What’s driving bank crisis | Top 10

+ the Hollywood writers’ strike US Edition - Today's top story: Cannabis-derived products like delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC have flooded the US market – two immunologists explain the medicinal benefits and potential risks [View in browser]( US Edition | 7 May 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday. Welcome to the best of The Conversation. First, here are some of our just-published stories: - [White Lotus Day celebrates the ‘founding mother of occult in America,’ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]( - [Obesity in children is rising dramatically, and it comes with major – and sometimes lifelong – health consequences]( Banks failing. Interest rates rising. Investors scrambling as the U.S. nears a potential default. Finance news, one of my beats, has been dominating the headlines lately, with big stakes for not just the U.S. economy but the rest of the world too. Why does the U.S. regularly encounter banking turmoil as it saw with the sale of troubled First Republic Bank? As economists Alexandra Digby, Robson Hiroshi Hatsukami Morgan and Dollie Davis write, the [bank crisis is a story of risk]( – or more specifically incentives in the financial system that reward excessive risk-taking. Meanwhile, the Fed raised interest rates again last week, which continues to send ripples throughout the economy and even [sustainability-focused investing](. Later this week, we’ll bring you stories about the debt ceiling, clothes moths and the voice inside your head when you’re reading. Bryan Keogh Deputy Managing Editor and Senior Editor of Economy and Business Thousands of cannabis-derived products are now on the market. skodonnell/E+ via Getty Images [Cannabis-derived products like delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC have flooded the US market – two immunologists explain the medicinal benefits and potential risks]( Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina; Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina Researchers are working to determine how and which cannabis products can help those suffering from chronic pain or serious illness. But science is having a hard time keeping up with the booming market. - [SNAP work requirements don’t actually get more people working – but they do drastically limit the availability of food aid]( Kelsey Pukelis, Harvard Kennedy School A team of economists looked at what happened after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program work requirements were reinstated in Virginia in 2013. - [May 5, 2023, lunar eclipse will be a subtle show of astronomical wonder]( Shannon Schmoll, Michigan State University Not all lunar eclipses are alike. An astronomer explains the science behind the slight dimming of the Moon on May 5, 2023. - [Enigmatic human fossil jawbone may be evidence of an early Homo sapiens presence in Europe – and adds mystery about who those humans were]( Brian Anthony Keeling, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Rolf Quam, Binghamton University, State University of New York Scientists had figured a fossil found in Spain more than a century ago was from a Neandertal. But a new analysis suggests it could be from a lost lineage of our species, Homo sapiens. - [The thinking error that makes people susceptible to climate change denial]( Jeremy P. Shapiro, Case Western Reserve University A psychologist explains how opponents of climate policies use a common thinking error to manipulate the public – and why people are so susceptible. Editors' picks Another U.S. bank bit the dust. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images [Recent banking crises are rooted in a system that rewards excessive risk-taking – as First Republic’s failure shows]( Alexandra Digby, University of Rochester; Dollie Davis, Minerva University; Robson Hiroshi Hatsukami Morgan, Minerva University The cause of banking crises since the debacle in the 1980s remains unchanged. Incentives encourage executives to take excessive risks, with few consequences if bets turn bad. It’s happening again. - [Black mothers trapped in unsafe neighborhoods signal the stressful health toll of gun violence in the U.S.]( Loren Henderson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Ruby Mendenhall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chronic stress from living with systemic racism and gun violence can lead to increased symptoms of PTSD and depression as well as elevated cortisol levels. - [Fed rate hikes, recession fears and political backlash leave ESG investors at a crossroads]( Sehoon Kim, University of Florida Three forces are pulling down ESG’s once-rapid rise in the investment world. - [The exploitation of Hollywood’s writers is just another symptom of digital feudalism]( David Arditi, University of Texas Arlington The writers strike lays bare all the ills of working on one of the lowest rungs of the entertainment industry. - [Respectful persuasion is a relay race, not a solo sprint – 3 keys to putting it in practice]( Colin Marshall, University of Washington Immanuel Kant’s ideas about respect are still important today, in a world where social media and echo chambers make manipulation easy. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Questions this week about Russell Crowe, Charles III, Janet Yellen, Karl Lagerfeld and more. 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](