How Bill Cosby broke America’s heart

Edition: US - Today's top story: Why the betrayal of Bill Cosby, Eric Schneiderman and other influential men is deeper than you think [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 12 May 2018 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note The #MeToo movement is exposing the scale of powerful men’s abuse of women, the latest example being that of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned Monday. Schneiderman’s dramatic demise may have turned New York politics upside down but the conviction of “America’s Dad,” Bill Cosby, has been painful for Americans across the country. As a role model for so many, he became, writes Vanderbilt’s Hilary Jerome Scarsella, “part of the American self.” So how does a society, she asks, [come to terms]( with the knowledge that a beloved figure has committed sexual assault? [Do chimpanzees “talk” to each other](, with their own versions of words and dialects? Biologist Michael Wilson investigates these questions by tracking and recording wild chimps in their natural habitat. Ultimately the insights researchers gain from studying the calls of chimps – human beings’ closest living relative – could help explain the origins of our own language. Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor Top stories New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman at a news conference in New York in 2016. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File [Why the betrayal of Bill Cosby, Eric Schneiderman and other influential men is deeper than you think]( Hilary Jerome Scarsella, Vanderbilt University It's not shallow to be upset by the latest scandals. Learning about the bad behavior of people we admire can harm our very sense of self. Nisarg Desai observes wild chimps known as Sandi, Ferdinand and Siri in Tanzania. Michael Wilson [Studying chimpanzee calls for clues about the origins of human language]( Michael Wilson, University of Minnesota Do chimpanzee talk to each other? Scientists follow and record chimpanzees in the wild to find out – and to fill in details about how human language might have evolved. Economy + Business Many associate entrepreneurship with youth – like Mark Zuckerberg, who famously started Facebook as a student at Harvard. AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File [Most successful entrepreneurs are older than you think]( Benjamin F. Jones, Northwestern University; J. Daniel Kim, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Most people think of entrepreneurship as a young person's game. But the highest-growth firms in the US come from entrepreneurs who are 45 years old. Environment + Energy [The EPA says burning wood to generate power is 'carbon-neutral.' Is that true?]( William Moomaw, Tufts University Deriving fuel from trees costs more than wind and solar power and it emits more carbon than coal. There are many heated debates about this kind of energy, known as forest or woody biomass. [Lava, ash flows, mudslides and nasty gases: Good reasons to respect volcanoes]( Brittany Brand, Boise State University Fountains of lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano are dramatic, but the most deadly impacts of volcanic eruptions are toxic gases and ash and mud flows. Health + Medicine [Americans are becoming more socially isolated, but they're not feeling lonelier]( Sara Konrath, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Recent news reports suggest that the US is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. But the research is a bit more complicated. [A hangover pill? Tests on drunk mice show promise]( Yunfeng Lu, University of California, Los Angeles A new pill may lower blood alcohol levels, helping a hangover and preventing alcohol overdose deaths. Science + Technology Is someone else making money on your computer? WICHAI WONGJONGJAIHAN/Shutterstock.com [Cryptojacking spreads across the web]( Pranshu Bajpai, Michigan State University; Richard Enbody, Michigan State University Enterprising cryptocurrency enthusiasts have found a way to use your computer processor and electricity to make themselves money. What is cryptojacking, and how does it work? Arts + Culture [How one early 20th-century performer defanged her fat-shamers]( Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff, University of South Carolina 'I Don't Want to Get Thin,' singer Sophie Tucker proclaimed – an attitude that was decades ahead of its time. [Mad Magazine's clout may have faded, but its ethos matters more than ever before]( Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine Today's media consumers are being bombarded with bias and sensationalism – and could use a dose of Mad's media literacy. Politics + Society [Paraguay's new president recalls an old dictatorship]( Ignacio González Bozzolasco, Universidad Católica de Asunción Paraguay's conservative president-elect Mario Abdo narrowly won the April 22 election. His father was the private secretary for dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who brutally ruled Paraguay for 35 years. [Ending sexual assault in youth detention centers]( Eileen M. Ahlin, Pennsylvania State University Research reveals that the factors that put youth at risk of sexual assault while in custody are significantly different from those that put adults at risk in prison. Education [Avoid high student debt and dropping out by asking these 4 questions about any college]( Jake Murray, Boston University In order to avoid colleges where graduates owe so much and earn so little that they can hardly pay back their student loans, students should ask these key questions about any college they plan to attend. [Why graduation rates lag for low-income college students]( Nathan Favero, American University School of Public Affairs New data show that less than half of all Pell Grant recipients graduate on time – a reality that one scholar attributes to the unique barriers faced by low-income students. Ethics + Religion Members of the senior class of Russell County HIgh School in Kentucky recite the Lord’s Prayer, in defiance of a court ruling, during commencement exercises in 2006. AP Photo/James Crisp [History shows why school prayer is so divisive]( Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University As the Kentucky Senate considers a bill for school prayer, a scholar explains the violent history of prayer – and a time when Catholic students were sometimes whipped, beaten and worse for not participating. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. 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