Monkeypox vaccines + hate speech in the military | Top 10

+ Mar-a-Lago search, explained; climate bill passes US Edition - Today's top story: How does monkeypox spread? An epidemiologist explains why it isn't an STI and what counts as close contact [View in browser]( US Edition | 14 August 2022 [The Conversation]( Welcome to Sunday. The top 5 most-read stories of the week are displayed below. Below that are five editors’ selections that we want to make sure you don’t miss. This week our readers were curious about monkeypox, with two stories about the viral infection among the week’s most read. Maureen Ferran, a virologist at the Rochester Institute of Technology, answered our questions about [the monkeypox vaccines approved for use in the U.S.]( Rebecca Fischer, an epidemiologist at Texas A&M, explained how monkeypox is transmitted and why it is [not considered a sexually transmitted disease](. The Inflation Reduction Act got final approval in Congress Friday, initiating major changes to the nation's health care policies and boosting federal investments to slow climate change. In another of this week’s readers’ picks, James Morton Turner, a professor of environment studies at Wellesley College, explains how one provision in the new legislation may have [unintended consequences on EV tax credits.]( In editors’ picks, Georgia State’s Law & Ethics professor Clark Cunningham explains what we learned Friday when [the warrant to search former President Donald Trump’s Florida home was unsealed](. I also hope you’ll check out scholars’ recommendations of the best novels, films and music to help you understand the [painful births of the nations of India and Pakistan 75 years ago](. If you enjoy this piece, please check out a [special e-book we’ve created with articles exploring the theme of Partition.]( And I’ve slipped in an excellent archival story about "The Satanic Verses" that’s trending on our site after [the stabbing of author Salman Rushdie in New York State Friday.]( Emily Costello Managing Editor Readers' picks Vaccination can help reduce the risk of monkeypox infection. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images [How does monkeypox spread? An epidemiologist explains why it isn’t an STI and what counts as close contact]( Rebecca S.B. Fischer, Texas A&M University While the majority of monkeypox cases thus far have been recorded among men who have sex with men, everyone is still at risk of contracting the disease. - [Monkeypox vaccines: A virologist answers 6 questions about how they work, who can get them and how well they prevent infection]( Maureen Ferran, Rochester Institute of Technology There are two approved monkeypox vaccines in the US. Both use a related poxvirus called vaccinia to produce an immune response that protects against smallpox and monkeypox. - [Faced with a rise of extremism within its ranks, the US military has clamped down on racist speech, including retweets and likes]( Dwight Stirling, University of Southern California For civilians, free speech is protected by the First Amendment. Not so in the US military, where the rise of political extremism has become a problem. - [Climate and health care bill passes: It could short-circuit EV tax credits, making qualifying for them nearly impossible]( James Morton Turner, Wellesley College No electric vehicle maker currently meets all the bill’s supply chain requirements, not even Tesla. One big reason: China. - [To break unhealthy habits, stop obsessing over willpower – two behavioral scientists explain why routines matter more than conscious choices]( Asaf Mazar, University of Pennsylvania; Wendy Wood, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Understanding and changing the environment in which habits form is a critical step when it comes to breaking unwanted behaviors and forming healthy ones. Editors' picks A police officer drives by Mar-a-Lago on August 9, 2022. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images [Unsealed court documents show the FBI was looking for evidence Trump violated the Espionage Act and other laws – here’s how the documents seized show possible wrongdoing]( Clark D. Cunningham, Georgia State University A legal scholar analyzes the unsealed warrant for the FBI’s recent search of Donald Trump’s home and the list of materials seized there. The implications for Trump are potentially grave. - [The most recent efforts to combat teacher shortages don’t address the real problems]( Henry Tran, University of South Carolina; Douglas A. Smith, Iowa State University Looser requirements for teacher certification don’t fix teachers’ problems, which are low pay, high workload and lack of respect. - [Worried about back-to-school inflation? Latest price data on backpacks, laptops and kids’ clothes offers some relief for parents]( Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University Inflation is soaring, but prices for typical back-to-school gear like backpacks, computers and new clothes are rising less than average – or even falling. - [5 books and films that tell the story of the trauma of the Partition of India and its aftermath]( Madhur Anand, University of Guelph; Ajay Verghese, Middlebury; Amitabh Mattoo, The University of Melbourne; Geetha Ganapathy-Doré, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord; Uditi Sen, University of Nottingham On the 75th anniversary of India’s partition, scholars from the US, Canada, France, UK and Australia write about their favorite book or film that best explains the trauma of a violent division. - [Why Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Satanic Verses’ remains so controversial decades after its publication]( Myriam Renaud, Union Institute & University The novel goes to the heart of Muslim religious beliefs and challenges some of the most sensitive tenets. Download the new e-book edition We are providing a magazine version of a collection of articles to mark the 75th anniversary of the Partition of India to read on a tablet, e-reader or on paper. [Try it out]( and reply to this email to tell us what you think. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](