Why coronavirus is hitting black America so hard (Slate)
by Mary Harris
The data so far shows that black Americans are more likely to suffer from COVID-19. That has to do with racial inequality in everything from housing to transportation to employment.

The researchers working to defang viruses (The New Yorker)
by Matthew Hutson
One reason modern epidemics are usually caused by viruses is that they’re much harder to kill than bacteria and other pathogens. New research methods could change that by developing antiviral drugs capable of fighting many different viruses.

Pandemic dreaming (Vox)
by Terry Nguyen
With real-life nightmares going on around us, maybe it’s not surprising that some people are having weird dreams. A psychologist and dream researcher breaks down what may be going on in our sleeping minds.

The Hajj has been cancelled before (Arab News)
by Mohammed Al-Kinani
The global pandemic may force the cancellation of the Hajj this summer. It wouldn’t be the first time that Muslims have been unable to perform the pilgrimage due to disease or other disastrous circumstances.

Is the coronavirus kind of…cute? (The Conversation)
by Colette Gaiter
Visual depictions of the coronavirus in popular media have been surprisingly nonthreatening. What makes us want to picture a deadly pathogen as a cartoonish bumpy ball?

Got a hot tip about a well-researched story that belongs on this list? Email us here.