Yellow lawn? No problem – just paint it green

+ AI in the classroom US Edition - Today's top story: Why more and more Americans are painting their lawns [View in browser]( US Edition | 11 April 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Antibiotic tolerance is emerging as threat alongside antibiotic resistance]( - [Why we get motion sickness]( - [U.S.-Israel relations were even more fraught in the 1950s]( Lead story April showers usually bring May flowers – and lawns that sport a nice green sheen. Not so anymore in some parts of America, where a combination of drought and icier than normal winters has left lawns pocked with stale hues of brown and yellow. It has forced some homeowners to resort to a relatively inexpensive way to keep up appearances: green paint. But where did this impulse to have the perfect green lawn come from? Historian Ted Steinberg tells the story of [this distinctly American phenomenon](, one that emerged in the decades after World War II. Soon thereafter, an entire industry devoted to selling concoctions of grass-growing chemicals sprouted up. Yet nowadays, he writes, “The ideal of a resource-intensive perfect lawn is an ecological conceit that the country may no longer be able to afford.” Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Americans – especially those living in areas affected by drought – are turning to paint to give their grass that perfect green sheen. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images [Why more and more Americans are painting their lawns]( Ted Steinberg, Case Western Reserve University The ideal of perfect turf – a weed-free, supergreen monoculture – is a relatively recent phenomenon. Education - [4 ways that AI can help students]( W. Ian O'Byrne, College of Charleston A scholar explains how artificial intelligence systems can revolutionize the way students learn. Politics + Society - [Israel’s judicial reform efforts could complicate its relationship with US – but the countries have faced other bumps along the road]( Boaz Dvir, Penn State President Joe Biden recently spoke out in support of the ongoing protests in Israel, raising some observers’ eyebrows about the ties between Israel and the US. - [Anyone can claim to be a journalist or a news organization, and publish lies with almost total impunity]( John C. Watson, American University A news organization doesn’t have to publish or broadcast the facts or the truth. And there are no standardized requirements to be a journalist. Health + Medicine - [What causes motion sickness? Here’s how to reconcile the mismatch in what your senses are telling your brain]( James Phillips, University of Washington Motion sickness results when your senses report conflicting information to your brain that it can’t reconcile based on its expectations about how the world works. Science + Technology - [Looming behind antibiotic resistance is another bacterial threat – antibiotic tolerance]( Megan Keller, Cornell University Antibiotic resistance has contributed to millions of deaths worldwide. Research suggests that any bacteria can develop antibiotic tolerance, and possibly resistance, when pushed to their limits. Ethics + Religion - [Defying the Holocaust didn’t just mean uprising and revolt: Remembering Jews’ everyday resistance]( Chad Gibbs, College of Charleston Yom HaShoah, which falls on April 17-18, 2023, pointedly commemorates Jewish resistance to the Nazis. - [Each generation in Northern Ireland has reflected on the ‘troubles’ in its own way – right up to ‘Derry Girls’]( Joseph Patrick Kelly, College of Charleston Twenty-five years after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, Northern Ireland is still resisting the culture of violence. From our international editions - [A mammoth meatball hints at a future of exotic lab-grown meats, but the reality will be far more boring, and rife with problems]( - [Torrents of Antarctic meltwater are slowing the currents that drive our vital ocean ‘overturning’ – and threaten its collapse]( - [Sweet little lies: Maple syrup fraud undermines the authenticity of Canada’s ‘liquid gold’]( Today's graphic [A map of the United States with states color-coded depending on if they have adapted California's low-emissions vehicle standard.]( From the story, [Which state you live in matters for how well environmental laws protect your health]( - - 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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