Plus drinking water safety, flu surges, and black horror is back. [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](.
Edition: US
29 May 2019
[The Conversation](
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
[Aviva Rutkin]
A note from...
Aviva Rutkin
Big Data + Applied Mathematics Editor
Have you taken a close look at your local voting district maps? If not, you might want to start.
More and more Americans are getting upset about unfair district lines that give one political party a significant edge in elections. Gerrymandering cases have been brought in Wisconsin, Maryland, North Carolina, Michigan and Ohio. The pressure is now on the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to issue some decisions by the end of June. But Nancy Martorano Miller, a political scientist at the University of Dayton, explains why she [isn’t optimistic about the potential outcome.](
“The court may just be inclined to let the states keep doing what they are doing,” she writes.
Also today, we have stories on why we’re in a [golden age for black horror films](, why a [92% safe drinking supply]( isn’t enough and tips on [staying sane while on social media](.
Top story
Demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, on March 26. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
[More Americans are suing over gerrymandered state maps – but the Supreme Court is not likely to step in](
Nancy Martorano Miller, University of Dayton
The US public is more aware than ever of partisan gerrymandering, and they're pushing local governments to make reforms.
Environment + Energy
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[The US drinking water supply is mostly safe, but that’s not good enough](
Joan Rose, Michigan State University
A grade of 92 is an A at most schools, but for tap water it means that millions of Americans drink water that fails to met federal standards.
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[A radical idea to get a high-renewable electric grid: Build way more solar and wind than needed](
Richard Perez, University at Albany, State University of New York; Karl R. Rabago, Pace University
Solar and wind can't deliver power on demand. But overbuilding solar and wind, and simply dumping unneeded energy, would go a long way to smoothing out those bumps, study finds.
Science + Technology
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[6 ways to protect your mental health from social media’s dangers](
Jelena Kecmanovic, Georgetown University
Just 5% of US adults say using social media is good for their mental health. A psychologist offers some tips to help the other 95%.
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[This year the flu came in two waves – here’s why](
Patricia L. Foster, Indiana University
The 2018-2019 flu season was less deadly than the last. But the pattern of infection was unusual, thanks to the various strains circulating and the way flu shots work over time.
[if you believe in scientists telling the public about their new research, please support us](
Arts + Culture
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[We’re in a golden age of black horror films](
Robin R. Means Coleman, Texas A&M University
For decades, black characters in horror movies were objects of ridicule, died first or played evil Voodoo practitioners. But now we're seeing a wave of films created by blacks and starring blacks.
Politics + Society
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[Congressional action on Yemen may be the first salvo against presidential war powers](
R. Joseph Parrott, The Ohio State University
Political fallout from the Vietnam War gave Congress more power to control foreign affairs, but they have been reluctant to use it.
Health + Medicine
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[Gene-edited babies don’t grow in test tubes – mothers’ roles shouldn’t be erased](
Rachel Adams, Columbia University
News of the gene-edited babies excludes images of the children's mother. Cutting her out of the picture underscores the idea that the mother is obsolete and babies can be created in the lab.
Most Read on Site
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[Remembering the US soldiers who refused orders to murder Native Americans at Sand Creek](
Billy J. Stratton, University of Denver
A scholar of American Indian studies shares the lesser-known, true story of two men who stood up and spoke out against the murder of American Indians, and how they are celebrated as heroes today.
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[The American GI in WWII, uncensored](
Edward Gitre, Virginia Tech
An unprecedented survey of US GIs that began in 1941, preserved on microfilm, provides a raw and uncensored story of average Americans grappling with both national ideals and practical necessities.
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[How the new ‘Aladdin’ stacks up against a century of Hollywood stereotyping](
Evelyn Alsultany, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
While the 2019 'Aladdin' is a big improvement from the 1992 version, it still recycles some old tropes.
Today’s chart
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From the article: [This year the flu came in two waves – here’s why](
[Patricia L. Foster] Patricia L. Foster
Indiana University
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