Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

New COVID-19 strain may be easier to transmit to others – KIIITV.com

Health officials are hoping it sounds worse than it is.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas During this time of year when were used to hearing phrases like peace on earth and holiday cheer, the term mutating virus seems appropriately out of place.

Health officials are hoping it sounds worse than it is.

When a new strain of COVID-19 was detected in England, other countries began to announce new travel restrictions to the U-K. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put in place plans for a Christmas lockdown

The idea of a new COVID-19 variant is inherently scary for many people, but health experts tell us that a mutation is a natural occurrence. That includes Dr Jaime Fergie, an Infectious Disease Specialist with Driscoll Children's Hospital, who tells 3News, Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have seen mutations in the virus, so this is not really totally new. There are a large number of mutations that have occurred.

This one, though, may be worth watching for another reason. According to Fergie, This one is concerning a little bit because it appears, although it is early, that this virus is easier to transmit.

Although mutations do not tend to make the virus more harmful, the changes may make it more infectious, affecting how easily it is spread from person to person.

Of course, the first question most of us have is, 'What about the vaccine? If the virus changes, does the vaccine need to change, and should I just wait for a new one?'

Doctors say that getting the vaccine is still going to be your best bet.

So far, the initial impression, the initial studies we have is that the vaccines are going to work for these variants, says Dr. Fergie.

Keep in mind that although it may already be here, this particular strain of the virus has yet to be detected in the U.S.

Ultimately, health officials agree, getting a handle on the virus still comes down to human behavior. Thats why as we move through these early months of vaccine doses being administered, everyone should continue to wash their hands, watch their distance, and wear a mask.

For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.

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New COVID-19 strain may be easier to transmit to others - KIIITV.com

Human Behavior

Did the pandemic stave off climate change? Here’s what the science says – Salon

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic caused international lockdowns, amemesurfaced: the words "nature is healing" overlain on a scene of environmental recovery, perhaps a shot of crystal-clear skies over an oft-polluted city. Whether made seriously or in jest, the underlying idea was thatas humans were forced to stay indoors and reduce resource consumption, the planet wouldrecovereven as humanity reeled from a deadly disease. True stories like wild goats reclaiming a city in Wales andfake ones about dolphins swimming in the canals of Venice circulated the internet.

Behind the joke was a real, serious proposition:the notion that humanity, by being forced to reduce ourgreenhouse gas emissions,may have inadvertently been savingourselvesfrom the impending climate change apocalypse. But was there any truth to this idea?

Certainly, there were hints: aforementioned instances ofwildlife returning to urban areas,and a drop in oil pricesthat signified a reduction in demand. But on a macroscopicscale, quantifying the way human behavior may have affected carbon emissions in 2020 is much harder.Indeed, Salon reached out to a pair of climate change experts who had somewhat different conclusions.

"The estimates vary among the different groups doing these sorts of calculations, but the consensus seems to be about a 7% decrease [in greenhouse gas emissions] relative to 2019 levels," Dr. Michael E. Mann, a distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University, wrote to Salon. Although the holiday season traditionally exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions as people consume more and travel more between Thanksgiving and the start of the new year Mann was optimistic that this year would not see as much of an increase as usual.

"The average for the year is pretty much baked in at this point," Mann explained, adding that air travel is a "very small contributor," accounting for only 3 percent oftotal carbon emissions. Mann concluded that, "regardless" of holiday travel,"the decrease in carbon emissions for 2020 will be the largest on record," as high as6 to 7 percent.

Kevin Trenberth, a distinguished scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, was more pessimistic.

"There has been a lot of rhetoric based on the Global Carbon Project suggesting a substantial decrease in emissions with the pandemic," Trenberth emailed Salon, referring to a recentstudywhich found that global carbon dioxide emissions from both fossil fuels and industry are expected to decline by roughly 7% in 2020. "This was a 'bottom up'estimate based on estimates of emissions from various places. It gives the wrong result."

Trenberth argued, if scientists use a 'top down'approach based on the actual amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they reach a different conclusion. Citing the data from theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) facility at Mauna Loa, he claimed "that has shown no slow down at all. The rates of increase on average over the previous 5 years was 2.8 ppm per year and exactly the same rate applies to the last 12 months." The NOAA announced earlier this month that there is more than a 50% chance that 2020 will be the hottest year on record.

"The reason relates to the sources," Trenberth argued. "The [Global Carbon Project] is correct that fossil fuel emissions are down, but they have evidently been entirely compensated for by emissions from other sources: in particular wildfires. These are especially the bushfires in Australia a year or so ago, the wildfires in places like the Pantanal and Brazil, and especially the record wildfires in California, Oregon, Colorado, and so forth."

Mann pointed out an unsettling fact: in the long run, climate change will kill far more than COVID-19. And it cannot be vaccinated against and stopped as easily.

"Ultimately climate inaction will be even more deadly, costing millions of lives," Mann told Salon. "If there is a silver lining, it is that the failure of the current administration to respond meaningfully to the pandemic lays bare the deadliness of ideologically-motivated science denial. This applies to the even greater crisis of human-caused climate change and the need to treat it as the emergency it is."

