Climate change hits home – around the world

+ exercise and weight loss; coping with water challenges US Edition - Today's top story: As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body? [View in browser]( US Edition | 19 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( There’s been a notable change in the tenor of conversations I’ve had with acquaintances when talking about the weather this summer. With a season marked by punishing heat and damaging floods in the U.S. and in other countries, the phrase “climate change” seems to be coming to people’s lips far quicker than it did in years past. It’s a reflection, I think, of people’s realization that global warming isn’t about the future but increasingly about our present. Our environment and climate team has delivered a number of stories that provide you with not only the latest science but also the societal dimensions of extreme weather. - [As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?]( - [Climate change is increasing stress on thousands of aging dams across the US]( - [Corals are starting to bleach as global ocean temperatures hit record highs]( A perennial question for anybody intent on losing weight is how much to emphasize diet versus exercise. UCLA biobehavioral scientist Donald M. Lamkin digs into a number of rigorous studies that have examined the complex interplay between the two. In the end, he concludes that exercise has several health benefits but that [people shouldn’t count on “outrunning a bad diet.”]( “There is a diminishing marginal return to exercise – you eventually take less weight off for the additional exercise you put in,” he writes. The latest advances in biotechnology raise a number of challenging questions, and ground zero for those debates is often in assisted reproductive technologies. This article combines the views of Michigan State University developmental biologist Keith Latham and University of Virginia bioethicist Mary Faith Marshall to provide a tour of some of the [issues these emerging procedures are raising]( and ways that society can begin to deal with them. Also in this week’s science news: - [Diabetes cases poised to soar globally]( - [How the OTC pregnancy pill Opill works]( - [Underground ‘Zombie fires’ adding to Canadian wildfires]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin LaMonica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Outdoor workers face higher risks on hot, humid days. AP Photo/Swoan Parker [As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?]( W. Larry Kenney, Penn State; Daniel Vecellio, Penn State; Rachel Cottle, Penn State; S. Tony Wolf, Penn State The biggest risks aren’t always the biggest numbers on the thermometer – humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize. There isn’t a debate, however, on the health benefits of regular exercise. Maryna Terletska/Moment via Getty Images [Exercise may or may not help you lose weight and keep it off – here’s the evidence for both sides of the debate]( Donald M. Lamkin, University of California, Los Angeles Some researchers assert that the body responds to exercise by burning fewer calories when you’re not working out. Regardless of its effects on weight loss, exercise provides many health benefits. A few days after successful fertilization, an embryo becomes a rapidly dividing ball of cells called a blastocyst. Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images [Promising assisted reproductive technologies come with ethical, legal and social challenges – a developmental biologist and a bioethicist discuss IVF, abortion and the mice with two dads]( Keith Latham, Michigan State University; Mary Faith Marshall, University of Virginia Scientists can create viable eggs from two male mice. In the wake of CRISPR controversies and restrictive abortion laws, two experts start a dialogue on ethical research in reproductive biology. [Female physicists aren’t represented in the media – and this lack of representation hurts the physics field]( Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh; Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh The trailer for ‘Oppenheimer’ fails to include female physicists, which is indicative of a broader media trend that, if reversed, could lead to greater gender diversity in science. [Putting a price on exoskeleton assistance puts users in the driver’s seat of honing the tech]( Elliott Rouse, University of Michigan Asking users the dollar value of the costs and benefits of walking in exoskeletons is a better way of finding out how users feel about them than measuring calories saved. [Myths about will power and moral weakness keep people with opioid use disorder from receiving effective medications like methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone]( Melissa S. Fry, Indiana University; Melissa Cyders, Indiana University Prescription medications can help people with opioid use disorder avoid the risks of relapse and overdose. But stigma based on misperceptions about addiction limits their use. [Living near the fire – 500 million people worldwide have active volcanoes as neighbors]( David Kitchen, University of Richmond For some people, it’s a choice based on cultural beliefs or economic opportunities provided by the volcano. Other times it’s less a choice than the only option. - [Solving water challenges is complex – learn how law, health, climate and Indigenous rights all intersect in developing solutions]( Andrea K. Gerlak, University of Arizona; Burke Griggs, Washburn University; Gabriel Filippelli, Indiana University; Rosalyn R. LaPier, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A webinar hosted by The Conversation brings together experts in law, health, policy and Indigenous affairs to explain some of the most pressing problems related to water in the US. - [Eliminating bias in AI may be impossible – a computer scientist explains how to tame it instead]( Emilio Ferrara, University of Southern California Creating bias-free AI systems is easier said than done. A computer scientist explains how controlling bias could lead to fairer AI. - [What do astronomers say about Moon landing deniers? Batting down the conspiracy theory with an assist from the 1969 Miracle Mets]( Michael Richmond, Rochester Institute of Technology Some people incorrectly say the Moon landings didn’t happen. But the evidence – and logic – isn’t on their side. - [Just in time for back-to-school shopping: How retailers can alter customer behavior to encourage more sustainable returns]( Christopher Faires, Iowa State University; Robert Overstreet, Iowa State University Returns cost companies billions of dollars in lost sales. They also generate emissions and packaging waste. Two logistics experts offer some tips from psychology for more sustainable returns. - [Global diabetes cases on pace to soar to 1.3 billion people in the next 3 decades, new study finds]( Lauryn Stafford, University of Washington; Liane Ong, University of Washington Diabetes rates across the world have been rising steadily since the early 1990s, when this data was first estimated. That trend is only going up. - [Events that never happened could influence the 2024 presidential election – a cybersecurity researcher explains situation deepfakes]( Christopher Schwartz, Rochester Institute of Technology AI can manipulate a real event or invent one from thin air to create a ‘situation deepfake.’ These deepfakes threaten to influence upcoming elections, but you can still protect your vote. - [A 1-minute gun safety video helped preteen children be more careful around real guns – new research]( - [‘Zombie fires’ in the Arctic: Canada’s extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future]( - [How does the new over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill, work to prevent pregnancy? 5 questions answered]( - [The 21st Century Cures Act requires that patients receive medical results immediately – and new research shows patients prefer it that way]( - [FTC probe of OpenAI: Consumer protection is the opening salvo of US AI regulation]( - Like this newsletter? 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