Just how bad is the coronavirus? (The Conversation)
by Maciej F. Boni
We don’t know yet how deadly the coronavirus is or whether it can be contained. But scientists’ knowledge of other recent viral outbreaks suggests that the worse it is in one way, the less-bad it will be in another.

The long history of abuse in Mississippi prisons (The Washington Post)
by Shobana Shankar
A rash of deaths and apparent chaotic conditions in the Mississippi penal system represent the latest chapter in a history that includes brutal racist policies and medical experimentation.

What kind of drinking is problem drinking? (The New York Times)
by Nancy Wartik
Having a couple of drinks a night doesn’t necessarily qualify as a “disorder.” But online checklists don’t tell the whole story about who does or doesn’t have a problem.

Media literacy for the K-12 set (Wired)
by Meghan Herbst
Kids under age seven might not be able to understand that ads are designed to trick them into wanting things. But they can and should start learning about the wily ways of media.

The not-so-scary promise of artificial wombs (Slate)
by Sarah DiGregorio
Does a half-gestated fetus growing in a high-tech bag sound like something out of a creepy science fiction movie? What if you compare it to the way extremely premature infants are cared for now?

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