RIP Malcolm-Jamal Warner who tragically drowned in Costa Rica, likely caught in a deadly rip current. While it’s possible to “break the grip of the rip” by swimming parallel to the beach or toward breaking waves at an angle to the beach, there is no single escape strategy due to the unique rip circulation. Here’s a quick explainer on rip currents (every beachgoer should read this) 🌊 ⬇️
The Conversation
I research rip currents where ‘Cosby Show’ star Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned. Here’s why they’re so deadly
The Costa Rican beach where actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned is known for its dangerous rip currents. A researcher who has studied the beach expl...
In #Uruguay, families co-own and co-build their homes through housing cooperatives. Some chip in savings, others swing hammers. The result? Affordable, dignified housing that stays off the private market, and a blueprint the world can learn from.
The Conversation
What the world can learn from Uruguay as the global housing crisis deepens
One of Latin America’s smallest nations has a robust network of housing cooperatives, which give access to permanent, affordable housing to citiz...
 #affordablehousing
Tires (not straws) are a top source of microplastic #pollution. As they wear down, toxic particles wash from roads into waterways and harm wildlife. But scientists have found a cheap fix: biofilters made from wood chips and plant waste.
The Conversation
One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires
Rain storms wash those tire shards into streams and ultimately into lakes and oceans. That’s bad news for fish and other aquatic life.
 #innovation #cars #environment
Who needs a team when you’ve got imagination? From ghost runners to invisible coaches, nearly half of college students say they invented imaginary athletes as kids – to compete with, train with or just to have a teammate.
The Conversation
Imaginary athletes: Creating make-believe teammates, competitors and coaches during play
Imagination is a fundamental tool for everyday life. Unsurprisingly, many kids harness it during athletic play, conjuring a fun teammate, a support...
Cutting funding to PBS and NPR threatens a key pillar of American #democracy. Despite political claims of bias, research shows public media is among the most trusted and balanced sources of news. It’s independently run, not government-controlled, and helps foster civic understanding, not division.
The Conversation
PBS and NPR are generally unbiased, independent of government propaganda and provide key benefits to US democracy
Studies link public broadcasting to higher voter turnout, better factual knowledge and lower susceptibility to extremist rhetoric. Those contributi...
 #SavePublicMedia #PBS #NPR
A brief history of controversial court nominations, from Bork to Bove:
The Conversation
Emil Bove confirmed – his appeals court nomination echoed earlier controversies, but with a key difference
Contested nominations to the federal courts often involve ideological concerns. But a scholar of the courts says the contentious nomination of a fo...
 #USpolitics
An #AI win in the classroom: A professor brought tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot into her business tech course. Students moved from curiosity to confidence, but it took time to develop new tech habits.
The Conversation
Generative AI is coming to the workplace, so I designed a business technology class with AI baked in
Generative AI is in the workplace already, so students should learn how to use it. But an early experiment shows generative AI is different than le...
A pipeline explosion in Massachusetts caused air pollution spikes in New Hampshire and Vermont, with effects reaching New York and Connecticut.
The Conversation
Methane leaks from gas pipelines are a hidden source of widespread air pollution
Methane reacts in the atmosphere to form components of fine particulate air pollution, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and increase risk fo...
 #climate #environment
A year after #Bangladesh’s autocratic regime was overthrown, signs of recovery are emerging. Under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, inflation is down and reforms are underway. But fragile politics, crime and tariffs threatened by Trump loom large.
The Conversation
Bangladesh sees small glimmers of economic hope a year after longtime autocrat ousted in people’s revolt
Under the interim governance of Muhammad Yunus, the long-troubled country has seen positive economic, political and diplomatic signs. Can it last?
China’s arms policy: deny, supply, repeat. #China insists it doesn’t arm nations at war, but mounting evidence suggests otherwise. From Ukraine to Pakistan and now possibly Iran, Beijing persists with quiet military support, in a strategic play to weaken the West without direct conflict.
The Conversation
Beijing’s ‘plausible deniability’ on arms supply is quickly becoming implausible – and could soon extend to Iran
Despite Beijing’s claims of neutrality, it may be quietly backing Iran while verbally denying such support, as it has with Russia and Pakistan.
 #foreignpolicy #politics