Recent studies reaffirmMann's observations. Scientists at McGill University recently revealed that a more sophisticated that the threshold for dangerous global warming is likely to occur between 2027 and 2042, while a recent paperby top glaciologists and sea level experts that sea level rises due to climate change are likely to surpass the high end of previous expert projections. The World Health Organization estimates that 250,000 people will perish each year between 2030 and 2050 due to climate changerelated factors.

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Did the pandemic stave off climate change? Here's what the science says - Salon

Human Behavior

One Of A Kind Shelter Helps Traumatized Dogs Learn To Trust Humans Again – WBHM

In the gold-brown mountains around Weaverville, N.C., theres a dormitory filled with dysfunctional and depressed dogs. Its part of the ASPCAs Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, a cutting-edge program designed specifically to teach traumatized canines to be trustful human companions.

This is, as far as we know, the only facility in the U.S. and perhaps the world exclusively dedicated to the rehabilitation of extremely fearful, undersocialized dogs, says Kristen Collins, senior director of operations.

A former New York City copywriter turned animal cruelty investigator, Collins now oversees the care and treatment of up to 65 dogs housed in this long low building. Most have been rescued from puppy mills or hoarding situations. Right now, Ryan, an 8-month-old brown shepherd is bouncing around an outdoor space, confidently interacting with a stranger instructed to feed him cheese.

He was one of 42 other dogs living in a single family house, on the second story, explains Christine Young, a preternaturally calm behavior specialist whos worked with Ryan since he arrived at the center a few months ago from New Mexico. He was a cowering mess who, she says, had probably never been outside or affectionately handled. Nothing in these dogs life experiences prepared them to be proper pets.

Youd put a leash on them and they would panic and try to climb the wall and do what we call gater rolling,' adds Collins. Theyd thrash around on a leash, or even if you just tried to pet them sometimes even if you tried to approach them theyd lose control of their bladder or bowels or become catatonic. It was really heartbreaking to see.

Collins came up with the idea for the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center a decade ago, along with Dr. Pamela Reid and Dr. Katherine Miller. It became a reality in 2013. Since then, the BRCs full-time staff has expanded from five to more than 30 employees, including veterinarians, research scientists studying behavioral therapy and trainers such as Young, who admits that no one predicted the BRCs current success rate of 87%.

We thought we could save maybe half of them, she says, of the dogs entering the program. More than 500 have graduated, after undergoing a roughly 3-month long training course that slowly and gently teaches these animals to enjoy human company and respond to basic commands.

Basically, counter conditioning, Young explains. So, creating a new emotional association with things that scare them. She uses a reporters introduction to Ryan as an example. So instead of being a scary thing, you become a great thing, because it means Ryan gets more cheese.

Thats the magic part, Collins says. Watching, for the first time, a dog thats been terrified lean towards you, or play thats just amazing. And I cant talk about it without getting choked up. (You may get choked up, too, if you watch an upbeat, ASPCA-produced documentary, Second Chance Dogs, thats appeared on Animal Planet and Netflix.)

During the first few months of the pandemic, the ASPCA saw about a 400% increase in foster applications, according to spokesperson Alyssa Fleck. It was among many animal welfare organizations reporting spikes in adoptions and fostering, but those numbers seem to have leveled off since last spring.

These overall statistics do not account for regional differences in how the pandemic has played out with regard to pet adoptions and, more broadly, the well-being of animals in communities, Fleck wrote in an email to NPR. In short: The problem of animals needing homes has not been solved, but the issue of treating traumatized dogs is evolving.

When COVID-19 started to spread across the country, the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center had to put the brakes on one of the most exciting parts of its program bringing staff from shelters all over the country for residencies here in North Carolina, to learn how the program works and take it back home. Now that the centers switched to online teaching for the time being, at least, that means reaching more people. And by extension, more very good boys, and very good girls, will be able to find very good homes.

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One Of A Kind Shelter Helps Traumatized Dogs Learn To Trust Humans Again - WBHM

Human Behavior

An Educational Alternative to the Medical Model of Mental Health – James Moore

The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, which has published high-profile challenges to psychiatric diagnosis, recently republished seminal articles for its 60th-anniversary. The issue aimed to spark renewed scholarship that challenges the current paradigm in psychiatry and clinical psychology as well as research on alternatives to the current paradigm.

The issue features, The Solving Problems in Everyday Living Model: Toward a Demedicalized, Education-Based Approach to Mental Health, by Tomi Gomory and colleagues from Florida State University. The Solving Problems in Everyday Living (SPIEL) approach is an educational model of care that would serve as an alternative to the contemporary medical model of mental health treatment. The model was a response to the criticisms of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) that occurred around 2013, highlighting the limitations of psychotherapy and the coercive nature of psychiatry. The authors explain:

We aim to offer practitioners an alternative, noncoercive, nonpatronizing, non-pathologizing, and humanistic approach for conceptualizing distress and distressing behavior, constructing the helping encounter, engaging with clients, and addressing clients problems-in-living.

