In the Authoritarians’ New War on Ideas, Biology Might Be Next

The right is gearing up for an all-out attack on biology

By C. Brandon Ogbunu

In 2021, U.S. Sen.Ted Cruz compared critical race theory — an academic subfield that examines the role of racism in American institutions, laws, and policies — to the Ku Klux Klan, the most notorious homegrown terrorist organization in U.S. history. 

In doing so, he opened a playbook that resembles one put into practice by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others: Attack ideas that are unfriendly to a narrow view of the world, and do so by eliminating them from our school curricula and public conversation. 

The movement against critical race theory has now swallowed up high school Advanced Placement African American Studies in several states and threatens the teaching of basic facts about U.S. history. And this movement has devolved from pundit tough talk into authoritarian policies to ban books, modify curricula, and threaten intellectual freedom across the country (and world).

By now, many realize that these policies are a harbinger of things to come —  even for fields ostensibly unrelated to African American studies, like biology. Modern breakthroughs in biology are producing a picture of life that is increasingly incompatible with authoritarian preferences for neat boxes that dictate what people are and how they should behave. Consequently, biologists must shed the naive belief that our work is apolitical and recognize that the recent attacks on how to teach U.S. history are a battle in a larger war on ideas that includes the natural sciences.

Evolutionary biology in particular is not new to political controversies. Over the past century, it has been at the center of several high-profile legal battles. Most famous are the debates about the teaching of evolution in schools (documented in Brenda Wineapple’s new book on the Scopes trial, and many others). The political tension is generated by the world view that Darwinism presents. 

The reasoning from evolution deniers: If public education can challenge religious explanations for how life began, then tomorrow it might question the religious basis of good and evil, man and woman, and explanations for how we all got here. And they aren’t wrong. Biology’s increasingly complicated picture of human behavior isn’t so friendly to political stances peddling the myth that one group is essentially inferior to another; and that a deity decides the boundaries around sex, sexual preference, and other dimensions.

While biological sex is a meaningful dimension for millions of species, modern biology has frustrated many classical models for what sex is and how it manifests in nature. In recent decades, evolutionary theorists have offered improvements on models that implied that females were passive actors, driven by interest and competition between males. 

At our most charitable, we’d call these interpretations naive and imprecise, and they highlight a long tradition of confused thinking on sex and gender that is increasingly subject to scrutiny. And when we consider the added layer of culture in the world of Homo sapiens, then hard rules and expectations regarding sex are on even shakier ground.

Yup

Trump 's rap sheet

Brown modern culture and media scholar Tony Cokes wins prestigious MacArthur ‘genius grant’

Tony Cook wins genius grant

Brown University — 

Tony Cokes, a professor of modern culture and media at Brown,
 has been named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow. Photo provided by
 the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The MacArthur Foundation has named Tony Cokes, a professor of modern culture and media at Brown University, one of 22 MacArthur Fellows from across the U.S. for 2024.

The honor is accompanied by an $800,000 stipend, awarded over five years with no conditions, to enable Cokes to advance his artistic practice. Cokes’ video works and installations examine historical and cultural moments through a signature style that places frames of appropriated text against backgrounds of solid colors or images, paired with musical soundtracks.

He said he was surprised to receive the award, often dubbed the “genius grant,” for which recipients are nominated anonymously by leaders in their respective fields and considered by an anonymous selection committee.

New Research Links Coffee, Fruit Juice, and Fizzy Drinks to Stroke

Don't stroke out

By University of Galway

New global research studies, co-led by the University of Galway in collaboration with McMaster University in Canada and an international network of stroke researchers, have found that regular consumption of fizzy drinks or fruit juice is linked to a higher risk of stroke.

The research also found that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day also increases the risk of stroke.

The findings come from two analyses of the INTERSTROKE research project that have been published – the effects of fizzy drinks, fruit juice/drink, and water were reported in the Journal of Stroke and the findings related to tea and coffee in the International Journal of Stroke.

Understanding Stroke

Stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off and damages brain cells – it can either be ischemic stroke, which is usually due to a blood clot, or when there intracerebral hemorrhage, which is bleeding into the brain tissue.

INTERSTROKE is one of the largest international studies of risk factors for stroke, involving almost 27,000 people, in 27 countries, including almost 13,500 people who experienced their first stroke.

 

Those who took part in the study came from a broad range of geographical and ethnic backgrounds, with different cardiovascular risk profiles, including Ireland and the UK.

