For animals, play is serious business

+ how to deal with election angst; FDA rejects psychedelic drug US Edition - Today's top story: At its core, life is all about play − just look at the animal kingdom [View in browser]( US Edition | 14 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( There’s a lot of negativity in the news these days – wars, climate disasters, election angst and more. If you’re looking for more positive things to think about, we’ve got an essay from UMass Amherst English professor David Toomey making the case that [play is fundamental to life](, with diverse examples from the animal kingdom. In his new book, “Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself,” Toomey explores what researchers have learned from studying play in animals, including the possibility that it has a role in evolution. As he explains, play shares many features with the process of natural selection – for example, they both are undirected, open-ended and create many forms of beauty. In Toomey’s view, there’s a good argument that to live is to play. Also in this week’s science news: - [Study identifies ways to lower risk of dementia]( - [People often misunderstand what science is]( - [What animals survived the dinosaur extinction]( 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 Throw it to me! Mike Linnane / 500px via Getty Images [At its core, life is all about play − just look at the animal kingdom]( David Toomey, UMass Amherst Reduced to its essence, the process of natural selection would look a lot like play. Resist demonizing the ‘other’ side. Moor Studio/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images [Dealing with election anxiety? A psychiatrist explains how to channel your fears and break out of tribal thinking]( Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University The human tendency to form group affiliations and vilify outsiders can help ramp up your anxiety during a contentious election cycle. But you can push back on those fears. A growing body of evidence points to MDMA’s therapeutic potential for managing an array of hard-to-treat conditions like PTSD and depression. Antonio Ciufo/Moment via Getty Images [FDA rejects MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD treatment – a drug researcher explains the challenges psychedelics face]( Benjamin Y. Fong, Arizona State University The FDA’s decision shines a light on some of the unique obstacles that psychedelic drugs may face on the path to approval. [Mammary glands in a dish − what miniature organs reveal about evolution, lactation, regeneration and breast cancer]( Gat Rauner, Tufts University Organoids of mammary glands can help researchers more efficiently study lactation, with findings that could apply to fields ranging from agriculture to medicine. [Rat poison is moving up through food chains, threatening carnivores around the world]( Meghan P. Keating, Clemson University Modern rodenticides can kill rats with a single dose and readily pass up the food chain to larger carnivores. They are widely used and largely unregulated. [Birth of a hurricane: What meteorologists look for as they hunt for early signs of a tropical cyclone forming]( Xingchao Chen, Penn State New techniques are helping forecasters spot potentially dangerous storms earlier than ever. [If you want Americans to pay attention to climate change, just call it climate change]( Wändi Bruine de Bruin, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Gale Sinatra, University of Southern California Phrases like ‘climate crisis,’ ‘climate emergency’ or ‘climate justice’ might seem to escalate the urgency, but a large survey shows they don’t help and may actually hurt. [AI helps lighten the load on the electric grid – without skimping on people’s energy use]( Zoltan Nagy, The University of Texas at Austin Smart buildings can team up to be more energy efficient while keeping the people inside comfortable. [Wildfires don’t just burn farmland − they can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate crops and support livestock]( Andrew J. Whelton, Purdue University Just like fires can contaminate municipal water systems by melting pipes, farms’ and ranches’ water supply systems are at risk. A first-of-its-kind study after the Maui fires explores the harms. - [How back-to-back hurricanes set off a year of compounding disasters for one city − and alarm bells about risks in a warming world]( Tracy Kijewski-Correa, University of Notre Dame A National Academies report finds crucial lessons for everyone’s disaster planning and recovery in a town hit hard by two hurricanes, downpours and deep freezes, all in the midst of a pandemic. - [Good flooding? Scientists use rice cultivation to preserve soil in Florida’s Everglades Agricultural Area]( Jehangir Bhadha, University of Florida A soil expert explains why flooding rice fields in South Florida benefits the agriculture-rich region. - [Ancient grains of dust from space can be found on Earth − and provide clues about the life cycle of stars]( Sachiko Amari, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Most presolar grains were destroyed in the formation of the universe. But some survived on meteorites. - [SpaceX’s Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president – what this could mean for US space policy]( Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Johns Hopkins University Elon Musk’s support of Donald Trump could earn him some influence over space policy if Trump wins the 2024 election. - [How people with disabilities got game − the surprisingly long history of access to arcade and video sports]( - [Multiple goals, multiple solutions, plenty of second-guessing and revising − here’s how science really works]( - [Could dinosaurs still exist somewhere in the world? A paleontologist explains]( - [Dementia risk factors identified in new global report are all preventable – addressing them could reduce dementia rates by 45%]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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