Skewing the vote + scrapbooking lynching photos | Top 10

+ fallout from scuttling Roe would be gradual US Edition - Today's top story: Supreme Court allows states to use unlawfully gerrymandered congressional maps in the 2022 midterm elections [View in browser]( US Edition | 5 June 2022 [The Conversation]( Welcome to Sunday. The top five most-read stories of the week are displayed below. These readers’ picks are available in a [magazine-style e-book](, too. Also below are five editors’ selections that we want to make sure you don’t miss. Did you know that collectible trails of DNA are left behind in the hair, fingernails, dead skin and saliva you shed as you move through your day? Law professors Liza Vertinsky of the University of Maryland and Yaniv Heled of Georgia State University imagine a future when “genetic paparazzi with DNA collection kits [are] as ubiquitous as ones with cameras.” It’s [a scenario that has Madonna worried – should you worry too?]( Next week, we’ll be following the opening of the Jan. 6 committee hearings. Learn the history of such [congressional investigations, which date back to 1792](. If you have stories you’d like us to cover, please hit reply and let us know. Emily Costello Managing Editor Readers' picks Mississippi state legislators review an option for redrawing the state’s voting districts at the state Capitol in Jackson on March 29, 2022. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis [Supreme Court allows states to use unlawfully gerrymandered congressional maps in the 2022 midterm elections]( Henry L. Chambers Jr., University of Richmond A ruling by the US Supreme Court to allow unlawful maps to be used in the midterm elections will affect who gets elected to the House of Representatives and may determine control of Congress. - [Nasal COVID-19 vaccines help the body prepare for infection right where it starts – in your nose and throat]( Mayuresh Abhyankar, University of Virginia Research suggests that giving a person a vaccine through their nose can provide a better defense against future exposure to the coronavirus compared to a shot in the arm. - [‘Masked’ cancer drug stealthily trains immune system to kill tumors while sparing healthy tissues, reducing treatment side effects]( Aslan Mansurov, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering One promising cancer treatment has been in the works for decades, but severe side effects have kept it out of the clinic. A reengineered version may offer a way to safely harness its potent effects. - [One family’s photo album includes images of a vacation, a wedding anniversary and the lynching of a Black man in Texas]( Jeffrey L. Littlejohn, Sam Houston State University If Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had his way, the state’s past of lynching Blacks would be taught as an exception rather than the rule. History tells a different story. - [If plastic comes from oil and gas, which come originally from plants, why isn’t it biodegradable?]( Yael Vodovotz, The Ohio State University Plastic is made from oil and natural gas, which started out as fossilized plant and animal material. But buried deep underground for millions of years, those materials changed in important ways. Editors' picks DNA is a trove of personal information that can be hard to keep track of and protect. Boris Zhitkov/Moment via Getty Images [Genetic paparazzi are right around the corner, and courts aren’t ready to confront the legal quagmire of DNA theft]( Liza Vertinsky, University of Maryland; Yaniv Heled, Georgia State University Both Macron and Madonna have expressed concerns about genetic privacy. As DNA collection and sequencing becomes increasingly commonplace, what may seem paranoid may instead be prescient. - [What 5 previous congressional investigations can teach us about the House Jan. 6 committee hearings]( Jennifer Selin, Wayne State University The public hearings of the House Jan. 6 investigative committee will deal with unprecedented events in American history, but the very investigation of these events has strong precedent. - [Future COVID-19 booster shots will likely need fresh formulations as new coronavirus variants of concern continue to emerge]( David R. Martinez, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A new generation of vaccines and boosters against SARS-CoV-2 may take a page from the anti-influenza playbook, with shots periodically tailored to target the most commonly circulating virus strains. - [Change won’t appear overnight in many states if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade]( Katherine Drabiak, University of South Florida The Supreme Court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade this spring will be only the first part of a complicated legal saga that will play out at the state level. - [50 years of UN environmental diplomacy: What’s worked and the trends ahead]( Mihaela Papa, Tufts University The Stockholm Conference in June 1972 launched five decades of international negotiations on everything from biodiversity to climate change. Download the new e-book edition We are providing a magazine version of five stories in this newsletter to read on a tablet, e-reader or on paper. 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