The DSM has changed over time. More recent iterations have focused on descriptive diagnoses conceptualized as mental disorders. These disorders are most often understood to be medical conditions that could be identified by observable behaviors or reported experiences.

The authors explain that although diagnoses do not appear helpful in the process of change, they became a necessary procedure for helping professionals to receive compensation from the government or insurance companies. This current medical framework has often focused on finding the cause of abnormal behavior in the brain or neurological mechanisms. Gomorys and colleagues alternative to the medical model stems from the lack of empirical support for this psychiatric framework, as scientific practice demands that after data falsify a proposed hypothesis through multiple independent tests, newly proposed alternate theories, not yet falsified, should be tested. Their SPIEL model serves as an alternative model not yet falsified.

From their perspective, the behavior is not caused by biological factors but rather by a complexity of factors, including a persons history, their experiences in their environment, and the learned behaviors, thoughts, and language developed through the process of socialization.

The SPIEL model works as a model for reeducation. Instead of illnesses, this model understands a persons troubles to be problems in living that can be addressed by learning new ways of surviving in the world. The authors describe the role of practitioners who use SPIEL:

The job of the professional, drawing on his or her experiences with lifes travails, understanding of human behavior and development, expertise at interpersonal communication and in the use of rhetoric, is to identify and make explicit the problematic, habituated behavioral patterns, interpersonal style, and strategies of the learner for the learners consideration.

The learning experience ends when the learners problems have been resolved or when they no longer find the engagement helpful. SPIEL is considered primarily a learning or educational experience whereby the learner gains new understanding about themselves, others, and their emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal difficulties. Although this is a large part of some psychotherapeutic approaches, the very use of the term psychotherapy places this form of engagement within the medical field.

The proponents of SPIEL were mainly influenced by the commonalities in thought between Karl Popper and Paulo Freire. Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator and activist who worked alongside disempowered communities. His critical pedagogy invites people to reflect on themselves and their position within our environment and context. By doing so, learners can then act upon their context differently in order to change their current conditions. Putting ones new knowledge and hypotheses to the test, the learner engages in praxis, taking a primary role in their own liberation and the process of personal and environmental change.

SPIEL, like Freire, also understands the teacher as a person who facilitates a process rather than an expert that assumes a position of power within the process of self-understanding. Instead, the processes are humanized as the learner takes an active role in learning about themselves and the world and finding emancipatory actions and ways of living authentically.

SPIEL was also influenced by Karl Popper, a 20th-centuryphilosopher of science. More specifically, this model takes from his notion of critical feedback, where a person challenges their prejudices, assumptions, and habits to identify possible problematic beliefs and behaviors. This allows the person to change and grow, developing new ways of understanding themselves, others, and the world, opening up the potential for creative ways of being.

Adding another layer, situational analysis invites the scrutiny of others so that the person can further learn about their context where problems occur and reflect on how they have tried to solve these problems. With this new layer of information, the person or group can either use previously successful attempts at solving the problem or create new solutions to unsolved issues.

These concepts are not unlike those utilized in psychosocial interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and narrative therapy. The authors add that, in fact, feedback is a key component of successful psychotherapy. Yet, to engage in SPIEL more specifically, the following elements are necessary:

The SPIEL model proposes a change in the language around helping professions (such as problems of living, rather than mental illness, or learner rather than the patient) and advocates for empowering and person-centered practices. The presence of these elements within the encounter will facilitate a process of self-understanding that is ultimately noncoercive, and that can lead to the betterment of the persons suffering by finding solutions to their problems.

****

Gomory, T., Dunleavy, D. J., & Lieber, A. S. (2017).The Solving Problems in Everyday Living Model: Toward a Demedicalized, Education-Based Approach to Mental Health. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 002216781772243. doi:10.1177/0022167817722430 (Link)

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An Educational Alternative to the Medical Model of Mental Health - James Moore

Human Behavior

MSF-OCBA is looking for a MOBILE BEHAVIOR AND ETHICS BASED IN MIDDLE EAST (ONE YEAR CONTRACT) – ReliefWeb

GENERAL CONTEXT

Mdecins Sans Frontires is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

MSF is a civil society initiative that brings together individuals committed to the assistance of other human beings in crisis. As such MSF is by choice an association.Each individual working with MSF does it out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.

The MSF movement is built around five operational directorates supported by MSFs 21 sections, 24 associations and other offices together worldwide. MSF OCBA is one of those directorates. The operations are implemented by field teams and the mission coordination teams; together with the organizational units based in Barcelona, Athens and decentralised in Nairobi, Dakar and Amman. The field operations are guided and supported by 5 Operational Cells, the Emergency Unit and other departments supporting operations, including Projects & IT.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

She/he will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the Abuse Prevention Manager and part of the Behaviour Unit in OCBA.

MAIN FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Update, conduct and propose new training solutions for the missions/unit.

