Views of hunting are shifting

+ understanding 'climate change' in other languages US Edition - Today's top story: Colorado voters weigh a ban on hunting mountain lions as attitudes toward wild predators shift [View in browser]( US Edition | 18 September 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( In the 19th and early 20th centuries, before the modern environmental movement emerged, Americans generally saw wild animals as threats. Hunters earned bounties for killing wolves, black bears and other native species that could attack people or livestock. Today, many people want to protect wildlife, including predators, and help them become reestablished in areas where they once were present. In two surveys, Colorado State University researchers Kevin Crooks and Rebecca Niemiec found that large shares of state residents [disapproved of hunting black bears and mountain lions]( – especially for purposes unrelated to public safety, such as collecting trophies or killing the animals for meat. As attitudes toward hunting shift, wildlife agencies may need to reexamine “how and for whom they manage wild animals,” the authors observe. Also in this week’s science news: - [‘Biobots’ blur the line between life and death]( - [Pain from endometriosis affects millions of women]( - [GMO plants may come to home gardens]( 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 Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( In Colorado, many people run, bike and climb in mountain lion habitat. DEA/ C. Dani I. Jeske/De Agostini via Getty Images [Colorado voters weigh a ban on hunting mountain lions as attitudes toward wild predators shift]( Kevin Crooks, Colorado State University; Rebecca Niemiec, Colorado State University Colorado has spectacular scenery, but it comes with wild animals, and they sometimes wander into town. A ballot measure that would ban hunting wild cats is the latest test of public views on hunting. Fishermen on Mayotte, where the local Maore language has no words to easily translate ‘climate change.’ Mwanasimba via Wikimedia [Lost in translation: What spirituality and Einstein’s theory of time have to do with misunderstandings about climate change]( Miki Mori, Université de Mayotte On an island off Africa where one of the local languages has no established words for climate change, a researcher discovers lessons for everyone in discussing climate change. Sunflowers use tiny movements to follow the Sun’s path throughout the day. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel [Sunflowers make small moves to maximize their Sun exposure − physicists can model them to predict how they grow]( Chantal Nguyen, University of Colorado Boulder Plants don’t just grow straight up. They can move in loopy and zigzagging ways to get more sunshine. And studying these movements goes all the way back to Darwin in the 19th century. [Wild ginseng is declining, but small-scale ‘diggers’ aren’t the main threat to this native plant − and they can help save it]( Justine Law, Sonoma State University There’s a widespread argument that ‘poachers’ are responsible for the scarcity of wild ginseng. But a scholar who has interviewed diggers explains that most of them are good stewards. [Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree]( Alex Hoagland, University of Toronto; Michal Horný, UMass Amherst Patients often bear the cost of unexpected bills for basic preventive services such as wellness visits and cancer screenings. [Tiny robots and AI algorithms could help to craft material solutions for cleaner environments]( Mahshid Ahmadi, University of Tennessee Some materials react and generate potentially helpful particles when exposed to light. Analytical AI can help scientists sort through materials to find ones with this property. [What the jet stream and climate change had to do with the hottest summer on record − remember all those heat domes?]( Shuang-Ye Wu, University of Dayton As a record-hot summer comes to a close, an atmospheric scientist explains how global warming drove long periods of extreme heat. - [Philly residents with opioid addiction get medication from the ‘bupe bus’ − creating a path for treatment]( Margaret Lowenstein, University of Pennsylvania After their initial visit, 69% of patients returned to the van at least four times for follow-ups. - [Will your phone one day let you smell as well as see and hear what’s on the other end of a call?]( Jian Liu, University of Tennessee Phones that transmit odors sound like science fiction, but researchers are working on making them real. - [How researchers measure wildfire smoke exposure doesn’t capture long-term health effects − and hides racial disparities]( Joan Casey, University of Washington; Rachel Morello-Frosch, University of California, Berkeley Which is riskier for your health: a few days of very bad PM₂.₅ exposure or many more days of slightly bad exposure? Researchers developed new metrics to provide better answers. - [America’s dairy farms are disappearing, down 95% since the 1970s − milk price rules are one reason why]( Elizabeth Eckelkamp, University of Tennessee Dairy farms are struggling to survive as production costs exceed sales. The result, consolidation, with more cows on bigger farms, has an impact on communities and knowing where your food comes from. - [Health care under Harris versus Trump: A public health historian sizes up their records]( - [Biobots arise from the cells of dead organisms − pushing the boundaries of life, death and medicine]( - [Plants get a GMO glow-up: Genetically modified varieties are coming out of the lab and into homes and gardens]( - [Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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