Hooking US households on natural gas

+ detox diets – what's the evidence? US Edition - Today's top story: Why gas stoves matter to the climate – and the gas industry: Keeping them means homes will use gas for heating too [View in browser]( US Edition | 18 January 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( I like my gas stove as much as the next home cook, but never thought of it as a symbol of freedom. That’s how conservatives framed a news report last week that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission planned to consider regulating gas stoves due to their health effects. As Rice University energy and climate scholar Daniel Cohan explains, energy producers have marketed natural gas as the cook’s fuel of choice for decades for a reason: [Gas stoves are “gateway appliances](” that ensure homes will also use gas for heating and hot water. That’s a problem because making serious headway against climate change will require a massive shift to electricity for many functions, including cooking. But there’s also good news: new [high-quality alternatives]( for feeding your family that don’t require cooking with gas. Also today: - [TikTok bans in schools are unsurprising]( - [Protecting the children of influencers]( - [Returning to pre-civil rights education for political points]( Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Energy Editor Industry wants to keep people cooking with gas. Jamie Grill, Tetra Images via Getty Images [Why gas stoves matter to the climate – and the gas industry: Keeping them means homes will use gas for heating too]( Daniel Cohan, Rice University Energy companies have marketed natural gas as cooks’ favorite for years because homes with gas hookups will also use it for space and water heating. Environment + Energy - [Flood forecasts in real-time with block-by-block data could save lives – a new machine learning method makes it possible]( Valeriy Ivanov, University of Michigan The majority of flood-related deaths involve vehicles in water. What if flood models could warn of the risks street by street using real-time storm forecasts? Education - [A librarian recommends 5 fun fiction books for kids and teens featuring disabled characters]( Rebecca Weber, Oklahoma State University Disability representation in books is an important part of diversity and inclusion. - [Dozens of US schools, universities move to ban TikTok]( Nir Kshetri, University of North Carolina – Greensboro School officials are becoming increasingly wary of TikTok amid concerns that the app poses a risk to student safety and privacy and makes the nation vulnerable to spies. Science + Technology - [Vaccination to prevent dementia? New research suggests one way viral infections can accelerate neurodegeneration]( Andrew Bubak, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Diego Restrepo, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Maria Nagel, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Inflammation and damage to the olfactory system from shingles, COVID-19 and herpes infections may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Health + Medicine - [Kicking off the new year by cleansing your body with a detox diet? A dietitian unpacks the science behind these fads]( Taylor Grasso, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Detox diets and cleanses supposedly clear the body of allegedly toxic substances. But the evidence suggests otherwise. Politics + Society - [Florida Gov. DeSantis leads the GOP’s national charge against public education that includes lessons on race and sexual orientation]( Jonathan Feingold, Boston University The GOP leadership renewed its pledge to resist public education that includes painful discussions on race and racism in America. - [Fictional newsman Ted Baxter was more invested in fame than in good journalism – but unlike today’s pundits, he didn’t corrupt the news]( Heather Hendershot, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Today’s anchors on politically slanted news programs feed anger and polarization with their wild claims. Their ancestor is a character from ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ – with one big difference. - [US military spending in Ukraine reached nearly $50 billion in 2022 – but no amount of money alone is enough to end the war]( Monica Duffy Toft, Tufts University The US is giving record-high amounts of money to Ukraine, signaling it is invested in this war for the long run – a political science scholar explains 3 important things to know. Arts + Culture - [Why aren’t there any legal protections for the children of influencers?]( Jessica Maddox, University of Alabama Some of the now-adult children of influencers are pushing back. Trending on site - [Sitting all day is terrible for your health – now, a new study finds a relatively easy way to counteract it]( - [US birth rates are at record lows – even though the number of kids most Americans say they want has held steady]( - [How the distortion of Martin Luther King Jr.‘s words enables more, not less, racial division within American society]( Today's graphic [A chart showing the total fertility rate in the United States from 1970 to 2021.]( From the story, [US birth rates are at record lows – even though the number of kids most Americans say they want has held steady]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? 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