How to make ancient farmers' climate solutions work today

+ here's where lightning strikes US Edition - Today's top story: What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change – and how political power influences success or failure [View in browser]( US Edition | 28 February 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( There’s something compelling about ancient wisdom and what civilization today can learn about sustainability from the successes − and failures − of people long ago. Chefs often celebrate ancient food-growing practices, such as Maya milpa for growing organic maize. Drought-troubled Spain has been excavating irrigation channels built by the Moors in medieval times. But for ancient farming techniques to work today, their promoters have to stop overlooking [one crucial influence]( that played a role in whether past agriculture thrived or crashed, writes University of South Carolina anthropologist Chelsea Fisher. Also in this week’s science news: - [Impact of low-quality research from early in the pandemic]( - [Eating healthy fats is connected to better lung function]( - [Meet Loopy, the ‘multicellular’ robot]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Stacy Morford Environment + Climate Editor A farmer paddles to his fields on an artificial island among canals, part of an ancient Aztec system known as chinampas, in 2021. AP Photo /Marco Ugarte [What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change – and how political power influences success or failure]( Chelsea Fisher, University of South Carolina Agricultural sustainability is as much about power and sovereignty as it is about soil, water and crops. Substance use during pregnancy can lead to a broad array of harmful effects. Liudmila Chernetska/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Hundreds of thousands of US infants every year pay the consequences of prenatal exposure to drugs, a growing crisis particularly in rural America]( Amna Umer, West Virginia University Many people wrongly assume that cannabis use during pregnancy is safe. Research is increasingly documenting a host of serious health harms from prenatal exposure to cannabis and other substances. Bacteria are evolutionarily primed to outpace drug developers. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health/Flickr [Bacteria can develop resistance to drugs they haven’t encountered before − scientists figured this out decades ago in a classic experiment]( Qi Zheng, Texas A&M University The Nobel Prize-winning Luria−Delbrück experiment showed that random mutations in bacteria can allow them to develop resistance by chance. [Where does lightning strike? New maps pinpoint 36.8 million yearly ground strike points in unprecedented detail]( Chris Vagasky, University of Wisconsin-Madison A new study shows how often lightning strikes and how it behaves, often hitting the ground with multiple strikes from the same flash. [Anyone can play Tetris, but architects, engineers and animators alike use the math concepts underlying the game]( Leah McCoy, Wake Forest University People young and old love the classic video game Tetris. A working knowledge of the spatial reasoning concepts underlying Tetris can set students up for success in mathematics. [War in Ukraine at 2 years: Destruction seen from space – via radar]( Sylvain Barbot, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Satellite photography of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut shows block after block of destroyed buildings. Satellite radar provides a different view – a systematic look at the destruction of the whole city. [Mental fatigue has psychological triggers − new research suggests challenging goals can head it off]( Matthew Robison, University of Texas at Arlington Setting specific, hard-to-reach goals seems to help people maintain motivation, while preventing them from feeling as drained by mental tasks. - [E-bike incentives are a costly way to cut carbon emissions, but they also promote health, equity and cleaner air]( Christopher R. Cherry, University of Tennessee; John MacArthur, Portland State University; Luke Jones, Valdosta State University Many incentive programs promote e-bike use, but they aren’t necessarily targeting the right people for the right reasons. - [How frontotemporal dementia, the syndrome affecting Wendy Williams, changes the brain – research is untangling its genetic causes]( Fen-Biao Gao, UMass Chan Medical School FTD leads to changes in personality and behavior. Understanding its genetic and molecular causes could lead to new ways to treat neurodegenerative diseases. - [How is snow made? An atmospheric scientist describes the journey of frozen ice crystals from clouds to the ground]( Alexandria Johnson, Purdue University There are an infinite number of paths an ice crystal can take before you touch it. - [Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to better lung health, particularly in patients with pulmonary fibrosis]( - [‘Swarm of one’ robot is a single machine made up of independent modules]( - [Early COVID-19 research is riddled with poor methods and low-quality results − a problem for science the pandemic worsened but didn’t create]( - [How governments handle data matters for inclusion]( - Like this newsletter? 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