Researchers at the University of Chicago, the University of Birmingham, and Bournemouth University have uncovered evidence that physical embodiment can occur without the sense of touch, thanks to a study involving two participants who lack the ability to feel touch.

The events of the last several months have compelled us to realize that many different groups of people have been systematically denied full and open participation in American life. Some devastatingly alarming events—lives extinguished for no reason—have left many of us questioning our contributions to injustice and how structures we take for granted bestow privilege to some of us over others.