Giving floodwater a place to go

+ what anthropology tells us about future pandemics US Edition - Today's top story: As climate change amplifies urban flooding, here's how communities can become 'sponge cities' [View in browser]( US Edition | 8 May 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Extreme weather driven by climate change is battering cities around the world. One of the biggest impacts is urban flooding: When heavy rains fall on urban areas where many surfaces are paved, the water has few places to soak in, so it spreads across streets and into homes and other properties. Franco Montalto, a professor of civil engineering at Drexel University who studies and designs strategies for sustainably managing urban stormwater, says that green engineering is a viable strategy for mitigating urban flooding. But in the U.S., it’s currently being done only at a pilot level. Montalto explains how to scale up and accelerate this work in ways that could transform North American metros into [true “sponge cities,”]( where every surface is connected to a park, rain garden, constructed wetland or other space designed to flood safely. Also in this week’s science news: - [How to improve screening for lung cancer]( - [Mom chimpanzees prioritize play with their young]( - [Biology of how the brain thinks]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Cities Editor Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary. Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images Group via Getty Images [As climate change amplifies urban flooding, here’s how communities can become ‘sponge cities’]( Franco Montalto, Drexel University US cities are doing green infrastructure, but in bits and pieces. Today’s climate-driven floods require a much broader approach to create true sponge cities that are built to soak up water. The changes that came with the transition from foraging to farming paved the way for disease. Nastasic/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images [Future pandemics will have the same human causes as ancient outbreaks − lessons from anthropology can help prevent them]( Ron Barrett, Macalester College Human factors − such as how people produce food and how they organize themselves and live together − influence disease outbreaks. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on approach to the International Space Station during an uncrewed test in 2022. Bob Hines/NASA [Boeing’s Starliner launch – delayed again – will be an important milestone for commercial spaceflight]( Wendy Whitman Cobb, Air University The Starliner’s planned crewed test on May 6, 2024, was scrubbed after a technical issue with the rocket taking it up to orbit. [Healthy teeth are wondrous and priceless – a dentist explains why and how best to protect them]( Samer Zaky, University of Pittsburgh The durability and longevity of teeth lie in the complex interplay between six different tissues, all of which play an intricate role in tooth formation and health. [Venus is losing water faster than previously thought – here’s what that could mean for the early planet’s habitability]( Eryn Cangi, University of Colorado Boulder Studying Venus’ water loss can help scientists better understand how planets go from potentially habitable to incapable of supporting life. [What are nanoplastics? An engineer explains concerns about particles too small to see]( Mohan Qin, University of Wisconsin-Madison Nanoplastics are the smallest microplastics, far narrower than a human hair. Very little is known about their composition, structure or how they break down in the environment. [Animal behavior research is getting better at keeping observer bias from sneaking in – but there’s still room to improve]( Todd M. Freeberg, University of Tennessee Like all people, the way scientists see the world is shaped by biases and expectations, which can affect how they record and report. Rigorous research methods can minimize this effect. - [Exoplanet WASP-69b has a cometlike tail – this unique feature is helping scientists like me learn more about how planets evolve]( Dakotah Tyler, University of California, Los Angeles Research on one exoplanet that’s rapidly losing its atmosphere is hinting to scientists why exoplanets tend to look a certain way. - [Everyday life and its variability influenced human evolution at least as much as rare activities like big-game hunting]( Cara Wall-Scheffler, University of Washington Some anthropologists question how much rare activities like big-game hunting could have affected how our species evolved. Instead they’re looking at daily activities like carrying water or firewood. - [Brain cancer in children is notoriously hard to treat – a new mRNA cancer vaccine triggers an attack from within]( Christina von Roemeling, University of Florida; John Ligon, University of Florida Cancer vaccines have gained much interest among scientists but face a number of hurdles. A new mRNA vaccine for glioma offers a step forward in training the immune system to fight cancer. - [Houston’s flood problems offer lessons for cities trying to adapt to a changing climate]( Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, University of Michigan Too much pavement and old drainage systems are just two of the problems communities face. - [Arizona’s now-repealed abortion ban serves as a cautionary tale for reproductive health care across the US]( - [Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers, and screening could save many lives − if more people could access it]( - [Playing with the kids is important work for chimpanzee mothers]( - [How does the brain think?]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: • [Politics Weekly]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Giving Today]( • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Threads]( • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. 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