The study which focused on people’s consumption of fizzy drinks and fruit juice found:

• Fizzy drinks, including both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened such as diet or zero sugar, were linked with a 22% increased chance of stroke, and the risk increased sharply with two or more of these drinks a day
• The link between fizzy drinks and the chance of stroke was greatest in Eastern/Central Europe and Middle East, Africa, and South America
• The research noted that many products marketed as fruit juice are made from concentrates and contain added sugars and preservatives, which may offset the benefits usually linked with fresh fruit, and actually increase stroke risk
• Fruit juice drinks were linked with a 37% increase in the chance of stroke due to bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). With two of these drinks a day, the risk triples
• Women show the greatest increased chance of stroke due to bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) linked to fruit juice/drinks
• Drinking more than 7 cups of water a day was linked with reduced odds of stroke caused by a clot

Expert Insights on Fizzy Drinks and Juice

Lead researcher on both studies Professor Andrew Smyth, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Galway and Consultant Physician at Galway University Hospitals, said: “Not all fruit drinks are created equal – freshly squeezed fruit juices are most likely to bring benefits, but fruit drinks made from concentrates, with lots of added sugars and preservatives, may be harmful. Our research also shows that the chance of stroke increases the more often someone consumes fizzy drinks.”

 

He continues, “As a doctor and as someone who has researched the risk of stroke, we would encourage people to avoid or minimize their consumption of fizzy and fruit drinks, and to consider switching to water instead.”

The study which focused on people’s consumption of coffee and tea found:

• Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day increased the chance of stroke by 37%, but not associated with stroke risk for lower intakes
• Drinking tea was linked with a reduced chance of stroke by 18-20%
• Drinking 3-4 cups per day of black tea – including Breakfast and Earl Grey teas, but not green tea or herbal teas – was linked with a 29% lower chance of stroke
• Drinking 3-4 cups per day of green tea was linked with a 27% lower chance of stroke
• Adding milk may reduce or block the beneficial effects of antioxidants that can be found in tea. The reduced chance of stroke from drinking tea was lost for those who added milk
• There were important geographical differences in the findings – tea was linked with a lower chance of stroke in China and South America but a higher chance of stroke in South Asia

Professor Martin O’Donnell, Executive Dean of College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at University of Galway and Consultant Stroke Physician at Galway University Hospitals, co-leads the INTERSTROKE study in partnership with Professor Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Canada.

Professor O’Donnell said: “A key goal of the INTERSTROKE study is to provide usable information on how to reduce one’s risk of stroke. While hypertension is the most important risk factor, our stroke risk can also be lowered through healthy lifestyle choices in diet and physical activity. The current study adds further information on what constitutes healthy choices on daily intake of beverages.”

References:

“Carbonated Beverage, Fruit Drink, and Water Consumption and Risk of Acute Stroke: the INTERSTROKE Case-Control Study” by Andrew Smyth, Graeme J. Hankey, Albertino Damasceno, Helle Klingenberg Iversen, Shahram Oveisgharan, Fawaz Alhussain, Peter Langhorne, Dennis Xavier, Patricio Lopez Jaramillo, Aytekin Oguz, Clodagh McDermott, Anna Czlonkowska, Fernando Lanas, Danuta Ryglewicz, Catriona Reddin, Xingyu Wang, Annika Rosengren, Salim Yusuf and Martin O’Donnell, 27 September 2024, Journal of Stroke.
DOI: 10.5853/jos.2024.01543 

“Tea and coffee consumption and risk of acute stroke: The INTERSTROKE Study” by Andrew Smyth, Graeme J Hankey, Peter Langhorne, Catriona Reddin, Danuta Ryglewicz, Annika Rosengren, Dennis Xavier, Michelle Canavan, Shahram Oveisgharan, Xingyu Wang, Patricio Lopez Jaramillo, Albertino Damasceno, Anna Czlonkowska, Helle Klingenberg Iversen, Fernando Lanas, Salim Yusuf and Martin O’Donnell, 30 July 2024, International Journal of Stroke.
DOI: 10.1177/17474930241264685

A series of findings have been released as part of the wider INTERSTROKE project and can be accessed here.

How misinformation can change a climate science believer into a skeptic

For many lies beat truth

By Emily Gersema

A study of mostly climate science believers shows just how easily information — and misinformation — can blur people’s sense of the truth. All it takes is repetition.

In recent research published in the journal PLOS ONE, USC and Australian researchers explored the powerful effect of repetition on people’s beliefs.

In two rounds studies, they found that even the strongest believers in climate science — those categorized as “alarmed” believers — felt that the skeptical and pro-climate beliefs seemed more true when they encountered them a second time.

