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PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
Revealed: Exxon Made ‘Breathtakingly’ Accurate Climate Predictions in 1970s and ’80s (Maria)
From The Guardian: “The oil giant Exxon privately ‘predicted global warming correctly and skilfully’ only to then spend decades publicly rubbishing such science in order to protect its core business, new research has found. A trove of internal documents and research papers has previously established that Exxon knew of the dangers of global heating from at least the 1970s. … They forcefully and successfully mobilized against the science to stymie any action to reduce fossil fuel use. A new study, however, has made clear that Exxon’s scientists were uncannily accurate in their projections from the 1970s onwards, predicting an upward curve of global temperatures and carbon dioxide emissions that is close to matching what actually occurred.”
GOP Action on Mail Ballot Timelines Angers Military Families (Reader Steve)
The authors write, “Ohio’s restrictive new election law significantly shortens the window for mailed ballots to be received — despite no evidence that the extended timeline has led to fraud or any other problems — and that change is angering active-duty members of the military and their families because of its potential to disenfranchise them.”
Tens of Thousands in Tel Aviv Protest Planned Legal Reforms (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv against Israel’s right-wing government under Benjamin Netanyahu. The protests were mainly focused on legal reforms planned by Justice Minister Yariv Levin that will deliberately weaken the judicial system. Saturday’s demonstration was the largest so far against the new government that was sworn in at the end of December. Protests were also held in Haifa and Jerusalem.”
Survey Finds ‘Classical Fascist’ Antisemitic Views Widespread in US (Russ)
The author writes, “New research by the Anti-Defamation League shows that views of Jews as clannish, conspiratorial and powerful are common, including among younger adults.”
Alaska’s Arctic Waterways Are Turning Orange, Threatening Drinking Water (Laura)
From High Country News: “Dozens of once crystal-clear streams and rivers in Arctic Alaska are now running bright orange and cloudy, and, in some cases, they may be becoming more acidic. This otherwise undeveloped landscape now looks as if an industrial mine has been in operation for decades, and scientists want to know why.”
Brain Expert: The No. 1 Thing That Sets ‘SuperAgers’ Apart From People With ‘Weak Memory Skills’ (Mili)
The author writes, “There is a group of people that longevity researchers call ‘SuperAgers,’ who are in their 80s and beyond, but have the cognitive function of those decades younger. Conversely, it’s possible for your brain to be older than your chronological age, which is what we want to avoid. As a neuroscience researcher and author of The Age-Proof Brain, I’ve found that it’s our behaviors, not just our genes, that have a powerful impact on our brain’s destiny.”
Elon Musk Suffers Worst Loss of Fortune in History Amid ‘Market Madness’ (Sean)
From Guinness World Records: “Elon Musk (South Africa) has officially broken the world record for the largest loss of personal fortune in history. He has lost approximately $182 billion (£153B; €173B) since November 2021, as estimated by Forbes, although other sources suggest that it could actually be closer to $200 billion. Although the exact figure is almost impossible to ascertain, Musk’s total losses far surpass the previous record of $58.6 billion, set by Japanese tech investor Masayoshi Son in 2000.”
