+ sex testing and Olympic sports; enduring grief 10 years after Ferguson US Edition - Today's top story: Ancient poppy seeds and willow wood offer clues to the Greenland ice sheet's last meltdown and a glimpse into a warmer future [View in browser]( US Edition | 11 August 2024 [The Conversation]
[The Conversation]( Happy Sunday â and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories: - [The real âBig Bangâ of country music: How Vernon Dalhartâs 1924 breakthrough recordings launched a genre](
- [The problem with pronatalism: Pushing baby booms to boost economic growth amounts to a Ponzi scheme]( If Greenlandâs massive ice sheet melts, humanity is in big trouble. Eventually the seas would rise more than 23 feet, putting large swaths of many major cities such as Boston, New York and Mumbai underwater. And we just got more news revealing how fragile Greenlandâs ice sheet is. In a new analysis, environmental scientists Paul Bierman and Halley Mastro [found additional evidence that the ice sheet melted]( more recently than scientists had previously believed. The findings âdemonstrate that Greenlandâs ice is vulnerable to melting at atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations lower than today,â they explain in one of the articles last week that most engaged readers. The story also happens to be very well illustrated. âHuman-caused climate change is on pace to warm the Arctic and Greenland beyond temperatures they have experienced for millions of years,â they write. [ [The Conversation has no ads or paywalls, because of support from our readers](. ] Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks [Ancient poppy seeds and willow wood offer clues to the Greenland ice sheetâs last meltdown and a glimpse into a warmer future]( Paul Bierman, University of Vermont; Halley Mastro, University of Vermont Our discovery of a tundra ecosystem, frozen under the center of Greenlandâs ice sheet, holds a warning about the threat that climate change poses for the future. -
[Kamala Harrisâ identity as a biracial woman is either a strength or a weakness, depending on whom you ask]( Jennifer Ho, University of Colorado Boulder While many voters embrace Kamala Harrisâ candidacy and the fact that she is a multiracial woman without any biological children, some Republicans are using her identity as fodder for attacks. -
[Walz pick turns focus on what a VP brings to White House â 3 essential reads]( Howard Manly, The Conversation With a few notable exceptions, historians have found little evidence that vice-presidential picks actually help their presidential tickets. -
[Members of Congress undermine the country â and their own legitimacy â with antidemocratic rhetoric]( Christopher Miller, University of Richmond 2 scholars analyzed more than 1 million official Tweets from members of Congress â and found a lot of antidemocratic language that damages the very institution the politicians belong to. -
[Bangladeshâs protests explained: What led to PMâs ouster and the challenges that lie ahead]( Tazreena Sajjad, American University School of International Service Military leaders have formed an interim government and promised a transition to civilian rule. Protesters who brought down the previous government are demanding nothing less. Editors' picks [Imane Khelif controversy at Paris Olympics shows how sex testing in womenâs sports puts regulators in an impossible bind]( Jaime Schultz, Penn State Most sports are organized according to a strict male-female binary. Nature isnât. -
[From Michael Brown to Sonya Massey, a decade of police antiblack violence causes grief, worry and coping for Black parents]( Seanna Leath, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis; Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis With every new incident of racial violence, Black people tend to undergo a collective sense of racial grief. -
[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. -
[Stuck bridges, buckling roads â extreme heat is wreaking havoc on Americaâs aging infrastructure]( Suyun Paul Ham, University of Texas at Arlington A civil engineer explains why roadways and rails warp and crack in the heat â and points to some innovative ways to keep the US transportation system healthy as long as possible. -
[Attention, jittery investors: Stop panicking ⦠this is what a soft landing should look like]( Christopher Decker, University of Nebraska Omaha Slowing job growth should come as no surprise. News Quiz ð§ -
[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 new candidates, new buzzwords and an old mustache. -
-
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](
⢠[LinkedIn]( ⢠[Instagram](
⢠[Facebook]( ⢠Or [get one daily text from us]( -
-
About The Conversation We're a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you [facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world](. We can give away all our articles without any ads or paywalls thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( Youâre receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](