Map possible external resources (communication and trainings).

Participate in training sessions as a facilitator upon request.

Context analysis in relation to Behaviour:

a. Analyses existing sensitiveness, knowledge, barriers and awareness in relation to Behaviour and Medical Ethics in the region and in OCBA settings.

b. Awareness sessions in MSF Missions of the region: adapts the awareness sessions to each context.

Specific focus on training of trainers (TOT) for focal points.

Collaborates with other MSF sections and NGOs in facilitating awareness sessions.

Awareness sessions in the Unit:

a. In collaboration with the Abuse Prevention Manager she/he will organize regular debates, awareness activities and trainings in the Unit.

b. Provides CMT members at mission level with sufficient tools to escalate cases following the guidance and directions of the Behaviour Lead and Medical department.

Briefings on abuse prevention to all new members of the Unit.

Participates in Briefings for CMT members upon request in collaboration with the Abuse and Ethics Lead, the Abuse Prevention Manager and the Behaviour Officer.

Briefings on abuse prevention to Medcos and PMRs (face to face/ by distance).

Data collection of awareness activities in the region.

Elaborates TOR for each visit in collaboration with the Abuse Prevention Manager and produce visit reports including: assessment of the context related to barriers, weaknesses and strengths of each mission, main topics of discussion and problems encountered, sessions and trainings done, reporting and communication systems.

Participate in meetings at the department, from decentralized units and in in-house discussion forums.

Coordination with HRCOs in the field and HR responsible of the Unit. Supports the OCBA fields, HQ and decentralized units in the implementation of the Behavioural Commitments and other relevant documents regarding abuse and discrimination.

Liaise with Abuse and Ethics Lead, the Medical department and the Abuse Prevention Manager to update on findings and progresses in missions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Academic Background: psychology, social and cultural anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, public health or similar/ complementary areas.

Fluent in Arabic and English.

Minimum 3 years experience in teaching and coordinating teams within a multicultural setting. Facilitation skills for the sensitization sessions are a strong asset.

Solid experience in social, health, humanitarian and/or cultural projects or frameworks.

Experience with challenging settings within social or humanitarian projects (vulnerable populations or contexts, multiple stakeholders, activist agendas, human rights agendas).

Experience where sensibility and sense of respect towards people from different origins and horizons made the difference.

Field experience within MSF is desirable. Relevant experience in similar organizations will be taken into consideration.

Familiar (and willing to remain updated) with MSF tools and policies in the relevant field.

Exposure to trainings or previous professional experience on Behavioral and medical Ethics issues and Abuse prevention is a strong asset.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Good command of Microsoft Office package and/or Open Office.

Good command of social media applications.

Desirable: focus group discussion programs or applications/ Data collection Kobo Toolbox.

COMPETENCIES

Commitment to MSFs Principles

Cross-cultural Awareness

Behavioral Flexibility

Stress Management

Analytical Thinking

Results and Quality Orientation

Service Orientation

Planning and Organizing

Teamwork and Cooperation

People Management and Development

CONDITIONS

Homebased position or at any OCBA Hub.

Full time job.

One year contract

Annual gross salary: (divided into twelve monthly payments) + Secondary Benefits based on the MSF-OCBA Reward Policy.

Starting date: February 2021.

MSF OCBA is a people-focused humanitarian organization that offers a diverse, collaborative and inclusive work environment. We believe this approach enhances our work and we are committed to equity in employment. We embrace diverse backgrounds of people working together to exhibit their passion in action for the social mission of MSF.

Mdecins Sans Frontieres, as a responsible employer, under article 38 of Ley de Integracin Social del Minusvlido de 1982 (LISMI) invite those persons with a recognized disability and with an interest in the humanitarian area to apply for the above-mentioned position.

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MSF-OCBA is looking for a MOBILE BEHAVIOR AND ETHICS BASED IN MIDDLE EAST (ONE YEAR CONTRACT) - ReliefWeb

Human Behavior

Love and Hate in the Mouse Brain – ScienceBlog.com

Mounting behavior, that awkward thrusting motion dogs sometimes do against your leg, is usually associated with sexual arousal in animals, but this is not always the case. New research by Caltech neuroscientists that explores the motivations behind mounting behavior in mice finds that sometimes there is a thin line between love and hate (or anger) in the mouse brain.

The research, which appears in the journalNature, was conducted in the lab ofDavid Anderson, the Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience Leadership Chair, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and director of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience.

Our lab is interested in understanding how social behaviors and underlying emotional states are controlled by the brain, explains lead author Tomomi Karigo, a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech. While we were studying social behaviors in mice, we sometimes noticed that male mice would mount other males, in a way similar to how they would mount females, Karigo says.

It was unclear whether these male mice tried to mate with a male because they simply mistook it for a female or if they knew it was a male but intended to establish dominance over it. The researchers hoped to understand whether a male mouse mounting another male mouse reflects a different intent than a mouse mounting a female mouse, and how mounting behavior is regulated in the brain.

