is Uncannily Relevant – Vulture

June 23, 2020 medical

I am unapologetically indoorsy. Photo: FORTEPAN/LENCSE ZOLTN

What are the effects of spending an entire season indoors, as most of us have done this year? I dont mean the psychological effects but the material ones. I wonder about the carpets that have gotten worn down from pacing. The couches that sag from cradling our butts all day. The expanded inventories of elastic-waist pants, house slippers, sweatshirts. Among other lessons learned, weve had a chance to become intensely familiar with what we like and dislike about our living spaces. Weve experienced every day what studies have confirmed: Plants, space, and sunlight make people happy, while extreme temperatures, loud noise, cramped conditions, and dim light make people unhappy. The pandemic has forced us to confront exactly how little control we have over our homes.

Thats the subject of Emily Anthess The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness. Along with domestic spaces, Anthes explores a range of buildings fancy offices, operating rooms, a housing development designed for adults with autism, a solitary-confinement unit in hopes of dissecting the effects of architecture and design on human behavior. I read it, in a perverse spirit, entirely outside, on a sunny patch of grass, without a single person within seeing or hearing distance. I am unapologetically indoorsy, writes the author in her introduction. Its not that I dont like nature; I think nature is lovely. Ive been camping several times and enjoyed it! Ha. Me and Emily Anthes, we could not be less alike.

The formula for popular social-science books is: cold open on a catchy anecdote, proceed to divulge personal interest in topic, pivot to argument about why topic is universal and not remotely what the reader expected, and then spend 240 pages on scenes of varying persuasiveness. Im usually out by page 30. I dont know if this is a fault of my attention span, the formula, the kind of author who is drawn to the formula, or constraints pushed by publishers eager to get the book on a best-seller list. In any case, my alarm bells tend to go off early.

In order to enjoy one of these books, you need to trust the authors ability to responsibly synthesize specialized knowledge that lies outside of her, and your, expertise. You need to know in your soul that the author is not the type of person to cite Wikipedia as a source or become enveloped in a plagiarism scandal one instant after you finish reading her book. I am glad to report that Anthes passes the trustworthy test. Her sources are respectable and diligently noted. My margins were covered with scribbled WTFs not because she was drawing deranged conclusions from misinterpreted studies but because the book contains piles of cool facts that are actually, from what I can tell, facts.

Those cool facts come fast and furious. The New York City subway, for example, is smothered in microbes associated with bare feet. Why? Anthes quotes a microbiologist on the topic: Every time you take a step, your heel comes up and then presses down, creating a small bellows of bottom-of-your-foot air squirting out into the surroundings. The scientist continues: Imagine millions of people running around down there. Puff puff puff puff puff every time they take a step, they put out a little puff of foot microbiology. Another WTF moment: Pillowcases and toilet-seat surfaces are apparently strikingly similar from a microbiological perspective. These are from a chapter on the billions of invisible roommates we cohabit with, from bacteria to fungi to dust motes to a zoos worth of wee invertebrates. In one scene, Anthes unscrews her showerhead and swabs the interior, then mails it off to a lab. The results come back a year later. Among other things, her showerhead contains an organism called RB41, which has been found in dog noses and paleolithic cave paintings, and a class of mycobacteria that can cause tuberculosis and leprosy when inhaled. Nothing to freak out about, the scientist who processed the swabs assures Anthes. Many of those could be totally nonpathogenic. Could be!Even the least germophobic reader will squirm at the descriptions of carpeting (disgusting a scientists term, not mine!) and basements (hotbeds of arthropod diversity). However, its less boring to stay home all day when you know that your house is a teeming jungle.

Hospitals are scarier. Design can alter patient outcomes in unnerving ways, suggesting that our fragile bodies are susceptible to environmental factors not just psychologically but on some mysterious mechanical level. Surgical patients with plants in their rooms have lower blood pressure and use less pain medication than patients in plant-free rooms. Patients in sunny rooms fare better than patients in shady rooms. In one study, patients treated in rooms with sound-absorbing tiles were significantly less likely to be readmitted within three months. When Florence Nightingale recommended sunlight and flowers for the infirm in 1859, she anticipated what would later become known as evidence-based design.

The books best chapter explores how neuroatypical people interact with their surroundings. Gallaudet University is a private college in Washington, D.C., that largely serves students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A group of academics and architects at the school outlined design features tuned to the needs of the students, including translucent and partial walls and rooms painted in soft blues and greens, which contrast with human-skin tones and make it easier to perceive gestures. Designers who worked on a housing development created for adults with autism made a slew of decisions that would probably appeal to people without autism too, pouring a layer of gypsum concrete between each floor to dampen the sound of footfall and cleverly installing shower temperature knobs opposite the showerhead, so residents didnt have to dart through a stream of frigid or boiling water in order to adjust it. (Can we standardize that?) In a 2015 study, researchers created a dental office designed to soothe children with autism, featuring dimmer lights, relaxing music, and calming images projected onto the ceiling. What happened next will not shock you: The changes were received warmly by neurotypical people, too.

