Have you ever visited an American prison?

Edition: US - Today's top story: What's hidden behind the walls of America's prisons [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 5 June 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note Approximately 2.3 million people are locked away in American prisons, and yet few average citizens have ever stepped inside one. Prison officials routinely deny access to journalists and limit family members’ visitations. Far too often, this lack of oversight leads to abuse and even the death of prisoners. It can also make prisons dangerous workplaces for employees. The University of Michigan’s Heather Ann Thompson – who won a Pulitzer Prize this year for her history of the Attica Prison uprising – explains why [we should all demand more public access to prisons](. From our colleagues at The Conversation UK, we have [analysis and commentary about Saturday’s terrorist atrocity in London](. And medical anthropologist Chelsey Kivland, recently diagnosed with cancer, asks whether our developed world plays a role in the increasing incidence of the disease: [“The question should not be why did I get breast cancer, but why are we getting it.”]( Emily Costello Senior Editor, Politics + Society Top story Inmates at the California Institution for Men state prison in Chino, California in 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson [What's hidden behind the walls of America's prisons]( Heather Ann Thompson, University of Michigan The University of Michigan's Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Heather Ann Thompson explains why Americans must demand better access to the nation's prisons. Economy + Business - [Why Trump's withdrawal from Paris doesn't matter as much as you think]( Robert H. Scott III, Monmouth University Economic forces – alongside a moral imperative – are driving cities, states and companies to make changes to forestall climate change, regardless of the whims of the White House. - [Scandals at Uber and Fox show dangers of letting macho cultures run wild]( Bert Spector, Northeastern University Recent incidents reveal more than just men behaving badly. They show the consequences when corporate cultures are driven by hyper-masculine personalities at the top. Environment + Energy - [What if several of the world's biggest food crops failed at the same time?]( Anthony Janetos, Boston University Climate change, rising food demand and globalization are putting pressure on world food production. New research explores the risk of failures in several of the world's breadbasket regions at once. - [Trump's exit of Paris climate accord strengthens China and Europe]( Henrik Selin, Boston University Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement strains international relations further and strengthens the resolve of other countries to move forward on climate without the US. Politics + Society - [Trump to Europe: You're on your own]( James Goldgeier, American University School of International Service For more than seven decades, US presidents have encouraged peace in Europe. Trump seems eager to toss that legacy aside. Here's what is at stake. - [Does changing style of hair or dress help black people avoid stigma?]( David Crockett, University of South Carolina Research on how black people try to avoid racism in their daily lives shows that following white, mainstream standards can have mixed results. Health + Medicine - [Is the developed world we've created giving us cancer?]( Chelsey Kivland, Dartmouth College What causes cancer? A scary truth might be that we have created an environment for it. An anthropologist's search for answers to her own diagnosis raises questions for all of us. - [HIV/AIDS funding is an investment worth protecting]( Allison Webel, Case Western Reserve University New treatments and prevention programs have inhibited the spread of HIV/AIDS since June 5, 1981, when the CDC first reported what would become HIV. Here's why it's important not to cut funding now. - [“On June 5, it will be 36 years since HIV was first reported, and the return on investment in this epidemic has been high. HIV is now a chronic, rather than fatal, disease throughout the world. New infections are dropping, and we are closer than we have ever been to achieving our goal of the “end of AIDS.””]( Allison Webel Case Western Reserve University [Read more]( [Allison Webel] Ethics + Religion - [Why taking down Confederate memorials is only a first step]( Joshua F.J. Inwood, Pennsylvania State University; Derek H. Alderman, University of Tennessee Monuments to the Confederacy in New Orleans and many other cities are problematic. But a mere erasure will not address the issues around racism and racial inequality. Science + Technology - [Working memory: How you keep things 'in mind' over the short term]( Alex Burmester, New York University Both psychologists and neuroscientists are interested in how working memory holds on to items over brief intervals – and are investigating from different angles. - [Making flexible electronics with nanowire networks]( Peter Byrley, University of California, Riverside If we're ever to have flexible smartphones and mass-produced e-paper, we'll need to invent a new material – one that's flexible, durable, clear, electrically responsive and lightweight. London Bridge attack coverage from The Conversation UK - [London Bridge attack: why the terror threat level was downgraded]( - [Eight minutes on London Bridge: years of training led to lightning police response]( - [London Bridge attack: too right 'enough is enough' – but Britain must tackle uncomfortable questions]( [Donate and keep independent journalism alive]( [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. 625 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 USA