To find out, the researchers first recorded videos of males mounting both male and female mice. Using machine learning, a type of software that learns and adapts through experience, they analyzed the videos to see whether there was anything different in the mounting behavior that was exhibited toward a male versus that toward a female mouse. The machine-learning analysis revealed no obvious difference in the mechanics of the mounting behavior.

The researchers then looked for other clues in the mounting males behavior that might differentiate female-focused versus male-focused mounting.

One clue was that male mice appear to sing to females while mating with them. These songs, known as ultrasonic vocalizations, are too high-pitched for humans to hear, but can be picked up with a special microphone. Karigo and the team found that mounting mice sing only to female mice, not to males. In addition, when a male is mounting another male, the two animals usually end up fighting after a short period of mounting. This does not happen in the case of a female mounting partner.

These results suggested that mounting behavior toward a female has a different meaning than mounting behavior toward a male. Specifically, mounting toward a male is probably the expression of dominance or mild anger (aggressive mounting) and not a reproductive (or so-called affiliative) behavior.

Next, the researchers explored which brain regions are responsible for each type of mounting behavior.

When a male mouse mounted male or female mice, the researchers observed neural activity in an area of its brain called the hypothalamus, which controls, among other things, hunger, thirst, metabolism, and defensive behaviors. In particular, two regions of the hypothalamus seemed to be involved: the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl). The MPOA showed high levels of activity when the male mouse was mounting, and singing to, a female; conversely, the VMHvl showed high levels of activity when the male mouse was mounting, but not singing to, a male.

The team then took a closer look at the activity of individual neurons in the MPOA and VMHvl. They found that distinct groups of neurons were activated during reproductive mounting and aggressive mounting, in each brain region. In addition, the researchers discovered that they could train a computer to correctly predict whether the mounting was sexual or aggressive, based purely on the pattern of neuronal activity in these two regions.

The researchers then tested to see if those brain regions actually controlled the two mounting behaviors, or if activity in the regions was simply correlated with the behaviors. They did this using a technique called optogenetic stimulation, in which light is used to trigger the firing of neurons. By directing the light to specific areas of the brain, researchers can induce neuronal activity there, and thus induce behaviors.

When the researchers presented a female mouse to a male mouse, the male mouse began to sing and mate with a female. But when the researchers stimulated the males VMHvl, the male stopped singing and started to show aggressive mounting behavior toward the female. Conversely, if a male mouse was engaging in aggressive behaviors toward another male and the researchers stimulated its MPOA, the aggressive mouse would stop fighting, begin to sing, and attempt to mate with the other male.

Karigo and Anderson liken this to a seesaw of love and hate. Activity in the MPOA tilts the seesaw toward love, while activity in the VMHvl tilts it toward hate (or aggression).

In this study, we used mounting behavior as an entry point to understand the underlying neural mechanisms that control emotional or motivational states, Karigo says. She says their findings advance our understanding of how the mouse brain, and more broadly the mammalian brain, works to control emotions, and she adds that they may one day help us to better understand human behaviors.

The paper describing their findings, titled, Distinct hypothalamic control of same- and opposite-sex mounting behaviour in mice, was published online byNatureon December 2. Co-authors are Ann Kennedy, formerly of Caltech and now at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; neurobiology graduate students Bin Yang and Mengyu Liu of Caltech; Derek Tai, formerly a research assistant at Caltech and now at the Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine; Iman A. Wahle (BS 20), a Schmidt Scholar at Caltech; and David J. Anderson.

Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, of which Anderson is the director.

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Love and Hate in the Mouse Brain - ScienceBlog.com

Human Behavior

5 things to know about the new Covid strain spreading in the UK – CNBC

A notice informing people of 'Tier 4' coronavirus restrictions lights up a digital advertising screen on Oxford Street in London, England, on December 21, 2020.

David Cliff | NurPhoto | Getty Images

The U.K. has identified a new variant of the coronavirus that appears to spread more quickly, sparking fresh fears that the Covid-19 pandemic may continue to accelerate even as governments begin administering the first vaccine shots.

Scientists and infectious disease experts are still piecing together what they know about the new strain, called SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, which is shorthand for the first variant under investigation in December 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It hasn't yet been detected in the U.S., but the CDC said it could already be circulating across the country unnoticed.

While the virus appears to transmit more easily, there is "no evidence" that the new variant makes people sicker or increases the risk of death, the CDC said Tuesday. The new coronavirus "mutates regularly," the CDC noted, but the overwhelming majority of mutations are insignificant.

More than 40 countries, not including the U.S., have now suspended transport links with the U.K. after the new variation of the coronavirus was found.France activated a 48-hour border closure Monday, and by Tuesday morning 1,500 trucks were stuck in Kent, unable to leave the U.K., British Home Secretary Priti Patel said Tuesday.

Here's what you need to know:

The World Health Organization said the mutation was found in 1,108 cases in the U.K. as of Dec. 13. However, that's likely an undercount since scientists need to run additional tests to confirm which strain of the virus a patient is infected with, including sequencing the genetic code.