A good chunk of the books material fits into the obvious category, but its always nice to see ones personal preferences ratified by data. A study of IT employees confirmed that face-to-face communication as opposed to, say, Slack was correlated with higher productivity and performance. (I believe workers required to use Slack should be paid extra for the sheer attentional burden of it.) Students who attend class in well-ventilated and well-maintained buildings perform better academically. A detention facility remodeled to include athletic facilities, a library, and classrooms saw the number of assaults drop by 50 percent.

But for every unsurprising conclusion, theres a curveball. Anthes visits a Louisiana professor who has developed a buoyant foundation that allows houses to float on top of floodwaters. The system requires no heavy equipment and can be installed inexpensively on an existing house by just two people. Rather than pour catastrophically into a home, the floodwater itself lifts residents to safety. But what would seem like a brilliant answer to Hurricane Katrina (and a future of similar disasters, worsened by climate change) is stymied by the federal government. Homeowners in high-risk areas are required to buy flood insurance, but amphibious structures like the floating foundations are not eligible for subsidized policies. When Anthes reaches out to FEMA, shes told that the technology is not as safe as simply moving to a higher elevation. Well, sure.

The Great Indoors isnt a self-help book, but our present context has layered it with some self-helpy applications. You cant necessarily drill a window into your wall or blast a skylight into your ceiling, but you can push your favorite chair closer to the window and find out whether being depressed in a pool of sunlight is better than being depressed in a veil of shadows. If you cant turn your bedroom into an anti-sensory cocoon, do it to your own body with a pair of earplugs and an eye mask. Pick a clump of roadside greenery next time you go outside (in your mask) and put it in a rinsed-out jar on the kitchen table. All those studies proving that plants cause joy? They dont specify that the plants should be exquisite. Gather ye weeds while ye may.

*A version of this article appears in the June 22, 2020, issue ofNew York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

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After Months Spent Inside, The Great Indoors Is Uncannily Relevant - Vulture

Human Behavior

How to Scare Away Wild Coyotoes Courtesy of the Overheard at National Geographic Podcast – LaughingPlace.com

June 23, 2020 medical

by Alex Reif | Jun 23, 2020 5:34 PM Pacific Time

New co-host Amy Briggs made her debut in todays episode of the Overheard at National Geographicpodcast, the second episode of season three titled The Unstoppable Wily Coyote.She joins host Peter Gwin for an exploration of a species that is thriving like never before as the natural world is further developed.

One of this episodes three special guests is Chrsitine DellAmore, an editor at National Geographicwhos been tracking this story in major cities like Chicago where a coyote being tracked with a collar was attracted to a noisy construction site. Another guest is Mary Ann Bonnell, a Natural Resources Specialist in Denver, Colorado, who has seen a huge increase in coyote encounters since first seeing one in the 1990s.

In 2004, Denver received just two reports of Coyotes in the area. By 2009, the number had increased into the thousands with reports of attacks against pets such as dogs and cats. Mary Ann Bonnell is personally trying to change human behavior in the area, teaching residents how to safely scare a Coyote to get them to back up at least ten feet. The technique is called hazing, which involves lunging towards the animal a few steps while yelling to startle them back.

Zoologist Roland Kays offers insight into how the coyote became such an incredible mesopredator with some insight into how they lived during the ice age. As humans have torn down forests, bigger predators that would usually hunt coyotes are no longer around to keep their population in check, leading to a rise in their numbers.

One of the concerns for the future is coyotes migrating to South America and becoming an invasive predator for their local endangered species. The conversation with all three guests talks about what humans need to do to fix the problem long term because as listeners will hear, theres not a single simple solution.

You can listen to this unique conservation story and read a transcript on the official website for the Overheard at National Geographicpodcast.

Alex has been blogging about Disney films since 2009 after a lifetime of fandom. He joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and covers films across all of Disneys brands, including Star Wars, Marvel, and Fox, in addition to books, music, toys, consumer products, and food. You can hear his voice as a member of the Laughing Place Podcast and his face can be seen on Laughing Places YouTube channel where he unboxes stuff.

