Tracking giraffes across their wide ranges | Top 10

+ 50-year-old mine fire's toxic legacy; Jewish resistance in Nazi Germany US Edition - Today's top story: Giraffes range across diverse African habitats − we’re using GPS, satellites and statistics to track and protect them [View in browser]( US Edition | 3 September 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation. First, here are a couple of our recently published stories: - [Jobs are up, wages less so – and lower purchasing power could still lead the US into a recession]( - [As concern about Mitch McConnell’s health grows, his legacy remains strong]( One of the pleasures of reading The Conversation is learning something new and often surprising. For example, while I was always impressed by the graceful and noble giraffe, I didn’t know the average one roamed over 140 square miles – nearly the size of Philadelphia. Some range as widely as 1,500 square miles. Those are two of the facts I learned while reading [Michael Brown’s recent piece](, which was edited by senior environment and cities editor Jennifer Weeks. Brown, a conservation ecologist, and his team tracked 148 giraffes from all four species to better understand how they can coexist with humans. Another thing I wasn’t previously aware of came from Middlebury College American studies professor William Nash. His article on country music, edited by technology editor and musician Eric Smalley, [explores songs about reproductive rights]( and how the genre has a surprisingly liberal lineage despite stereotypes of it being inherently conservative. Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks An average giraffe has a home range almost as large as Philadelphia. Michael Brown [Giraffes range across diverse African habitats − we’re using GPS, satellites and statistics to track and protect them]( Michael Brown, Smithsonian Institution The largest ever giraffe tracking study shows how these massive animals are responding to human pressures across many different habitats throughout Africa. - [Governors may make good presidents − unless they become ‘imperial governors’ like DeSantis]( Raymond Scheppach, University of Virginia A former executive director of the National Governors Association explains what it is about certain governors that makes them less suited for the presidency. - [How individual, ordinary Jews fought Nazi persecution − a new view of history]( Wolf Gruner, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Finding the stories of individual Jews who fought the Nazis publicly and at great peril helped a scholar see history differently: that Jews were not passive. Instead, they actively fought the Nazis. - [Quran burning in Sweden prompts debate on the fine line between freedom of expression and incitement of hatred]( Armin Langer, University of Florida Several countries across Europe are introducing new legislation to curb hate speech against religions, even as they get rid of older blasphemy laws. - [50 years after the Bunker Hill mine fire caused one of the largest lead-poisoning cases in US history, Idaho’s Silver Valley is still at risk]( Martin Schiavenato, Gonzaga University A fire and decades of silver and lead mining created the largest contiguous Superfund site in the nation in what today is one of the fastest-growing states. It includes popular Lake Coeur d’Alene. Editors' picks Molly Tuttle is a rising star in American roots music. Amy Harris/Invision/AP [With ‘Goodbye Mary,’ Molly Tuttle extends country music’s lineage of reproductive rights songs to the post-Roe era]( William Nash, Middlebury From the pre-Roe years to today, country musicians have written about the realities of life with restrictions on reproductive rights. - [The US and China may be ending an agreement on science and technology cooperation − a policy expert explains what this means for research]( Caroline Wagner, The Ohio State University China’s success in science and technology propelled it to the forefront of many fields. Now, the US wants to pull back from years of intense cooperation. - [Medicare starts a long road to cutting prices for drugs, starting with 10 costing it $50.5 billion annually – a health policy analyst explains why negotiations are promising but will take years]( Simon F. Haeder, Texas A&M University The drug pricing reform may drastically lower prices for some of the most critical life-saving drugs in the long run. But numerous obstacles stand in the way. - [Many people think cannabis smoke is harmless − a physician explains how that belief can put people at risk]( Beth Cohen, University of California, San Francisco Clinical trials have demonstrated the health benefits of cannabis for certain conditions, but many aren’t testing smoked or vaped forms. Research on cannabis smoke is raising concerns. - [Trump’s mug shot is now a means of entertainment and fundraising − but it will go down in history as an important cultural artifact]( Jonathan Finn, Wilfrid Laurier University Former President Donald Trump’s mug shot is in line with the traditional mug shots that arrested people first took in the mid-1800s and early 1900s, a police photography expert explains. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( A special edition to celebrate Labor Day in the United States. Like this newsletter? 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