The WHO said the variant was traced back to the county of Kent in southeast England where it was found on Sept. 20, based on a retrospective analysis.

It wasn't until October, though, that the variant began to spread rapidly throughout the region, the WHO said, adding that cases continued to rise at an unexpected pace through November, prompting an investigation and discovery of the mutation earlier this month. Between Oct. 5 and Dec. 13, more than 50% of the viral samples from southeast England that were sequenced were found to be the variant strain.

The U.K. has said the variant could be up to 70% more transmissible than the original strain of the virus.

Based on early data from the U.K., the new strain could "potentially be more rapidly transmissible than other circulating strains," the CDC said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said Monday that U.K. officials estimate that the mutation has caused an increase in the reproductive rate of the virus from 1.1 to 1.5. That means that each person infected with the variant is estimated to infect another 1.5 people.

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program,said it was unclear if the increase in spread in the U.K. is because of the mutation or human behavior.

"We've seen an estimate of a small increase in the reproductive number by the U.K.," he said, meaning the virus is spreading faster, which could mean it is more contagious or spreads more easily in colder months. It could also mean people are getting lax about following public health protocols. "It remains to be seen how much of that is due to the specific genetic change in the new variant. I suspect some."

Officials in the U.K. are conducting epidemiological and virological investigations to determine whether the variant is more infectious, whether it causes people to become more sick, whether it can re-infect people who previously had Covid-19 and what kind of antibody response the new variant prompts.

The U.K. is also conducting genomic surveillance to understand the scope of spread of the new variant across the country. The U.K. has also placed affected areas under tier 4 restrictions, the strongest Covid rules in the country.

In the U.S., "viruses have only been sequenced from about 51,000 of the 17 million US cases," so the new strain could have slipped notice, according to the CDC.

The CDC launched a new program in November, the National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance program, to sequence more virus samples. It's supposed to be fully running in January where each state in the U.S. will send the CDC at least 10 samples every other week for sequencing and further study.

The WHO says laboratory studies are ongoing to determine whether the new virus has different biological properties or could alter vaccine efficacy. The mutations include changes to the spike protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.

Both Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, which have been authorized for use in the U.S. use messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology. It's a new approach to vaccines that uses genetic material in this case, a harmless piece of spike protein to provoke an immune response against the virus.

BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said Tuesday that he is confident the company's coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer will work against the new strain, but added but further studies are needed to be completely sure.

President Donald Trump's coronavirus vaccine czar, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, also said he expects Pfizer's and Moderna's Covid-19 shots will be effective against the new mutation.

Both vaccines induce an immune response against several structures found around the spike protein, the multifunctional mechanism that allows the virus to enter the host, Slaoui, chief science advisor to Operation Warp Speed, explained to reporters Monday during a press briefing. The chances one set of mutations would completely alter those structures "are extremely low," he added.

The CDC said Tuesday the new strain could already be circulating in the United States without notice.

"Ongoing travel between the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the high prevalence of this variant among current UK infections, increase the likelihood of importation," CDC said in a statement. "Given the small fraction of US infections that have been sequenced, the variant could already be in the United States without having been detected."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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5 things to know about the new Covid strain spreading in the UK - CNBC

Human Behavior

The coronavirus is mutating. How worried should you be? – The Daily Briefing

British officials on Saturday announced scientists have discovered a new, potentially far-more-contagious strain of the novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom (U.K.)but they emphasized that the new variant is not more deadly than other strains of the virus and should not be resistant against vaccines.

Just released: The global Covid-19 vaccination scenario planning guide

During a news conference Saturday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and England's CMO Chris Whitty said scientists identified the new strainlabeled B 1.1.7through Public Health England's genomic surveillance. According to the New York Times, the variant has about 20 mutations, including several that affect how the virus attaches to and infects cells in the body.

Johnson during the conference announced stricter lockdown measures across the country, in the wake of a significant surge in Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks. And to limit the spread of the new variant, several other nations across Europe have in turn imposed or are considering bans on arrivals from the U.K. In addition, at least one countryGermanyis drawing up language for a travel ban on people coming from South Africa, where a variant similar to the one identified in the U.K.

Johnson said scientists believe the new variant is more infectious than the original version of the novel coronavirus. "There's no evidence that it causes more severe illness or higher mortality, but it does appear to be passed on significantly more easily," Johnson said. "Although there's considerable uncertainty, it may be up to 70% more transmissible than the original version of the" virus.

However, Johnson noted this estimate is based on early data and "subject to review."

Muge Cevik, an infectious disease expert at the University of St. Andrews, said the estimate is based on modeling and has not been confirmed through laboratory experiments. "Overall, I think we need to have a little bit more experimental data," Cevik said. "We can't entirely rule out the fact that some of this transmissibility data might be related to human behavior."

Patrick Vallance, Britain's chief scientific adviser, said preliminary data shows the new variant is becoming the dominant strain circulating in some portions of England, including London and the south east and east of England.