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How to Scare Away Wild Coyotoes Courtesy of the Overheard at National Geographic Podcast - LaughingPlace.com

Human Behavior

What poker plays can teach us about decision-making : The Indicator from Planet Money – NPR

June 23, 2020 medical

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images

Psychologist and journalist Maria Konnikova decided to learn how to play high stakes poker, as a way to study human behavior. She got a lot more than she bargained for. She learned how to play, and how to win. She also learned about the gender imbalance in the world of competitive poker, and how women are consistently underestimated by men. She learned about how players manage risk, and that poker is every bit as skilled a profession as investing. And maybe even more so.

Check out Maria Konnikova's new book, The Biggest Bluff:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562852/the-biggest-bluff-by-maria-konnikova/

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, PocketCasts and NPR One.

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What poker plays can teach us about decision-making : The Indicator from Planet Money - NPR

Human Behavior

Human Impact on Wildlife Revealed by COVID-19 Lockdown – SciTechDaily

June 23, 2020 medical

Movebank data worldmap. Credit: MPIAB/ MaxCine

An international team of scientists is investigating how animals are responding to reduced levels of human activity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution on June 22, 2020, the leaders of a new global initiative explain how research during this devastating health crisis can inspire innovative strategies for sharing space on this increasingly crowded planet, with benefits for both wildlife and humans.

Many countries around the world went into lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19. Brought about by the most tragic circumstances, this period of unusually reduced human mobility, which the articles authors coined anthropause, can provide invaluable insights into humanwildlife interactions.

There have been countless posts on social media over the past few months reporting unusual wildlife encounters. Anecdotal observations, especially from metropolitan areas, suggest that nature has responded to lockdown. There not only seem to be more animals than usual, but there are also some surprising visitors: pumas have been spotted prowling the streets of downtown Santiago, Chile, and dolphins recently showed up in untypically calm waters in the harbor of Trieste, Italy.

Mallard with solar GPS tag. Credit: Sergio Izquierdo

For other species, the pandemic may have created new challenges. For example, some urban-dwelling animals, like gulls, rats or monkeys, may struggle to make ends meet without access to human food. In more remote areas, reduced human presence may potentially put endangered species, such as rhinos or raptors, at increased risk of poaching or persecution. The authors emphasise that societys priority must be to tackle the immense human tragedy and hardship caused by Covid-19. But, they argue that we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to chart, for the first time on a truly global scale, the extent to which modern human mobility affects wildlife.

To address this challenge, researchers recently formed the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative. This international consortium will investigate animals movements, behavior and stress levels, before, during and after Covid-19 lockdown, using data collected with nifty animal-attached electronic devices called bio-loggers. The articles lead author, Christian Rutz, a biologist at the University of St Andrews, UK, and President of the International Bio-Logging Society, explains: All over the world, field biologists have fitted animals with miniature tracking devices. These bio-loggers provide a goldmine of information on animal movement and behavior, which we can now tap to improve our understanding of humanwildlife interactions, with benefits for all.

Cheetah with ear tag. Credit: Sergio Izquierdo

The team will integrate results from a wide variety of animals, including fish, birds, and mammals, in an attempt to build a global picture of lockdown effects. Francesca Cagnacci, Senior Researcher at the Edmund Mach Foundation in Trento, Italy, and Principal Investigator of the Euromammals research network, says: The international research community responded quickly to our recent call for collaboration, offering over 200 datasets for analysis. We are very grateful for this support.

So, what do the scientists hope to learn? Matthias-Claudio Loretto, a Marie Skodowska-Curie Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Radolfzell, Germany, explains that it will be possible to address previously intractable questions: We will be able to investigate if the movements of animals in modern landscapes are predominantly affected by built structures, or by the presence of humans. That is a big deal. These insights will in turn inspire innovative proposals for improving humanwildlife coexistence, according to Martin Wikelski, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Radolfzell and Principal Investigator in the Cluster of Excellence Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz, Germany. Nobody is asking for humans to stay in permanent lockdown. But we may discover that relatively minor changes to our lifestyles and transport networks can potentially have significant benefits for both ecosystems and humans.

Coordinated global wildlife research during this period of crisis will provide unforeseen opportunities for humans to forge a mutually beneficial coexistence with other species, and to rediscover how important a healthy environment is for our own well-being.

Reference: COVID-19 lockdown allows researchers to quantify the effects of human activity on wildlife by Christian Rutz, Matthias-Claudio Loretto, Amanda E. Bates, Sarah C. Davidson, Carlos M. Duarte, Walter Jetz, Mark Johnson, Akiko Kato, Roland Kays, Thomas Mueller, Richard B. Primack, Yan Ropert-Coudert, Marlee A. Tucker, Martin Wikelski and Francesca Cagnacci, 22 June 2020, Nature Ecology & Evolution.DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1237-z

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Human Impact on Wildlife Revealed by COVID-19 Lockdown - SciTechDaily