Here’s what you need to know about #RedNote, which is attracting many people missing #TikTok (or maybe they’ll come here?)

The Conversation

What’s happening on RedNote? A media scholar explains the app TikTok users are fleeing to – and the cultural moment unfolding there

A digital media scholar and longtime RedNote user gives a firsthand account of US and Chinese social media users interacting on the app.

#PFAS chemicals resist degradation for up to 1,000 years. A group of #chemistry researchers developed a new light-driven technique could transform them into harmless chemicals and ions.

The Conversation

We developed a way to use light to dismantle PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ – long-lasting environmental pollutants

PFAS are made up of a chain of incredibly strong carbon-fluorine bonds, which make them difficult to break down.

#science #news #chemistry

Frozen CSI: Key bacterial species that can serve as "biomarkers of death" in frigid conditions have been found by researchers, aiding investigators when visual examination falls short.

The Conversation

Found dead in the snow − how microbes can help pinpoint time of death for forensic investigations in frigid conditions

An accurate estimate of when someone died is a critical part of forensic investigations. In extremely cold conditions, molecular biology can provid...

#science #death #bacteria

About one-third of the world’s #population – around 3 billion people – doesn’t have access to the #internet because of #infrastructure limitations, economic disparities or geographic isolation. A new kind of aircraft is being tested to potentially provide easier internet access to rural areas (and disaster zones):

The Conversation

A third of the world’s population lacks internet connectivity − airborne communications stations could change that

Network equipment riding on balloons, airships, gliders and planes could boost internet access, including in disaster zones, and improve scientific...

Cerebrospinal fluid surrounds your brain and spinal cord, and its importance can’t be overstated. And unfortunately, CSF leaks are often misdiagnosed as #migraine, sinus #infections or #allergies.

The Conversation

Fluid keeps your brain from crushing itself and shields your spine from shock – a neurologist explains what happens when it stops working

Cerebrospinal fluid can sometimes leak or collect in the brain without an identifiable cause, leading to symptoms that can be difficult to diagnose.

#health

#Privacy settings in many apps can make you feel like you have good control over your data, but don’t be so sure. You may be unaware of the additional steps needed to actually secure your data:

The Conversation

Complicated app settings are a threat to user privacy

Knowing you should set your apps’ privacy permissions might not be enough to protect you. A cybersecurity expert explains how complicated privacy...

In two-parent families, mothers not only actually do more of the chores, they shoulder more of the cognitive load of planning, anticipating and delegating the chores. And it all takes a serious toll on moms’ #mentalhealth.

The Conversation

Moms think more about household chores − and this cognitive burden hurts their mental health

Moms execute more household tasks. But they’re also family executives, doing more of the thinking ahead and assigning that are part of all those ...

From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, an aerospace engineer looks at the most exciting #space missions planned for 2025: https://theconversation.com/from-new-commercial-moon-landers-to-asteroid-investigations-expect-a-slate-of-exciting-space-missions-in-2025-243645  #science #news

With confirmation hearings coming up soon for Trump’s nominees to his cabinet, we’re taking a step back to answer some basic questions. A lot of us haven’t studied civics since 7th grade, so here are some useful refreshers on the process and what these leaders of government departments actually do. First up: why do we even have confirmation? 🧵

The Conversation

Why does the Senate confirm Trump’s picks for key posts — and how? A legal scholar explains the confirmation process and the ‘constitutional loophole’ of recess appointments

Senators have the power to approve or reject a president’s cabinet nominees. A loophole allows presidents to do an end run around the Senate – ...

Here’s what the Attorney General does:

The Conversation

What does the US attorney general actually do? A law professor explains

The combined political and legal roles and responsibilities of the US attorney general can create conflicts. Some attorneys general yielded to poli...

Here’s what the Secretary of Education does: #edusky

The Conversation

US secretary of education helps set national priorities in a system primarily funded and guided by local governments

If Republicans manage to achieve a long-standing goal by getting rid of the Department of Education, there wouldn’t be a secretary of education a...

Here’s what the Director of National Intelligence does, written by someone who used to work very closely with the DNI:

The Conversation

How a director of national intelligence helps a president stay on top of threats from around the world

The director of national intelligence is the president’s principal adviser on intelligence. A former White House intelligence official explains t...

The Director of the FBI isn’t a cabinet position, but we thought we’d explain what they do, too:

The Conversation

FBI director guides the agency in confronting complex international threats, investigating federal crimes and running 55 field offices

The FBI investigates everything from terrorist threats to cybercrime to public corruption. What does the presidentially nominated, Senate-confirmed...

We’ll be publishing a bunch more of these profiles in January, so watch for the links here or subscribe to our free Politics Weekly newsletter:

The Conversation

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Trust in U.S. media hit a record low in 2024. A #journalism professor explains why Black Midwesterners are turning to alternative, trusted messengers for #news:

The Conversation

Trust in U.S. media hit an all-time low in 2024 − a new survey shows Black midwesterners have found other trusted messengers of news

Trust in media is low, and more Americans are avoiding traditional sources of news. Instead, they are turning to social media influencers and trust...

Preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, but many don’t receive recommended preventive services, and the patients that do receive it spend millions of dollars every year on unexpected bills. The main problem: There’s no specific regulations to determine exactly which services should be free, or for whom, or how often.

The Conversation

Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree

Patients often bear the cost of unexpected bills for basic preventive services such as wellness visits and cancer screenings.

#Retirement doesn’t just lead to concerns about money. It also raises questions about one’s usefulness in the world. “We should worry, as we think about retirement, more about what the good life for creatures like us – those who are now free from our jobs – should be,” writes a philosopher:

The Conversation

Retirement doesn’t just raise financial concerns – it can also mean feeling unmoored and irrelevant

If you have spent 40 years of your life working 40 hours a week, retirement isn’t just a financial consideration, writes a philosopher.

#philosophy #bigquestions

Disagree with that medical bill? Research shows it’s worth calling your hospital billing office – 74% of people who did that saw a bill correction that brought the balance down.

The Conversation

Got an unaffordable or incorrect medical bill? Calling your hospital billing office will usually get you a discount

Researchers found that nearly 74% of patients who reached out about a billing mistake received bill corrections. For those who negotiated their bil...

#health

Maybe you’ve just found us on #Nostr, but there’s a good chance that you’ve read articles from The Conversation on one of the 100s of websites that syndicate our journalism. We give it away free of charge under Creative Commons and support decentralized social platforms because we want to reach as many people as possible with accurate, trustworthy, insightful journalism. Here are some of the places where our articles appeared this week: Yahoo! News looked at a history of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and how TV executives almost lost faith in it

Yahoo Entertainment

Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ almost didn’t air − and why it endures

Charles Schulz’s TV special survived the skepticism of network executives to become a holiday classic.

In FastCompany, our look at the state of the arctic (not good) https://www.fastcompany.com/91244202/arctic-report-card-2024-climate-change-carbon-emissions-wildlife-wildfires-sea-ice On DefenseOne, our analysis of post-Assad #syria:

Defense One

Can Syria's triumphant rebel coalition unite the country?

And what should the U.S. do about this potentially "catastrophic success"?

The Space Review published our fascinating story on astrobiology 

The Space Review: How astrobiologists are coming up with a framework to study how complex systems evolve

The Indian nonprofit news site:Scroll.in published one of our health articles on the cognitive benefits of exercis:

Scroll.in

The cognitive benefits of physical activity

Short-term effects of even some amount of exercise were evident with improved cognitive processing speed, according to a study.

This is a valuable public service.  Your donations help make it possible to give away this quality journalism for free. We’d be deeply grateful for a zap of your support. Right now, your gift of fiat currency will be matched dollar-for-dollar as part of #NewsMatch, so your impact will be doubled.  We’ll also send you a free e-book with some of our best stories of the year.  Thank you!

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Your "normal" blood test results may not actually be normal for you. A mathematician explains how #MachineLearning can find healthy blood count ranges for individual patients and improve predictions of their risk of future disease.

The Conversation

Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all − machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient

A narrower, more personalized ‘normal range’ could help doctors better diagnose and treat disease in individual patients.

#News #Medicine #AI #PersonalizedMedicine

To prepare for an ever hotter future, architects and city designers could learn from the past. The Sumerians who lived in southern Iraq 6,000 years ago used thick walls and small windows to keep indoor temperatures cool. Ancient Egyptians harnessed the wind and funneled it downward into buildings. Ancient Puebloans understood the importance of solar orientation.

The Conversation

5 lessons from ancient civilizations for keeping homes cool in hot, dry climates

Builders knew how to keep people cool in hot, dry climates thousands of years ago. It’s time to get that knowledge back.

#climatechange #tips

As human #population increases, humans and animals share increasingly crowded landscapes. Which means everyone needs to be more informed in how to safely interact with #wildlife.

The Conversation

As human population grows, people and wildlife will share more living spaces around the world

As the world’s population grows, contact between humans and wildlife will increase in more than half of Earth’s land areas. A new study shows w...

As human #population increases, humans and animals share increasingly crowded landscapes. Which means everyone needs to be more informed in how to safely interact with #wildlife.

The Conversation

As human population grows, people and wildlife will share more living spaces around the world

As the world’s population grows, contact between humans and wildlife will increase in more than half of Earth’s land areas. A new study shows w...

The DEA is considering reclassifying marijuana as a schedule III drug, on a par with Tylenol 3. We had a drug policy expert weigh the pros and cons:

The Conversation

DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons

Moving marijuana to a less restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act poses benefits and potential risks. But no effective medicine i...

#health

Tommy John surgery, once reserved for saving the careers of #MLB pitchers, is now commonplace among teenage athletes. More than half of these procedures are performed on 15-19 year olds as youth sports intensify.

The Conversation

50 years after the first procedure, Tommy John surgery is more common than ever − especially for young athletes

It’s saved the careers of hundreds of MLB pitchers. But teenage athletes dreaming of fame and fortune are now having the surgery in record numbers.