Scientists say they're concerned about the new variants of the coronavirus, but they're not shocked by the recent discoveries. Since the novel coronavirus has spread across the world, scientists have identified thousands of small modifications in the virus's genetic material.

"This thing's transmitting, it's acquiring, it's adapting all the time," said Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at the University of Cambridge. "But people don't want to hear what we say, which is: This virus will mutate."

Experts also say some strains of a virus may become more dominant in a population by chance and not because they've become supercharged versions of the virus, the Times reports. As a pathogen's survival becomes more difficult because of vaccinations or increasing immunity in human populations, experts anticipate a virus will gradually develop mutations to help it spread more easily or avoid the immune system's detection, according to the Times.

As a result, many experts say people shouldn't be too alarmed by the new variants of the novel coronavirus, because it would take yearsrather than monthsfor the virus to mutate to a point where people's antibodies against the virus or currently authorized vaccines would become ineffective, the Times reports.

Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said, "No one should worry that there is going to be a single catastrophic mutation that suddenly renders all immunity and antibodies useless."

Noting that even the influenza virus needs between five and seven years to gather all the mutations necessary to evade immune recognition entirely, Bloom continued, "It is going to be a process that occurs over the time scale of multiple years and requires the accumulation of multiple viral mutations. It's not going to be like an on-off switch."

Still, Bloom and other experts said the new variants should be closely watched. "It's a real warning that we need to pay closer attention," Bloom said. "Certainly, these mutations are going to spread, and, definitely, the scientific communitywe need to monitor these mutations and we need to characterize which ones have effects."

Separately, Vivek Murthy, a former U.S. surgeon general and President-elect Joe Biden's likely general nominee for the role, said the identification of a new strain of the coronavirus doesn't alter longstanding public health recommendations to wash hands, wear masks, and continue practicing social distancing (Mandavilli, New York Times, 12/20; Holden et al., Reuters, 12/19; Kupferschmidt, Science, 12/20; Associated Press/Modern Healthcare, 12/20).

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The coronavirus is mutating. How worried should you be? - The Daily Briefing

Human Behavior

Talk is cheap: Why we make healthy claims but indulge in unhealthy behaviors – Purdue News Service

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is characterized by overindulgence. While we tell others that we are eating and drinking in moderation, controlling our spending, and exercising more, in reality, we do the exact opposite. So where does this disconnect come from?

Often when responding to questions about sensitive behaviors (for example, weight gain, over-eating, alcohol consumption), people want to appear socially correct while downplaying bad behaviors. Psychologists call this subconscious response social desirability bias (SDB), and for researchers who are trying to understand a persons actual behavior, these biased responses are a problem.

Were human. We want others to like us and think of us as good people, says Nicole Olynk Widmar, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University. However, health care providers and researchers need accurate self-reported data. Understanding SDB is imperative to being able to collect good data about human behaviors, especially self-reported data about sensitive topics, such as weight gain and eating over the holiday season.

Widmar and Courtney Bir, assistant professor at Oklahoma State, recently published a study on recognizing and mitigating SDB in responses to questions about holiday health-related behaviors, in the Springer Nature journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

We asked survey respondents to report their holiday health-related behaviors and their beliefs on the behaviors of the average American, Bir says. We then compared the responses to determine what percentage of respondents rated themselves better than they rated the average American. That difference is where we find evidence of the bias.

The largest proportion of respondents showing evidence of SDB was found in response to two statements: I will consume more alcohol during the holiday season than at other times of the year (66% of respondents displayed evidence of SDB), and I make it a New Years Resolution to lose weight (62% of respondents displayed evidence of SDB).These responses suggest respondents will drink less alcohol and be more likely to make a resolution to lose weight, compared with the average American.

However, while Bir and Widmar set out to recognize SDB, they also wanted to find ways to combat it. Their method? Add cheap talk statements.

Cheap talk is often used in surveys to explicitly inform respondents of different biases that can arise related to the question being asked, Bir says. In the study, we tested a statement that simply informed people that sometimes human inclination moves us to answer in a way that deviates from our own true behavior because we want to be socially correct. The idea is that the person may be more likely to provide an accurate response because the potential for bias has been explicitly brought to their attention.

The study included two participant groups. One group received a cheap talk statement prior to rating their level of agreement to the holiday health behaviors, while the other did not. By comparing the two groups, the researchers were able to determine if evidence of SDB was lessened for the respondents receiving the cheap talk statement.

Widmar and Bir noted that cheap talk was effective in reducing SDB for some questions and in some respondents but not all of them. As Widmar says, For some people or some statements studied, SDB is so engrained that the cheap talk statement did not have a measurable impact.

Writer: Kami Goodwin, kami@purdue.edu

Sources: Nicole Olynk Widmar, nwidmar@purdue.edu, and Courtney Bir, courtney.bir@okstate.edu

Agricultural Communications:765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head,mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page

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Talk is cheap: Why we make healthy claims but indulge in unhealthy behaviors - Purdue News Service

Human Behavior

Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today – The New York Times

A new variant: What we know

This weekend, Britain imposed a wholesale lockdown on London and most of the countrys southeast, citing fears about a new strain of the coronavirus, which officials say is more contagious..

