Anti-racist views haven't been enough to make change

+ how Russian trolls confuse the U.S. public US Edition - Today's top story: After the civil rights era, white Americans failed to support systemic change to end racism. Will they now? [View in browser]( US Edition | 13 August 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair During the civil rights era, the evening news showed horrific images of young Blacks being beaten by police for trying to exercise their rights as citizens. Those images moved white Americans to support the passage of monumental legislation such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. But as the years moved on, whites failed to support the kind of government policies “that would bring racial equality to fruition for Blacks,” writes Candis Watts Smith, a scholar of political science and African American studies at Pennsylvania State University. Smith says the current anti-racist movement in the U.S. feels different – there are far more whites involved than in the past. But given history’s lessons, [can we expect transformative anti-racist policies to get the support of white Americans](? Also today: - [Balancing social isolation and an eating disorder]( - [Death projections for 2020 were way off – here’s by how much]( - [Storing electrical charge in a brick]( Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society Will white people’s participation in Black Lives Matter protests yield real change? Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images [After the civil rights era, white Americans failed to support systemic change to end racism. Will they now?]( Candis Watts Smith, Pennsylvania State University In principle, white Americans support efforts to end racism. But in practice, they have long been unwilling to support the fundamental change needed to do that. Will this year's events change that? Politics/Election '20 - [Political trolls adapt, create material to deceive and confuse the public]( Gianluca Stringhini, Boston University; Savvas Zannettou, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Russian-affiliated Twitter accounts changed what they posted about, and used both text and images in ways that shed light on how these information warriors work. Health - [The pandemic has affected millions with other illnesses – here’s how it affected a health professor’s struggle with bulimia]( Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, North Carolina State University People with eating disorders often struggle with staying in control. For many, the pandemic took away control. A health scholar shares her story of how that loss of control affected her bulimia. Education - [What should replace Confederate statues?]( Christian K. Anderson, University of South Carolina As momentum builds to remove statutes that pay homage to Confederates and others who sought to uphold white supremacy, a historian explores questions about what should be erected in their place. Science + Technology - [Clever chemistry turns ordinary bricks into electricity storage devices]( Julio M. D'Arcy, Washington University in St Louis Bricks turn out to be useful for storing electricity thanks to their porousness and red pigment. - [Up to 204,691 extra deaths in the US so far in this pandemic year]( Ronald D. Fricker Jr., Virginia Tech Health statisticians keep careful tabs on how many people die every week. Based on what's happened in past years, they know what to expect – but 2020 death counts are surging beyond predictions. - [Why does some rain fall harder than other rain?]( Jeffrey B. Halverson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Some rainstorms drench you in a second, while others drop rain in a nice peaceful drizzle. A meteorologist explains how rainstorms can be so different. Trending on Site - [I’m a COVID-19 long-hauler and an epidemiologist – here’s how it feels when symptoms last for months]( Margot Gage Witvliet, Lamar University Margot Gage Witvliet went from being healthy and active to fearing she was dying almost overnight. An epidemiologist, she dug into the research to understand what's happening to long-haulers like her. - [How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors]( Shelly Miller, University of Colorado Boulder Good ventilation can reduce the risk of catching coronavirus. An environmental engineer explains how to know if enough outside air is getting into a room and what to do if ventilation is bad. - [‘Morality pills’ may be the US’s best shot at ending the coronavirus pandemic, according to one ethicist]( Parker Crutchfield, Western Michigan University Rather than a vaccine to beef up your immune system, a psychoactive substance could boost your cooperative, pro-social behavior – curtailing the selfish actions that spur on coronavirus's spread. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111