“It could take as little as a single repetition to make someone feel as though a claim were true,” said Norbert Schwarz, a study co-author and Provost Professor of psychology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Marshall School of Business. “It’s certainly concerning, especially when you consider how many people are exposed to both truthful and false claims and either spread them or are persuaded by them to make decisions that might affect the planet.”

Truthiness

According to psychology research, people are more likely to feel statements are true if those statements reflect their own beliefs.

However, their perceptions can be changed if they encounter repeated statements. The more they are exposed to those statements, the more valid the statements seem. Psychologists refer to this as “truthiness” — or, more formally, the “illusory truth effect.”

The team of researchers wondered how people who said they firmly believe in climate science would respond when they encountered climate-skeptical statements.

The researchers worked with 52 participants in the first round of study and 120 in the second. Almost all the participants — except for 10% — believed in and endorsed climate science, evidence that humans are mainly responsible for climate change.

After Posing With Hurricane Victims, Trump Heads to Big Oil Fundraisers in Texas

"Hosting a fundraiser with Big Oil CEOs while we're still counting the bodies from Hurricane Helene is like hosting a fundraiser with the NRA in the midst of a school shooting,"

Edward Carver for Common Dreams

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reportedly planned to attend two fundraisers in Texas with Big Oil executives on Wednesday, just two days after visiting hurricane-ravaged Georgia, drawing criticism from experts who said that the former president was beholden to the very industry that's driving an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

Trump's itinerary included a luncheon in Midland, in the heart of the oil-rich Permian Basin, and a reception in Houston, according to media reports based on people familiar with the events. He visited southern Georgia on Monday following Hurricane Helene's devastating strike on the area and other parts of the U.S. Southeast; the storm's death toll was at least 180.

"Hosting a fundraiser with Big Oil CEOs while we're still counting the bodies from Hurricane Helene is like hosting a fundraiser with the [National Rifle Association] in the midst of a school shooting," Jamie Henn, the founder and director of Fossil Free Media, told Common Dreams in a statement.

Amen

Wood-Pawcatuck Stewardship Council Opens New Round of Grant Funding

Another round of local funding

ecoRI News staff

The Stewardship Council of the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers is back with a new round of community grants to support projects that protect and enhance wild and scenic rivers. From Oct. 1 through Dec. 29, 2024, organizations can apply for grans of up to $4,000.

Last year’s grant round provided funding to 10 projects across eight towns. Funded projects included support for the acquisition of open space along rivers; invasive species management; new educational trailhead signs; and school programs to teach young students the ABC’s of watershed stewardship. This year, thanks to the U.S. National Park Service’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, the council has a total of $30,000 to distribute. 

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations; local, state, and regional governmental agencies and commissions; tribal and First nations; public schools; and other educational institutions. 

All other groups, individuals and businesses interested in applying for funding should partner with an eligible entity.

Close to $500K in Grants Available to Support the Growth Development and Marketing of Local Food Seafood in RI

State aid for local farming

Sue and Teresa. 2012 photo by Will Collette

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and members of the Rhode Island General Assembly announce that close to $500,000 in Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) grant funding is available for projects that help support the growth, development, and marketing of local food and seafood in Rhode Island. 

The LASA Grant Program provides grants that directly benefit and strengthen the local food system in Rhode Island. Since its enactment 12 years ago, LASA has provided close to $3M through individual program grants up to $20,000. The grant application period opened on Oct. 1 and will close Nov. 30.

“LASA is a pillar of our food strategy through which Rhode Island prioritizes investments in local food to provide better access to safe, healthy, and affordable food for all of our residents,” said Governor Dan McKee. “LASA grants support Rhode Island’s farmers, fishers, and aquaculturists while fostering community resilience, promoting sustainability, and increasing food security across our state.”

“The Local Agriculture and Seafood Act grant program taps into our state’s incredible potential by building on our existing strengths,” said Senator V. Susan Sosnowski, who authored the law in 2012. “These grants enhance food security, boost small businesses, and make Rhode Island more sustainable and resilient. They are an investment in our people and our future, and in the agriculture and seafood industries that mean so much to our state. I am grateful to the many supporters and stakeholders who continue to make this program possible.”

“For over a decade the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act has helped grow the local businesses that provide our communities with safe and nutritious food,” said Representative Teresa Tanzi. “I’ve seen firsthand how LASA grants help essential local businesses — including the farms, shellfishing, aquaculture, commercial fishing, and other food businesses in my district — grow their operations while enriching our communities. I am excited to see the continuing success stories of grant recipients.”

