Biden’s plan to end COVID-19 public health emergency looms large

+ how birds escaped the dinosaur extinction US Edition - Today's top story: Biden's plan for ending the emergency declaration for COVID-19 signals a pivotal point in the pandemic – 4 questions answered [View in browser]( US Edition | 6 February 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( “When will this be over?” is the million-dollar question nearly everyone has been asking since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic in March 2020. With an average of 500 people in the U.S. dying every day and the ongoing specter of unpredictable viral variants, it’s clear it isn’t over yet. But President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that he will end the public health emergency status related to COVID-19 on May 11 clearly signaled an inflection point in the pandemic. The emergency measures have enabled the mobilization of critically important resources for the last three years, including health care coverage that millions have relied upon. Public health experts Amy Lauren Fairchild and Marian Moser Jones, from The Ohio State University, explain the [policy changes that will occur]( when the federal emergency status ends and how they will affect everyday people. But many people, they write, “may be unaware of these changes until they actually lose their benefits.” Also today: - [Why Democrats are shaking up the primaries]( - [The use of blasphemy laws to silence dissent]( - [The importance of cataloging space junk]( Amanda Mascarelli Senior Health and Medicine Editor COVID-19 emergency status prompted coordinated vaccination efforts by health care providers, paramedics, volunteers and others. Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images [Biden’s plan for ending the emergency declaration for COVID-19 signals a pivotal point in the pandemic – 4 questions answered]( Amy Lauren Fairchild, The Ohio State University; Marian Moser Jones, The Ohio State University President Joe Biden’s intention to end the national COVID-19 emergency will have long-lasting ripple effects on federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Politics + Society - [Diversity and moderation over tradition – why Democrats moved South Carolina to the start of the 2024 presidential campaign]( Gibbs Knotts, College of Charleston; Jordan Ragusa, College of Charleston The Democratic National Committee is shaking up its presidential nominating calendar to give people of color an earlier vote in the process. - [The US and the Philippines’ military agreement sends a warning to China – 5 key things to know]( Michael A. Allen, Boise State University; Carla Martinez Machain, University at Buffalo; Michael E. Flynn, Kansas State University The agreement lets the US expand its access across military bases in the Philippines, unfolding a new chapter in the countries’ long military history. Environment + Energy - [As climate change and overuse shrink Lake Powell, the emergent landscape is coming back to life – and posing new challenges]( Daniel Craig McCool, University of Utah Lake Powell’s existential crisis is a unique opportunity to save a treasured landscape. Economy + Business - [The future of flight in a net-zero-carbon world: 9 scenarios, lots of sustainable biofuel]( Candelaria Bergero, University of California, Irvine; Steve Davis, University of California, Irvine Airlines are promising net-zero emissions by 2050. To get there, they’re experimenting with used cooking oil, ag waste and corn ethanol in their fuel tanks. But that alone won’t be enough. Science + Technology - [Chinese spy balloon over the US: An aerospace expert explains how the balloons work and what they can see]( Iain Boyd, University of Colorado Boulder A Chinese high-altitude balloon violated US airspace, a serious enough breach to nix a high-level diplomatic meeting in Beijing. The balloon itself, however, was not much of a threat. - [Sports betting apps’ notifications and leaderboards encourage more and more wagers – a psychologist who treats gambling addictions explains why some people get hooked]( Meredith K. Ginley, East Tennessee State University Sports wagering apps bring in-play betting right to the palm of your hand. Easy, ever-present access can lead to excitement and fun – or problem gambling. - [More lunar missions means more space junk around the Moon – two astronomers are building a catalog to track the trash]( Vishnu Reddy, University of Arizona With more than 100 lunar missions planned in coming years, space junk near the Moon could become an issue for humanity. No agency tracks lunar space junk, so two astronomers decided to do it themselves. - [Is the gruesome fun in Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ realistic? What science says about getting eaten by piranhas and poisoned by nightshade]( Bill Sullivan, Indiana University From eating potpourri to blast fishing, Wednesday Addams and her friends and family get involved in a number of grisly hijinks. But could they happen in real life? - [How did birds survive while dinosaurs went extinct?]( Chris Lituma, West Virginia University Birds and dinosaurs lived together for millions of years, but only toothless birds survived the asteroid impact that upended life on Earth. Education - [Rights of transgender students and their parents are a challenge for schools, courts]( Charles J. Russo, University of Dayton; Maggie Paino, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Suzanne Eckes, University of Wisconsin-Madison Parents have a general right to know about their children’s activities in school, but that can be limited by students’ rights to privacy and personal safety. Ethics + Religion - [The politics of blasphemy: Why Pakistan and some other Muslim countries are passing new blasphemy laws]( Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University A political scientist explains the history of blasphemy laws in Muslim-majority nations and how they play a role in silencing dissent. Trending on site - [How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts — instead of watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific]( - [A journey from work to home is about more than just getting there – the psychological benefits of commuting that remote work doesn’t provide]( - [ChatGPT is great – you’re just using it wrong]( Today's graphic [A chart showing how much carbon is held by different sources such at the atmosphere, plants and soil, fossil fuels, ocean surface and deep ocean. The majority of carbon is held in the deep ocean.]( From the story, [The ocean twilight zone could store vast amounts of carbon captured from the atmosphere – but first we need an internet of deep ocean sensors to track the effects]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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