How dangerous is teargas, especially now with the pandemic? Does observing the Universe really change the outcome? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of June 1 - 7 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the most topical science news from around the world, find out how (and why) black Americans are being disproportionately affected by Covid-19, and why the publication of results of some coronavirus studies is being delayed. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Tear gas is more dangerous than police let on—especially during the pandemic by Lisa Song for Ars Technica.

Despite chemical warfare being banned by the Geneva convention in wars between countries, many countries still choose to use CS gas on their own citizens.
Credit: Studio Incendo via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• Racism, not genetics, explains why black Americans are dying Of COVID-19 by Clarence Gravlee for Scientific American. 
• Observing the universe really does change the outcome, and this experiment shows how by Ethan Siegel at Starts with a Bang.
• Astronomers Find No Evidence of Elusive First-Generation Stars in Early Universe by Sci-News.com.
• Filling the knowledge gap about the thermal properties of bismuth antimonide at the nanoscale by Michael Berger for Nanowerk.
• Physicists still lost in math by Sabine Hossenfelder at Backreaction.
• Where’s the data? Now is no time to sit on Covid-19 trial results by Ed Silverman for STAT news.
• Antibody tests, part 2: How do antibody tests work? by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest.
• Experts question use of repeated Covid-19 tests after a patient recovers by Helen Branswell for STAT news.
• DNA bar codes added in spores to track farm products by Alan Kotok for Science & Enterprise.
• The Foundling: Resolving a case of unknown parentage through the use of genetic genealogy by Tara Luther for ISHI News.
• Caught on camera: Rare finless porpoises sighted in Hong Kong waters by Elizabeth Claire Alberts for Mongabay.com.
• Approach your career as if you were growing a tree, not building a house by Dr. Mirjam S. Glessmer at Adventures in Oceanography and Teaching.

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Check back next week for more great picks!