Older adults are struggling in the 100+ heat

+ UPS and teamsters make a deal US Edition - Today's top story: Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults, and an aging population and climate change are putting ever more people at risk [View in browser]( US Edition | 26 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [The commercialization of witchcraft has upended an ancient tradition]( - [Chief Justice John Roberts’ perplexing views on race]( - [Countries that ban smartphones in classrooms see a boost in academic performance]( Lead story The U.S. weather map is starting to look like one giant heat alert: A bright red stripe of temperatures in the 100s covers most of the Great Plains. Humid heat is headed for the Mississippi Valley and the Northeast. The Southwest is still sizzling. Top that off with wildfire smoke, and it’s going to be one rough week for anyone with health problems. When the air gets this hot, older adults, in particular, struggle. Boston University Professors Deborah Carr and Ian Sue Wing, along with researcher Giacomo Falchetta, [explain the risks to watch for – from medications that can make people more sensitive to heat to worsened cognition in people with dementia](. [ [Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up for our weekly science email newsletter.]( ] Stacy Morford Environment + Climate Editor Without home cooling, Phoenix’s weeks with temperatures over 110 F in July 2023 became dangerous. Brandon Bell/Getty Images [Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults, and an aging population and climate change are putting ever more people at risk]( Deborah Carr, Boston University; Giacomo Falchetta, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); Ian Sue Wing, Boston University Health and climate change researchers explain the risks and why older adults, even those in northern states, need to pay attention. Economy + Business - [UPS and Teamsters agree on new contract, averting costly strike that could have delayed deliveries for consumers and retailers]( Jason Miller, Michigan State University The strike would have been the first for the parcel delivery giant since 1997. Ethics + Religion - [As witchcraft becomes a multibillion-dollar business, practitioners’ connection to the natural world is changing]( Helen A. Berger, Brandeis University Practitioners of Pagan religions no longer need to go into a forest to find an object for their altars. Commercialization has meant that sacred objects are available online. Politics + Society - [Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts uses conflicting views of race to resolve America’s history of racial discrimination]( Henry L. Chambers Jr., University of Richmond Two Supreme Court rulings on the use of race appear at odds with each other. Blame Chief Justice Roberts’s ambivalence on race, a constitutional law scholar writes. - [Sen. Tuberville’s blockade of US military promotions takes a historic tradition to a radical new level – and could go beyond Congress’ August break]( Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State University Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is using a long-standing Senate practice to block military promotions. Education - [Do smartphones belong in classrooms? Four scholars weigh in]( Louis-Philippe Beland, Carleton University; Arnold Lewis Glass, Rutgers University; Daniel G. Krutka, University of North Texas; Sarah Rose, Staffordshire University The 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report proposed restrictions on the use of technology in the classroom. Health + Medicine - [Where the government draws the line for Medicaid coverage leaves out many older Americans who may need help paying for medical and long-term care bills – new research]( Marc Cohen, UMass Boston; Jane Tavares, UMass Boston Increasing the number of older people with both Medicaid and Medicare would mean fewer of them would be forced to skimp on the care and treatment they need. Environment + Energy - [To reclaim downtowns from traffic, require developers to offer strategies for cutting car use]( Chris McCahill, University of Wisconsin-Madison US cities are starting to reform laws that required developers to provide minimum amounts of parking. But there’s more they can do to loosen the auto’s grip on downtowns. - [Persuading businesses and people to reduce climate emissions is key to slowing climate change – research-based techniques and new approaches from the behavioral sciences can show how to do it]( Kira Barrett, The Conversation How much does human behavior influence climate change? Can it be changed, and how? In June, climate change experts and behavioral scientists came together to answer these important questions. Science + Technology - [Fragile X syndrome often results from improperly processed genetic material – correctly cutting RNA offers a potential treatment]( Joel Richter, UMass Chan Medical School; Sneha Shah, UMass Chan Medical School Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability. Using short bits of DNA to fix improperly transcribed genes may one day be a potential treatment option. - [Measuring helium in distant galaxies may give physicists insight into why the universe exists]( Anne-Katherine Burns, University of California, Irvine The way particles interacted while the universe was forming seconds after the Big Bang could explain why the universe exists the way it does – a physicist explains matter-antimatter asymmetry. Trending on site - [DeSantis’ ‘war on woke’ looks a lot like attempts by other countries to deny and rewrite history]( - [Decades of public messages about recycling in the US have crowded out more sustainable ways to manage waste]( - [Despite calls for her to recuse herself from Trump’s criminal case, Judge Aileen Cannon’s situation doesn’t meet the standard for when a judge should step away]( Today's graphic 📈 [A chart comparing India's and China's populations from 1800 to 2021, including projections for the future. It is projected that India will overtake China in 2023 as the world's most populous nation.]( From the story, [China needs immigrants]( - - 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? Follow us: • [Threads]( • [Bluesky]( • [Spoutible]( • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [LinkedIn]( - - 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](