Wealth matters in weather-related power outages for getting service back fast

+ avian flu and milk; microbiology of sourdough starter US Edition - Today's top story: Power outages linked to heat and storms are rising, and low-income communities are most at risk, as a new NYC study shows [View in browser]( US Edition | 1 May 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( If it seems like power outages are becoming more common, it’s not your imagination. Major outages are up tenfold across the U.S. since 1980, thanks in large part to aging electric equipment and worsening storms due to climate change. During heat waves in particular, these outages can become deadly. In a new study out today, environmental health scientists Nina Flores and Joan Casey look at [how wealth and social vulnerability align with how soon power returns after outages tied to extreme weather](. Their analysis of neighborhood-level data across New York – along with recent research on hurricane-related [outages in the Southeast]( – raises questions about where power is restored first and offers steps communities can take to reduce the harm. Also in this week’s science news: - [A nuanced explanation of electric vehicle safety]( - [How intoxicated people act during police interrogation]( - [The environmental footprint of big-box retail]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Stacy Morford Environment + Climate Editor People line up for ice provided by a utility company during a 2019 power outage in Brooklyn. AP Photo/Seth Wenig [Power outages linked to heat and storms are rising, and low-income communities are most at risk, as a new NYC study shows]( Nina Flores, Columbia University; Joan A. Casey, University of Washington Practices such as redlining left marginalized groups in more disaster-prone areas with poorer quality infrastructure − and more likely to experience prolonged power outages. Cows typically get over avian flu in a couple of weeks, but it’s an economic blow for farms. AP Photo/Charlie Litchfield [How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkers]( Noelia Silva del Rio, University of California, Davis; Richard V. Pereira, University of California, Davis; Robert B. Moeller, University of California, Davis; Terry W. Lehenbauer, University of California, Davis; Todd Cornish, University of California, Davis Five livestock experts who study infectious diseases in the dairy industry explain the risks. A powerful tornado tore apart homes near Omaha, Neb., on April 26, 2024. AP Photo/Margery A. Beck [Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US]( Jana Lesak Houser, The Ohio State University A powerful storm system produced dozens of destructive tornadoes over three days that tore apart homes in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa. A meteorologist explains the conditions that fueled them. [Sourdough under the microscope reveals microbes cultivated over generations]( Daniel Veghte, The Ohio State University You can thank yeast and bacteria for the distinctive taste and smell of the oldest leavened bread in history. [Climbers have turned Mount Everest into a high-altitude garbage dump, but sustainable solutions are within reach]( Suzanne OConnell, Wesleyan University; Alton C. Byers, University of Colorado Boulder Mountain tourism brings revenues to Nepal but leaves a mess behind. Local and international groups are offering new cleanup strategies. [Teens see social media algorithms as accurate reflections of themselves, study finds]( Nora McDonald, George Mason University Adolescents treat ‘for you’ algorithms as a social mirror and are willing to give up privacy to use it. [Electric air taxis are on the way – quiet eVTOLs may be flying passengers as early as 2025]( Jamey Jacob, Oklahoma State University These electric aircraft take off and land vertically so they don’t need runways. And they promise a quieter, more accessible and less polluting form of short-distance air travel than helicopters. - [Cybersecurity researchers spotlight a new ransomware threat – be careful where you upload files]( Selcuk Uluagac, Florida International University Modern web browsers are increasingly becoming like virtual computers, able to send email and play music and videos. The downside is it’s a new way for hackers to get into your computer. - [Ghosted, orbited, breadcrumbed? A psychotherapist breaks down some perils of digital dating and how to cope]( Danielle Sukenik, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Online dating has its own jargon. But the feelings involved are nothing new. - [‘What is a fact?’ A humanities class prepares STEM students to be better scientists]( Timothy Morton, Rice University A professor shows science students how humanities classes are the real stem that other disciplines sprout from. They learn that critical thinking and skepticism don’t stop when they leave the lab. - [IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects]( Doug Cowen, Penn State Tau neutrinos are notoriously difficult to spot in detectors like IceCube. But researchers have managed to isolate 7 candidates. - [Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed]( Dawn P. Coe, University of Tennessee; Elizabeth (Kip) Webster, University of Tennessee Your sprinting skills have a lot to do with genetics, but your brain also plays a big role. - [Cassava: The perilous past and promising future of a toxic but nourishing crop]( - [Large retailers don’t have smokestacks, but they generate a lot of pollution − and states are starting to regulate it]( - [Under the influence and under arrest − what happens if you’re drunk in the interrogation room?]( - [Electric vehicles are usually safer for their occupants – but not necessarily for everyone else]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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