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US Researchers Are Speaking Up for Science in Local Newspapers (Maria)
The author writes, “Cornell University doctoral student Isako Di Tomassi was taken aback by comments on local social media after thousands of federal workers, including her Ph.D. adviser — a U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist — were fired in February. Some posters on the neighborhood networking platform Nextdoor seemed pleased. … It suddenly hit her: ‘These are taxpayers here who have no idea what cool, awesome work is being done’ in their backyard. Since then, Di Tomassi has been part of a multipronged grassroots effort to encourage scientists around the country to submit op-eds to local newspapers showcasing federally funded research and why they should care that [the current administration] is slashing support for science. So far, more than 80 op-eds have appeared in local newspapers in more than 30 states.”
Minnesota’s Slain Democratic Leader Lived the Political Divisions in the US Every Day (Reader Steve)
The authors write, “Americans talk constantly about how their country is split down the middle politically. Melissa Hortman lived that every day as a Minnesota House member. Her unique perspective on politics came from her job as the House’s top Democrat and its unusual challenge. She had to defend liberal priorities in a chamber divided 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans while working to see that the even split didn’t keep the Legislature from funding state government. She and her husband were shot to death early Saturday in their Minneapolis-area home in what authorities are calling an act of political violence.”
Israel’s Greatest Threat Isn’t Iran or Hamas, but Its Own Hubris (Dana)
From +972 Magazine: “It has been more than 46 years since I left Iran with my family at the age of nine. I have spent most of my life in Israel, where we built a family and raised our daughters — but Iran has never ceased to be my homeland. Since October 2023, I have seen countless images of men, women, and children standing beside the ruins of their homes, and their cries are etched in my mind. But when I see the images from Iran after the Israeli attacks and hear the cries in Persian, my mother tongue, the sense of collapse within me feels different. The thought that this destruction is being carried out by the country of which I hold citizenship is unbearable. Over the years, the Israeli public has grown convinced that it can exist in this region while harboring deep contempt for its neighbors — engaging in murderous rampages against anyone, whenever and however it pleases.”
Alaska Just Issued Its First-Ever Heat Advisory. Here’s Why (Laura)
The author writes, “For the first time ever, the state known for glaciers, dogsledding and northern lights issued a heat advisory, as temperatures in Fairbanks, its second largest city, were slated to top 86 degrees over the weekend. It’s not the first time temperatures have climbed that high, but it’s the first time the state has ever put out such a warning about heat. … As the world continues to get hotter due to human-caused climate change, Alaska is warming faster than any other US state and above the last century’s global average. The state is particularly ill-equipped to cope with the dangers of high temperatures — what researchers say is the deadliest form of extreme weather.”
Cowardly Dodgers Remain Silent as ICE Raids Terrorize Their Fans (Sean)
From the Los Angeles Times: “As part of their Pride Night celebration, a Dodgers official received a commemorative scroll from Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath before the team opened its three-game series against the San Francisco Giants. ‘It is truly my pleasure to be celebrating Pride with the Dodgers,’ Horvath said. … In almost any other time, Horvath’s presentation would have inspired, well, pride — specifically, pride in how the Dodgers started celebrating Pride Nights when they weren’t commonplace in sports. On Friday night, however, with many parts of Los Angeles terrorized by large-scale immigration sweeps, the county supervisor’s words evoked an entirely different range of emotions. Demonstrations against the federal raids have been staged in downtown for more than a week, but the Dodgers have remained silent.”
Texas Approves Use of Fracking Wastewater To Irrigate Crops (DonkeyHotey)
From CleanTechnica: “We are what we eat, and what we eat is completely dependent on what we grow. Only 3% of the water in the entire world is fresh, and most of that is locked away in glaciers. It is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that the water we use to irrigate our crops should not contain toxins that are harmful to human health. And yet, modern oil and methane extraction techniques rely heavily on fracking, a process that injects water at high pressure deep underground to fracture the rock below so the oil and methane trapped there can be extracted. … This topic is all coming to a head right now because the great state of Texas has just passed legislation that allows recycled fracking wastewater to be used to irrigate crops in the Lone Star state.”
Dancing Brainwaves: How Sound Reshapes Your Brain Networks in Real Time (Mili)
The author writes, “Every beep, tone, and new sound you hear travels from the ear to registering in your brain. But what actually happens in your brain when you listen to a continuous stream of sounds? A new study from Aarhus University and University of Oxford published in Advanced Science reveals that the brain doesn’t simply register sound: It dynamically reshapes its organization in real time, orchestrating a complex interplay of brainwaves in multiple networks.”
