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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.
Most in US Want More Action on Climate Change: AP-NORC Poll (Maria)
The author writes, “Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to fight climate change, according to a new poll that shows limited public awareness about a sweeping new law that commits the US to its largest ever investment to combat global warming. Democrats in Congress approved the Inflation Reduction Act in August, handing President Joe Biden a hard-fought triumph on priorities that his party hopes will bolster prospects for keeping their House and Senate majorities in November’s elections. … Yet the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 61% of US adults say they know little to nothing about it.”
Ruling: Arizona GOP Leader Must Surrender Phone Records (Reader Steve)
From The Arizona Daily Star: “The phone records of Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, could be in the hands of the Jan. 6 committee within days unless she can convince a higher court to intercede. And quickly. In an unusual weekend order, a majority of a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that Ward is not entitled to keep the information from the congressional panel while she appeals a lower court ruling ordering disclosure.”
New National UMass Amherst Poll Measures Voters’ Fear, Anger, and Worries Approaching Midterm Elections (Sean)
The author writes, “As the nation approaches the 2022 midterm elections, American voters expressed fear, anger and a great deal of worry in a new national University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll. … Nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters (74%) and 65% of Republican voters said that they will be angry — and three-quarters of both party’s voters said they will be afraid — if the opposing party takes control of Congress, the poll of 1,000 respondents found.”
From Camping to Cheese Pizza, ‘Algospeak’ Is Taking Over Social Media (Dana)
From Forbes: “If you’ve seen people posting about ‘camping’ on social media, there’s a chance they’re not talking about how to pitch a tent or which National Parks to visit. The term recently became ‘algospeak’ for something entirely different: discussing abortion-related issues in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Social media users are increasingly using codewords, emojis and deliberate typos — so-called ‘algospeak’ — to avoid detection by apps’ moderation AI when posting content that is sensitive or might break their rules.”
Omicron Keeps Finding New Evolutionary Tricks to Outsmart Our Immunity (Mili)
From NPR: “Throughout the pandemic, the virus that causes COVID-19 has been evolving fast, blindsiding the world with one variant after another. But the World Health Organization hasn’t given a SARS-CoV-2 variant a Greek name in almost a year, a move that’s reserved for new variants that do or could have significant public health impacts, such as being more transmissible or causing more severe disease. That raises the question: Has the evolution of the virus finally started to ebb, possibly making it more predictable? The answer — according to a dozen evolutionary biologists, virologists and immunologists interviewed by NPR — is no.”
10,000 Liters a Day for Each Pitch: Water Strain in the Gulf and the Qatar World Cup (Laura)
The author writes, “As the World Cup approaches, Qatar is going to need at least 10,000 liters of water every day for each of its stadium pitches. Based in a region with virtually no access to fresh water, it is going to rely on desalination — the practice of debrining saltwater so it is drinkable. It seems like an elegant solution — but the problem is that desalination, which is projected to boom by 37% across the Gulf region in the next five years, has huge environmental costs, in terms of the fossil fuels used to carry out the process, and the marine environment. But without it, how can the arid region possibly quench its thirst?”
Common Weed Discovered to Be a ‘Super Plant’ (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “In a world troubled by climate change, a common weed provides crucial hints about how to develop drought-resistant crops. Purslane, also known as Portulaca oleracea, combines two different metabolic pathways to produce a unique sort of photosynthesis that allows the plant to withstand drought while remaining extremely productive, according to Yale University scientists. The researchers recently published their findings in the journal Science Advances.”
Demonic Close-up Photo of Ant’s Face Is Straight Out of a Horror Movie (Dana)
The author writes, “There’s so much more to the world than what we can see with the naked eye, so sometimes we need a little help dialing into the details. That’s what Nikon’s Small World Photomicrography Competition is all about. Nikon announced the winners last week, but I’m going to start off by highlighting one of the runners-up, a highly magnified image of an ant. The ant photo is from wildlife photographer Eugenijus Kavaliauskas, who has a glorious portfolio you could lose yourself in for hours. The image has attracted some attention on social media, perhaps due to a combination of its haunting nature and the proximity of Halloween. It looks like something that crawled out of an orc pit in Middle-earth.”
