Shutting down emergency preparedness

The shutdown will harm the health and safety of Americans, even after it's long over [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 16 January 2019 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note The partial government shutdown is now the longest on record. American University’s Morten Wendelbo writes that forests aren’t being managed for wildfires, hurricane forecasters are furloughed, and first responders aren’t doing their usual off-season training. The result could be [more exposure to danger in the future](. It’s winter, so you’re probably cold in the office – unless you’re too warm. A research team at the University of Michigan is working on a system that may end the struggle over the office thermostat. The system would not just let everyone gripe about a room’s temperature in real time, but actually [sense the group’s optimum temperature]( and heat or cool the room appropriately. With all those blue recycling bins around, you might think Americans are experts at recycling plastics. The truth is, though many plastic items can be recycled, very few are. So what’s the solution? Margaret Sobkowicz, a plastics engineer at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, explains how we can [scale up plastics recycling](. Aviva Rutkin Big Data + Applied Mathematics Editor Top stories Aaron Rowe of the Architect of the Capitol’s office, which is not affected by the partial government shutdown, shovels snow left by a winter storm on the U.S. Capitol’s plaza. REUTERS/Mike Theiler [The shutdown will harm the health and safety of Americans, even after it’s long over]( Morten Wendelbo, American University School of Public Affairs The shutdown poses a very real threat to preparedness for future emergencies, such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Someone’s too hot and someone’s too cold. Collage by The Conversation, combining images by Monika Wisniewska and Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.com [Offices are too hot or too cold – is there a better way to control room temperature?]( Carol Menassa, University of Michigan; Da Li, University of Michigan; Vineet Kamat, University of Michigan Everyone has a different ideal temperature at any given time. It could be more comfortable to monitor people's body temperatures and adjust heating and cooling in response. An escalator with a pile of plastic bottles at the factory for processing and recycling. Alba_alioth/Shutterstock.com [Toward a circular economy: Tackling the plastics recycling problem]( Margaret Sobkowicz, University of Massachusetts Lowell With all those blue recycling bins around you might think we are experts at recycling plastics. The truth is, that though many plastic items can be recycled, very few are. So what's the solution? 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But that doesn't mean city officials weren't listening. Today’s quote [Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern for global health. A recent report commissioned by the British government shows that every year globally around 700,000 people died due to infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.]( [How to train the body's own cells to combat antibiotic resistance]( Zahidul Alam University of Pennsylvania [Zahidul Alam] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111