Countries in the European Union, the Middle East and Asia raced to bar travelers from the United Kingdom, suspending flights and cutting off trade routes. People crowded into train stations and airports, trying to flee the city before the restrictions went into effect.

But from a contagion perspective, scientists and experts say, the travel bans may be an overreaction. Heres what we know so far.

Viral variants are not a shock. As our colleague Apoorva Mandavilli has reported, the new variant has worried scientists, but not surprised them. Researchers have recorded thousands of tiny modifications in the genetic material of the coronavirus as it has hopscotched across the world.

Natural selection tends to make viruses more contagious. As immunity and vaccinations make it harder for the coronavirus to spread, random mutations occur. Those changes can enable the virus to spread more easily or to escape detection by the bodys immune system.

Were still learning about the mutations. Scientists estimate the variant is 50 percent to 70 percent more transmissible than the original virus. But that number is based on modeling and has not been confirmed in lab experiments, experts told Apoorva.

The vaccines should still work. Experts say it would take years, not months, for the virus to evolve enough to render the current vaccines impotent. No one should worry that there is going to be a single catastrophic mutation that suddenly renders all immunity and antibodies useless, said Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Its not going to be like an on-off switch.

The travel bans might be too late. A similar version of the virus has emerged in South Africa, which shares one of the mutations seen in the British variant, according to scientists who detected it. It is possible that the variant has already spread beyond those countries.

Human behavior drives transmission. Even without the new variant, the biggest variable driving contagion is human behavior. Wherever you are in the world, it is sensible to limit your exposure to other people. And, of course, wear a mask.

With distribution of a coronavirus vaccine beginning in the U.S., here are answers to some questions you may be wondering about:

In early December, the Mexican government knew that Mexico City had reached a critical level of contagion that, according to its own standards, would have required shutting down the citys economy.

But Mexico did not share the true numbers with the public or sufficiently restrict movement in the capital, in an apparent attempt to help the economy during the busy holiday shopping season, reports Natalie Kitroeff, a foreign correspondent for The Times based in Mexico.

Instead, the federal government misled the public about the severity of the outbreak and allowed Mexico City to remain open for another two weeks.

Specifically, when the government was computing its lockdown formula in early December, it used lower numbers in two critical areas the percentage of occupied hospital beds with ventilators, and the percentage of positive coronavirus test results than were publicly stated in its official databases. Officials refused to explain where that data came from.

On Friday, the government finally moved to shut the city down. But it was too late: More than 85 percent of hospital beds in the capital were occupied on Sunday, up from 66 percent when the government decided to delay the lockdown.

Now, doctors say they are running out of crucial medicines. Outside medical supply stores, relatives of patients lined up for hours to buy oxygen.

They have deliberately tried to hide the emergency, said Xavier Tello, a health policy analyst based in Mexico City. Every day they delayed the decision, more people were exposed.

South Korea will ban gatherings of more than five people in and around Seoul, the capital, in an attempt to suppress what the authorities have called an explosive infection surge.

As case numbers were rising in Kenya, doctors across the country went on strike Monday, protesting poor pay, lack of medical insurance and inadequate protective equipment.

Dozens of people protesting virus restrictions many with weapons, body armor or flags supporting President Trump tried to force their way into Oregons State Capitol building in Salem.

Sweeping restrictions will come into effect Saturday in Ontario, the most populous province in Canada. That is also Boxing Day, a major shopping holiday.

Heres a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states.

A panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines voted to prioritize people 75 and older and 30 million essential workers, including emergency responders, teachers and grocery store employees.

The pandemic has forced China to confront mental health, a taboo subject there. At the height of its outbreak, more than a third of people experienced symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia or acute stress, according to a nationwide survey.

Many Americans arent postponing holiday travel, even during the worst period of the pandemic. On each of the last three days, more than a million travelers passed through airport security checkpoints in the United States.

Pediatricians are concerned that families are skipping visits, and their children are missing out on routine immunizations, flu shots and essential in-person visits and screenings.

Life wont immediately return to normal after you get a vaccine. Our colleagues looked at what you can and cant do after receiving your shot.

Even as they receive inoculations, American health care workers face daunting shortages of personal protective equipment, which will do more to keep them safe in the short term.

A nurse who came out of retirement to fight the virus. A postmaster who laid the bricks of the building he managed. The Timess Opinion section asked five people to tell the story of someone they lost to the pandemic.

Both I and my wife are in our 70s. Im approaching 80. We miss church members and meetings, but church members bring the meetings to us. But we now have our meetings with individuals or pairs. They stand on the walk and we on the porch. At times treats are left on the porch table. Its not so much what we are doing, but what others are doing for us.

Walter Beecher, Gig Harbor, Wash.

Let us know how youre dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter.

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Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today - The New York Times