The Conversation - Cash for a COVID-19 vaccine?

+ yes, microwave weapons are a thing͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

A COVID-19 vaccine moved closer to reality yesterday as an advisory panel to the FDA gave the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine the green light. Still, challenges lie ahead, including the fact that millions of people have said they won’t get a vaccine. Would paying them make a difference? Two health law scholars weigh whether that makes sense.

If you have any of your own questions on COVID-19 vaccines, please reply to this email and we’ll try to have an expert answer it in an article.

Also today:

Lynne Anderson

Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Although monetary incentives work, there are potential drawbacks. Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

Why paying people to get the coronavirus vaccine won’t work

Ana Santos Rutschman, Saint Louis University; Robert Gatter, Saint Louis University

Millions of Americans say they won't get the vaccine. Will money change their minds? And is luring them with cash the right approach?

Science + Technology

Scientists suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work

Edl Schamiloglu, University of New Mexico

High-power microwave weapons are useful for disabling electronics. They might also be behind the ailments suffered by US diplomats and CIA agents in Cuba and China.
Arecibo telescope’s fall is indicative of global divide around funding science infrastructure

Raquel Velho, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The collapse of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico was a result of financial neglect – and was a long time coming.

Environment + Energy
The Marshall Islands could be wiped out by climate change – and their colonial history limits their ability to save themselves Autumn Bordner, University of California, Berkeley; Caroline E. Ferguson, Stanford University Climate change is a true existential threat for small island nations, but the US has done little to help the Marshall Islands, which it administered for decades.

Video
What is a neural network? A computer scientist explains Tam Nguyen, University of Dayton Neural networks today do everything from cameras to translations. A professor of computer science provides a basic explanation of how neural networks work.

Politics/Election '20
Why do so few clergy serve in Congress? Robert Speel, Penn State It would seem like a natural fit: Americans are still very religious, while members of the clergy often possess the rhetorical skills and community ties that can launch political careers.

Ethics + Religion

From the White House to ancient Athens: Hypocrisy is no match for partisanship

Raman Sachdev, University of South Florida

Though hypocrites seemingly relinquish their moral authority, the trial against Socrates shows us that our favoritism for public figures is stronger than our judgments of their hypocrisy.
Biden’s chance to revive US tradition of inserting ethics in foreign policy

David Mayers, Boston University

Four years of 'America First' has seen the US retreat from the world. But as a scholar of international relations explains, Biden could return Washington to the role of a more moral global leader.

From our international edition

COVID vaccines focus on the spike protein – but here’s another target

Sarah L Caddy, University of Cambridge

New research shows why the N protein might be a good target.
Did Ethiopia’s attack on Tigray violate international laws?

Eugène Bakama Bope, Université de Lubumbashi

Providers of humanitarian aid haven't been able to reach civilians in Ethiopia's Tigray region. There are also reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed.
Breakdancing in the Olympics? The Games have a long history of taking chances, from pesapallo (yes, it’s a sport) to kite flying

Richard Baka, Victoria University

New sports are being added to the Olympics all the time in an effort to remain relevant to younger audiences, while others (sorry baseball) are left out.

The Conversation - Cash for a COVID-19 vaccine?

Why paying people to get the coronavirus vaccine won’t work

Science + Technology

Scientists suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work

Arecibo telescope’s fall is indicative of global divide around funding science infrastructure

Environment + Energy

The Marshall Islands could be wiped out by climate change – and their colonial history limits their ability to save themselves

Video

What is a neural network? A computer scientist explains

Politics/Election '20

Why do so few clergy serve in Congress?

Ethics + Religion

From the White House to ancient Athens: Hypocrisy is no match for partisanship

Biden’s chance to revive US tradition of inserting ethics in foreign policy

From our international edition

COVID vaccines focus on the spike protein – but here’s another target

Did Ethiopia’s attack on Tigray violate international laws?

Breakdancing in the Olympics? The Games have a long history of taking chances, from pesapallo (yes, it’s a sport) to kite flying

Older messages

Why Oregon decriminalized all drugs

When will kids get a COVID-19 vaccine?

The diversity of American innovation

Why I write for The Conversation - and donate as well

'America first' trade policies will outlast Trump

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