It’s not just climate change driving summer of extremes

+ legacy of nuclear waste from atomic bomb race US Edition - Today's top story: 4 factors driving 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters [View in browser]( US Edition | 2 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( It’s not news to readers of this newsletter that climate change raises the chances of extreme weather events. But Michael Wysession, professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, writes there are [additional factors driving this year’s record-breaking heat and downpours](, including an expected El Niño this year, solar fluctuations and even a massive underwater volcanic eruption last year. The combination of factors means the next couple of years could be “very rough,” Wysession warns. One aspect of the race to build the atomic bomb that hasn’t gotten a lot of media attention in the wake of the “Oppenheimer” film is the legacy of nuclear waste. Researcher William J. Kinsella examines the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state and the [troubling public health and environmental harms]( from its involvement in the development of plutonium fuel used in the bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. In addition to polluting communities and ecosystems, activities at the site fostered a culture of secrecy that has hampered efforts to address the problems there, he writes. Back on the theme of heat, University of Arizona professor of architecture and building science Jonathan Bean explains [why older homes can be harder to cool]( and why air temperature is an imperfect way of measuring comfort for people inside buildings. He explains not only the science but practical steps people can take to make homes cooler. Also in this week’s science news: - [Morbid scenarios: dealing with death of people in space]( - [How to loosen the grip parking spaces have on downtowns]( - [The science Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells enabled]( 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 2023’s weather has been extreme in many ways. AP Photo/Michael Probst [4 factors driving 2023’s extreme heat and climate disasters]( Michael Wysession, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis The bad news: This extreme heat is probably going to stick around for a couple more years. Packaging excavated radioactive materials at the Hanford site in Washington state. USDOE [The nuclear arms race’s legacy at home: Toxic contamination, staggering cleanup costs and a culture of government secrecy]( William J. Kinsella, North Carolina State University Nuclear weapons production and testing contaminated many sites across the US and exposed people unknowingly to radiation and toxic materials. Some have gone uncompensated for decades. The temperature you feel on a hot, sunny day doesn’t always match the thermostat. Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images [Why homes often feel warmer than the thermostat suggests – and what to do about it]( Jonathan Bean, University of Arizona Thermostats don’t tell the whole truth about heat, particularly in older homes. [To get rid of hazing, clarify what people really think is acceptable behavior and redefine what it means to be loyal]( Catherine A. Sanderson, Amherst College People often privately feel uncomfortable about bad behavior they see around them but mistakenly believe their peers don’t share their concerns. [Your genetic code has lots of ‘words’ for the same thing – information theory may help explain the redundancies]( Subhash Kak, Oklahoma State University Many of the amino acids that make up proteins are encoded by genetic material in more than one way. An information theorist explains how principles of nature may account for this variance. [Trans youth are significantly more likely to attempt suicide when gender dysphoria is met with conversion therapy than with hormone treatment]( Travis Campbell, Southern Oregon University; Nathaniel Tran, Vanderbilt University; Samuel Mann, Vanderbilt University Because of ethical considerations, there are no clinical trials comparing the effects of hormone therapy to conversion therapy on trans youths. But a set of recent studies tease out cause and effect. [As suicides rise in the US, the 988 hotline offers hope – but most Americans aren’t aware of it]( Emmy Betz, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, substance abuse issues or mental health problems. - [X marks the unknown in algebra – but X’s origins are a math mystery]( Peter Schumer, Middlebury How did the letter x get its enduring role as a symbol of the unknown? A mathematician explains why it’s hard to say for sure. - [Ever-larger cars and trucks are causing a safety crisis on US streets – here’s how communities can fight back]( Kevin J. Krizek, University of Colorado Boulder Cars are getting bigger on US roads, and that’s increasing pedestrian and cyclist deaths. A transport scholar identifies community-level strategies for making streets safer. - [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. - [What are HeLa cells? A cancer biologist explains]( Ivan Martinez, West Virginia University The immortal cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks revolutionized the fields of science, medicine and bioethics. And they still survive today, more than 70 years after her death. - [What happens if someone dies in space?]( Emmanuel Urquieta, Baylor College of Medicine If an astronaut were to die on Mars, neither cremation nor burial would be good options. - Like this newsletter? 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