Notices by The Conversation U.S. (theconversationus@newsie.social), page 4

Snot is your slimy protector.

While your body is continuously creating mucus to fight off germs, it ramps up production when you’re sick.

Its sticky consistency traps bad microorganisms and other unwanted particles, like dust, pet dander and mildew, so they can’t get farther into your system.

https://theconversation.com/why-do-our-noses-get-snotty-when-we-are-sick-a-school-nurse-explains-the-powers-of-mucus-212949
#health #science #medmastodon

When science showed in the 70s that gas stoves produced harmful indoor air pollution, the industry reached for tobacco’s PR playbook by:

✖️ casting doubt on negative findings
✖️ funding its own biased research

There’s still plenty of debate about whether gas stoves belong in homes, but it’s important to know where the “evidence” comes from, and to expose the tactics that vested interest groups have used for years.

https://theconversation.com/when-science-showed-in-the-1970s-that-gas-stoves-produced-harmful-indoor-air-pollution-the-industry-reached-for-tobaccos-pr-playbook-216698

#Climate #ClimateJustice #EnergyTransition

And if you’re thinking of switching to an electric stove, here’s a good explanation of how it works: https://theconversation.com/magnetic-induction-cooking-can-cut-your-kitchens-carbon-footprint-151422

Homelessness is a state of deprivation in which a person’s freedom is profoundly compromised, writes a professor of philosophy.

If a society (like the U.S.) insists they cherish freedom, it must implement anti-homelessness policies as liberation for people who lack housing.

https://theconversation.com/being-homeless-means-not-being-free-as-americans-are-supposed-to-be-214627

The universe is expanding faster than scientists previously thought.

A fun read from physicists that explains “hubble tension”:

https://theconversation.com/the-universe-is-expanding-faster-than-theory-predicts-physicists-are-searching-for-new-ideas-that-might-explain-the-mismatch-215414
#space #science

We've been on Mastodon for a year now! 🍰

Thank you to all of our followers who have made engaging on this platform so much more rewarding and civil than that other place!

The Conversation exists to inform you, to feed your curiosity and to bring you knowledge to help you understand the world.

If you know folks here who you think would find value in our work, please give this post a boost.

https://theconversation.com/us/who-we-are
#News #Newstodon

🧵 of some of our most popular posts from the past year:

“For Black people, education was in and of itself an act of active resistance against racial disenfranchisement….

Black teachers used classrooms to not only impart the lessons of history, but also to encourage students to be actively involved in the fight for racial equity.”

https://theconversation.com/lessons-for-today-from-the-overlooked-stories-of-black-teachers-during-the-segregated-civil-rights-era-213811
#histodons #BlackHistory #education #BlackMastodon @blackmastodon @histodons

A court for Christians:
Recent decisions by SCOTUS don’t protect the freedoms of all Americans, but instead represent “the culmination of a decadelong strategy by conservative Christians … to use the courts to limit the freedoms of groups of Americans of whom they disapprove.”

Analysis by two political scientists:
https://theconversation.com/supreme-court-is-increasingly-putting-christians-first-amendment-rights-ahead-of-others-dignity-and-rights-to-equal-protection-210220
#USpolitics

“Meta officials had internal research in March 2020 showing that Instagram – the social media platform most used by adolescents after TikTok – is harmful to teen girls’ body image and well-being. But the company swept those findings under the rug to continue conducting business as usual, according to a Sept. 14, 2021, Wall Street Journal report.”
These charges have reemerged in a lawsuit filed by 41 states and the District of Columbia.
https://theconversation.com/states-sue-meta-for-knowingly-hurting-teens-with-facebook-and-instagram-here-are-the-harms-researchers-have-documented-168043
#SocialMedia @psychology

An Israeli technology company has developed the means of delivering spyware via online ad networks. There’s no defense against the spyware and the Israeli government has given the company approval to sell the technology.

For now, take comfort in the fact that it’s a hefty $6.4 million price tag for a single ad infection.

https://theconversation.com/spyware-can-infect-your-phone-or-computer-via-the-ads-you-see-online-report-213685

#tech #technology #cybersecurity

Happy 9th birthday to us! 🎂🎉

Since The Conversation U.S. launched in 2014, we’ve published almost 19,000 articles by over 13,000 experts that have been read well over a billion times.

