key: cord-1038755-clv5dcst
authors: Mace, Ruth
title: Editorial – The future depends on how we choose to behave
date: 2020-05-08
journal: Evolutionary human sciences
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.20
sha: 9179c1fa21fda781c1dfbbfa9edf8f4c85158f61
doc_id: 1038755
cord_uid: clv5dcst

nan

fridge is not an option). We might learn a lot about tackling outbreaks from some of the world's poorest, given their experience of living with fatal infectious diseases without much prospect of medical help. The pandemic is putting these effects into sharp relief. Needless to say, EHS welcomes any papers on covid-19 and especially our responses to it. Non-corona science is having a hard time competing for attention at present. However, as we get over the initial shock, in addition to work on covid-19, at least some of us are returning to other scientific endeavours too.

Being reliant on internationalism, and gaining so much from meeting in groups, means that academia could be feeling the repercussions of social distancing for some time. Whilst many of us are in that blessed category of those who can work from home, that covers a range of scenarios: some of us are caring for children or volunteering to help others, while others can be very academically productive in lockdown (there are rumours that some journal editors are noticing fewer paper submissions from women, suggesting that more women fall into the former category -I hope submissions to EHS can put that rumour to bed, but watch this space). Fieldwork is always difficult but may be impossible for a while. We can focus our research on modelling, online experiments and analysis of existing data for now, but I worry that can only take us so far without being nourished by new data from real-world populations. The journal is doing fine. We aim to keep processing your papers within our usual timeframe, but bear with us if there are a few snags along the way.

We all missed the chance to meet at the EHBEA conference in Krakow in April, which is now postponed until March 2021. As the eye of the hurricane has moved from east to west, I am touched by the concern of my Chinese friends and collaborators and so grateful to those who have sent me face masks. Let us hope that international collaborations and scientific communities can survive current travel restrictions, hardships and xenophobia.

Will we ever get back to the status quo ante? Do we even want to? Will the silver lining be that we decide to pollute less and care for each other more? If no vaccine is found, there is little doubt that life will change. If our scientific colleagues do find a vaccine, that will be our lifeline, although I, for one, predict that it will not then be long before we slip back into old habits. I hope that I am proved wrong.

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Editorial -The future depends on how we choose to behave