Abortion, guns, religion come back to the Supreme Court

+ risk from Tylenol during pregnancy; how parents' wealth and education help college athletes US Edition - Today's top story: US Supreme Court gets set to address abortion, guns and religion [View in browser]( US Edition | 4 October 2021 [The Conversation]( This morning, the Supreme Court term begins, with three major constitutional topics on its agenda: abortion, guns and religious freedom. In the coming weeks, Americans are going to be hearing a lot more about each of these issues and the specific court cases that have brought them before the highest court in the land. Court scholar Morgan Marietta at the University of Massachusetts Lowell summarizes each of the three situations and explains how the court has handled these topics before. Think of it as a brief for the upcoming court term, to [find your bearings]( before the show actually begins. Also today: - [Warm ocean waters in ‘the Blob’ has species on the move]( - [Anti-vaccine justifications are part of long history of shallow Bible interpretations]( - [What teaching reforms work – a global review]( Jeff Inglis Politics + Society Editor As October begins, the Supreme Court opens its new term. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana [US Supreme Court gets set to address abortion, guns and religion]( Morgan Marietta, University of Massachusetts Lowell The big case is about abortion, but there are other very important issues before the Supreme Court – including gun rights and government funding for religious schools. Politics + Society - [How did white students respond to school integration after Brown v. Board of Education?]( Charise Cheney, University of Oregon Americans’ collective memory of school desegregation involves crowds of screaming white protesters. But less well known are the whites who stood by quietly, and those who approved of the changes. Health - [Tylenol could be risky for pregnant women – a new review of 25 years of research finds acetaminophen may contribute to ADHD and other developmental disorders in children]( Ann Z. Bauer, University of Massachusetts Lowell Tylenol has long been considered a go-to medication for low to moderate pain and for fever reduction, even during pregnancy. But mounting evidence suggests that it is unsafe for fetal development. Education - [Why some college sports are often out of reach for students from low-income families]( Chris Knoester, The Ohio State University; James Tompsett, The Ohio State University; Kirsten Hextrum, University of Oklahoma Students who come from families that are more well-off financially have an advantage in their quest to become a college athlete, researchers have found. - [How education reforms can support teachers around the world instead of undermining them]( Gerald K. LeTendre, Penn State If national teacher policies are not comprehensive, practical and inclusive of teachers, they can undermine the very workers they aim to help, a global education policy expert argues. Environment + Energy - [Five years after largest marine heatwave on record hit northern California coast, many warm–water species have stuck around]( Erica Nielsen, University of California, Davis; Sam Walkes, University of California, Davis The Blob, a long-lasting mass of warm water, sat off the Pacific coast of North America for years, bringing new species to formerly cold waters. What allows some to survive while others fade away? - [Puerto Rico has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build a clean energy grid – but FEMA plans to spend $9.4 billion on fossil fuel infrastructure instead]( Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law School; Rachel Stevens, Vermont Law School Four years after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, federal money to rebuild its electricity system is finally about to flow. But it may not deliver what islanders want. Ethics + Religion - [Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context isn’t a practice confined to those opposed to vaccines – it has been done for centuries]( John Fea, Messiah College A historian of the Bible in American life explains how Bible verses are being picked out of context to make a case for the anti-vaxxer movement. Trending on site - [Haitian migrants at the border: An asylum law scholar explains how US skirts its legal and moral duties]( Karen Musalo, University of California, Hastings The Biden administration has used a public health provision to deport thousands of Haitian migrants entering the US via Mexico. - [Global shortage of shipping containers highlights their importance in getting goods to Amazon warehouses, store shelves and your door in time for Christmas]( Anna Nagurney, University of Massachusetts Amherst Before the container was standardized, loading and unloading goods was very labor-intensive, inefficient and costly. - [Preliminary research finds that even mild cases of COVID-19 leave a mark on the brain – but it’s not yet clear how long it lasts]( Jessica Bernard, Texas A&M University Reduced brain volume in people who have experienced COVID-19 resembles brain changes typically seen in older adults. The implications of these findings are not yet clear. Reader Comments 💬 - “One thing that springs to mind is whether this observed effect on brain volume and perhaps cognition is specific to the Sars-Cov2 virus or whether it is common to all severe viral infections or maybe any inflammatory condition… ” – Reader John Dempster on the story [Preliminary research finds that even mild cases of COVID-19 leave a mark on the brain – but it’s not yet clear how long it lasts]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](