Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200 and other stories readers loved

+ why some homeowners are skipping insurance US Edition - Today's top story: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at 200: Revolutionary work of art has spawned two centuries of joy, goodwill and propaganda [View in browser]( US Edition | 7 July 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories: • [Britain’s new prime minister has a chance to reset ties with the White House – but a range of thorny issues and the US election make it more tricky]( • [Why are US politicians so old? And why do they want to stay in office?]( • [Flirting with disaster: When endangered wild animals try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose]( The first half of 2024 ended with a bang – appropriate just before the Fourth – as the Supreme Court issued history-making rulings and the Biden-Trump debate caused rather a stir. Those are just two of the hundreds of stories we’ve covered over the past six months, which included wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine but also the latest in artificial intelligence and climate change and the always-delightful Curious Kids questions like “What is dirt?” So we analyzed our readership data to figure out which stories were most engaging to our most loyal readers for the first six months of the year. It stands to reason that most of them were tied to big stories in the news. For example, we asked a cognitive psychologist to delve into [when someone is too old to be president]( and a Jewish history scholar to consider [when legitimate criticism of Israel cross the line into antisemitism](. But my favorite of the top 5 wasn’t really newsy, though it was tied to a milestone – and one of my mom’s favorite composers. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony turned 200 earlier this year, and our tech editor – and talented musician – Eric Smalley asked music studies professor Ted Olson to mark the occasion and [explain the impact of the piece](, then and now. Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks [Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at 200: Revolutionary work of art has spawned two centuries of joy, goodwill and propaganda]( Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University It stands as the crowning achievement of Western classical music. - [When is criticism of Israel antisemitic? A scholar of modern Jewish history explains]( Joshua Shanes, College of Charleston In recent years, the relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism has taken on renewed importance and competing definitions of antisemitism have emerged. What is antisemitism? - [Where do Israel and Hamas get their weapons?]( Terrence Guay, Penn State Israel and Hamas are running through countless weapons in the ongoing war − but where are those weapons coming from? - [Navalny dies in prison − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on]( Regina Smyth, Indiana University Alexei Navalny, a persistent thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died on Feb. 16, 2024, in prison, authorities said. - [Biden and Trump may forget names or personal details, but here is what really matters in assessing whether they’re cognitively up for the job]( Leo Gugerty, Clemson University Decision-making abilities are critical to a president’s performance. Editors' picks [‘Above the law’ in some cases: Supreme Court gives Trump − and future presidents − a special exception that will delay his prosecution]( Claire B. Wofford, College of Charleston The Supreme Court’s decision has major implications for the criminal prosecution of Trump and for the country and how it is governed. - [To insure or self-insure? The question homeowners must answer amid impact of climate change]( Rick Gorvett, Bryant University Homeowners insurance is so expensive that some people are going without it. - [Summertime can be germy: A microbiologist explains how to avoid getting sick at the barbecue, in the pool or on the trail]( Bill Sullivan, Indiana University Common summer activities can expose you to a host of infectious diseases. But there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from pathogens ranging from E. coli to T. gondii. - [Lucy, discovered 50 years ago in Ethiopia, stood just 3.5 feet tall − but she still towers over our understanding of human origins]( Denise Su, Arizona State University A photo of Lucy’s reconstructed skeleton next to a live four-year-old girl shows how human Lucy was – and how small. - [Fandom usually means tracking your favorite team for years − so why are the Olympics so good at making us root for sports and athletes we tune out most of the time?]( Noah Cohan, Washington University in St. Louis Patriotic coverage helps forge the Olympics’ sense of community, weaving viewers’ lives together with athletes’ struggles and triumphs. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on fireworks, the Constitution & mac and cheese. - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Giving Today]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Threads]( • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](