Thank you to our authors, donors, university members, staff – and especially to you, our readers. We appreciate your attention and support.

Below are links to some of our most popular stories from each of our 9 years 🧵
#News #Newstodon

Your friendly reminder to get your updated #COVID-19 shot and your seasonal #flu shot as soon as possible.

https://theconversation.com/vaccines-against-covid-19-the-seasonal-flu-and-rsv-are-our-best-chance-of-preventing-a-winter-surge-215390

#health #MedMastodon #VaccinesWork

The world has waited decades for a malaria vaccine, and now two have come along in quick succession.

Why has it been so hard to do?

In a new episode of the Conversation Weekly podcast, we hear from the scientists behind the new breakthrough – and some of the particular challenges posed by the parasite that causes it.

https://theconversation.com/the-long-road-to-a-new-malaria-vaccine-told-by-the-scientists-behind-the-breakthrough-podcast-214885

#Malaria #Podcast #Vaccines #EpiMastodon #VaccinesWork

“Nones" (atheists, agnostics, or nothing in particular) comprise 30% or more of the adult population in the United States and Canada.

We're launching a special project with AP and RNS to look at their growths, beliefs and nonbeliefs.

Bring your questions to an #AMA on #Reddit (or comment here and I'll bring the question to reddit)
https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/175j4v0/we_report_on_the_nones_for_the_associated_press/

#religion #atheism

Quantum dots, the discovery which won this year's #NobelPrize in chemistry, are part of a a technology transition that’s revolutionizing how people work with atoms and molecules.

"It can be hard to remember just how much of a quantum leap the technology is that’s being used to promote the latest generation of flashy TVs, for instance."

@andrewmaynard explains the significance
https://theconversation.com/quantum-dots-are-part-of-a-revolution-in-engineering-atoms-in-useful-ways-nobel-prize-for-chemistry-recognizes-the-power-of-nanotechnology-215015
#News #Science #Nanotechnology

We passed 20,000 followers in this week on #mastodon!

In less than a year, we've accumulated 29% of the followers we got in 9 years of regular posting on the #birdsite, and we get far, far more engagement with our content here.

Thank you.

We will continue to post regularly here because we have found it is a community that values our kind of thoughtful journalism, written by experts for the public.

If you know folks who haven't discovered us yet, we'd really appreciate a boost #Newstodon

The Conversation works with experts to bring you the full depth of their knowledge on stories in the news – and to bring you new research and insightful analysis.

We publish these articles for everyone to read, without ads or paywalls. We even give away this trustworthy journalism to other news sites and newspapers to use to supplement their dwindling resources.

Please partner with us to help us continue to bring this knowledge to Mastodon and readers around the globe

https://donate.theconversation.com/us?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=US+Fundraising+Sept+2023

Largely forgotten until now, between 1933 and 1945 hundreds and hundreds of Jewish women and men performed individual acts of resistance in Nazi Germany.

Jews of all ages destroyed Nazi symbols, protested in public, disobeyed Nazi laws and defended themselves against insults and physical attacks.

Pictured: Lizi Rosenfeld, a Jewish woman, sits on a park bench bearing a sign that reads, ‘Only for Aryans,’ in August 1938 in Vienna ⬇️

https://theconversation.com/how-individual-ordinary-jews-fought-nazi-persecution-a-new-view-of-history-210337
#history #histodons #protest

Is bad air quality the new normal?

These 3 #airquality scientists say “Yes.”

“People will need to learn to live with #wildfire smoke. It won’t be every year, but we’re likely to see summers like 2023 more often.”

They’ve got a recap and tips for dealing with it.
https://theconversation.com/north-americas-summer-of-wildfire-smoke-2023-was-only-the-beginning-210246

Yes, lock your car. But also make sure to keep your vehicle’s software up to date, just as you do with your phone and computer

https://theconversation.com/to-steal-todays-computerized-cars-thieves-go-high-tech-210358
#LifeTips #Cybersecurity