Here’s how to remove some persistent pollutants from your drinking water at home

Plastics causing more clean water issues

Sébastien Sauvé, Université de Montréal; Benoit Barbeau, Polytechnique Montréal, and Termeh Teymoorian, Université de Montréal

Many substances harmful to human health are finding their way into our drinking water.

These include the so-called ‘forever chemicals,’ per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A group of fluorinated chemical compounds, they are resistant to degradation, bioaccumulate in tissues, and are highly mobile in the environment.

Widely used as non-stick coatings, stain repellents and surfactants, among other industrial applications, PFAS have become a major environmental and health concern over the last 10 to 20 years.

PFAS can now be detected almost anywhere using the right analytical equipment. This has raised concerns about the health effects of current exposure levels.

Multiple exposures

Our exposure to PFAS comes from drinking water, air, food and, to a lesser extent, absorption through skin. Although it is difficult to reduce exposure by the airborne route, more frequent cleaning of the house can help to minimize the inhalation of dust containing PFAS. However, this route of exposure requires further research.

Significant levels of PFAS can also be found in food and food packaging. As long as regulation in this area remains limited, it will be particularly difficult to try to reduce our exposure to PFAS by changing our eating habits, unless it becomes clear what food is less contaminated or if a large portion of the products available in the grocery shop are contaminated.

Drinking water remains the easiest source of PFAS to treat when we seek to reduce our overall exposure to these substances. Termeh Teymoorian, a doctoral student in chemistry at the Université de Montréal, is working on PFAS in water. She is co-supervised in her doctoral thesis by Sébastien Sauvé, a professor in environmental chemistry at the Université de Montréal and a specialist in emerging contaminants, and Benoit Barbeau, a professor at Polytechnique Montréal and co-holder of the Industrial Chair in Drinking Water.

We recently published an article in Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry in which we evaluate the effectiveness of domestic water filters in eliminating PFAS.

Study sheds new light on severe COVID's long-term brain impacts

Brain fog and more

Lisa Schnirring

More than a year after COVID-19 hospitalization, many patients have worse cognitive function than those who weren't hospitalized, a symptom that comes with reduced brain volume and brain injury markers on blood tests, according to a new study, the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

The multicenter study from the COVID-CNS Consortium included 351 patients who were hospitalized for COVID and 2,927 matched controls. The researchers, led by a team at the University of Liverpool and King's College London, published their findings in Nature Medicine.

The shocking truth behind Trump's hate-fueled political strategy

Who does he like? He likes himself first and foremost. Then he likes dictators, with Vladimir Putin #1 than Kim Il Son, Victor Orban, and others who agree with his fascist beliefs

He likes people who give him money, flatter him, do him favors and act on his wishes like his MAGA-mob.

Robert Reich

The FBI is investigating the source of suspicious packages sent to election offices in 21 states. Some election offices have been evacuated; staff are frightened.

Suspicious packages, bomb threats, death threats, harassment, assassination attempts, and violence are consequences of the politics of hate, now emanating more ferociously than ever from Trump and his sycophants.

Many explanations have been offered for why two assassination attempts have been made on Trump over the last two months. Some blame easy access to assault weapons; I’m sure that’s part of it.

But the real incitement to violence in America is hatefulness — hate speech, fearsome lies, and dangerous, paranoid rumors — the epicenter of which is Trump.

Trump blames the intensifying climate of violence on Kamala Harris and the Democrats: “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at,” he said. “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!” he wrote in a social media post. Trump’s campaign has circulated a list of so-called “incendiary” remarks Democrats have made against Trump and posted video clips from top Democrats calling him a “threat.”

JD Vance says “we cannot tell the American people that one candidate is a fascist and if he’s elected it is going to be the end of American democracy.”

Hello? Calling Trump a fascist and a threat to democracy is not inciting violence; it’s telling the truth. American voters need to be made aware, if they aren’t already.

We are the jury pool

URI Guitar and Mandolin Festival opens six days of concerts with full-day festival on Oct. 13

Purple Haze? Probably not.

Tony LaRoche 

Adam Levin, founder and artistic director of the URI Guitar and Mandolin Festival.

A name change would seem to herald a major career shift. But as it prepares to open its ninth year on Sunday, Oct. 13, the newly rebranded University of Rhode Island Guitar and Mandolin Festival is actually staying the course that has made it one of the largest classical guitar festivals in the U.S.