Rat poison is harming animals that aren't the targets

+ coping with election anxiety US Edition - Today's top story: Rat poison is moving up through food chains, threatening carnivores around the world [View in browser]( US Edition | 9 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Avoiding ‘break-dancing neck’ at the Olympics]( - [In: Grocery lists; Out: Credit scores]( - [Come one, come all to the news quiz!]( Lead story No one wants rats in their neighborhood, let alone their home. But a long-standing remedy for rat and mouse infestations – poison – is showing up in larger carnivores, including species that are endangered or at risk. Clemson University Ph.D. student Meghan P. Keating is studying the effects of rodenticides on a small community of bobcats on Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Keating and her colleagues reviewed numerous studies that examined how these poisons were affecting wild carnivores. “These poisons [are widely available, and their use is largely unregulated]( in most countries.” Keating reports. The good news is that some communities, like Kiawah, are shifting to other pest control methods, including a simple one: picking up trash. [ [The best of The Conversation, every Sunday](. ] Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Cities Editor This mountain lion, known as P-47, was found dead in Southern California on March 21, 2019, with rat poison in his system. National Park Service via AP [Rat poison is moving up through food chains, threatening carnivores around the world]( Meghan P. Keating, Clemson University Modern rodenticides can kill rats with a single dose and readily pass up the food chain to larger carnivores. They are widely used and largely unregulated. Environment + Energy - [A packed Baltimore trolley illustrates the ups and downs of US public transit]( Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Hunter College When US cities offered low-cost, high-quality public transit during World War II, buses and trains were full. Some cities are trying to revive that formula, after decades of disinvestment. Politics + Society - [How San Francisco’s Democratic political machine led to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign]( Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University Kamala Harris is the heir to a political lineage that dates back to a chain-smoking, hard-drinking and profane political mastermind first elected to Congress from San Francisco in 1964. - [Despite Donald Trump’s claims, his gag order holds up against the Constitution]( Lynn Greenky, Syracuse University While the First Amendment protects a wide range of different kinds of speech, there is no fundamental right to cause harm. Economy + Business - [The problem with pronatalism: Pushing baby booms to boost economic growth amounts to a Ponzi scheme]( Emily Klancher Merchant, University of California, Davis; Win Brown, University of Washington Many countries are enacting measures to counter population decline, but manipulating fertility is an inefficient means of solving social, economic and environmental problems. - [No credit score? A grocery list could be the next best thing]( Joonhyuk Yang, University of Notre Dame; Jung Youn Lee, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University What you buy at the grocery store can predict whether you pay your credit card bills on time, new research suggests. Science + Technology - [Dealing with election anxiety? A psychiatrist explains how to channel your fears and break out of tribal thinking]( Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University The human tendency to form group affiliations and vilify outsiders can help ramp up your anxiety during a contentious election cycle. But you can push back on those fears. Health + Medicine - [Infectious diseases spike when kids return to school − here’s what you can do about it]( Libby Richards, Purdue University Proper hygiene, vaccinations and healthy habits can all reduce the spread of diseases in school. Arts + Culture - [Paris Games herald a new anti-corruption era, but carrying the torch may pose an Olympic challenge for the US]( Andy Spalding, University of Richmond France’s distinctive anti-corruption legal framework made possible an Olympics free from major corruption scandals. - [The real ‘Big Bang’ of country music: How Vernon Dalhart’s 1924 breakthrough recordings launched a genre]( Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University A musicologist explains how an oft-forgotten opera, pop and jazz singer from New York City launched the country music industry a century ago. - [How do breakdancers avoid breaking their necks?]( Aliza Rudavsky, Penn State A term emerged in the 1980s for a spinal cord injury caused by breaking called ‘break-dancing neck.’ Education - [This anthropology course looks at building design from the standpoint of different species]( Richard Fadok, University of Rochester Humans aren’t the only species to consider when constructing new buildings. This course teaches students to take animals into account as well. Trending on site - [Trees don’t like to breathe wildfire smoke, either – and they’ll hold their breath to avoid it]( - [Brain implants to restore sight, like Neuralink’s Blindsight, face a fundamental problem − more pixels don’t ensure better vision]( - [Kamala Harris’ identity as a biracial woman is either a strength or a weakness, depending on whom you ask]( The Conversation News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Here’s the first question of [this week’s edition:]( Democrat Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for 2024. Walz has been a congressman, a teacher and a command sergeant major in the National Guard. What other job has he also held? - A. Puppeteer - B. Smoke jumper - C. HVAC installer - D. Football coach [Test your knowledge]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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