Keeping the lights on after powerful storms | Top 10

+ two ways of looking at last year's Supreme Court term US Edition - Today's top story: New study seeks to explain the 'Mandela Effect' – the bizarre phenomenon of shared false memories [View in browser]( US Edition | 2 October 2022 [The Conversation]( Welcome to Sunday and the best of The Conversation this past week. By late Friday afternoon, officials were reporting nearly 2 million residents of Florida were without power after high winds, rain and a storm surge from Hurricane Ian devastated coastal communities in the state. Also late last week, governors in Georgia and South Carolina declared states of emergency as Ian took a punch at their coastlines. Ian followed just two weeks after Hurricane Fiona ripped through Puerto Rico, knocking out the entire island’s electricity. Our climate team last week covered a new report on the potential for rooftop solar panels and batteries to provide power when the grid goes down. The researchers found that these home-based systems can provide essential relief in states [across much of the country during hot and cold weather](. Stable power is especially important in nursing homes and hospitals. Brett Robertson at the University of South Carolina took an in-depth look at [keeping these facilities running during extreme weather](. Jessica Calarco of Indiana University and Ilana Horn of Vanderbilt struck a nerve with readers in a story that examined [teachers’ attitudes toward students who don’t turn in their homework]( – even when it is clearly designed to be done with a parent’s help. “While educators recognize the different levels of resources that students have at home,” they wrote, “they continue to assign homework that is too difficult for students to complete independently, and reward students who complete the homework anyway.” Next week, we’ll bring you stories related to the first session of the Supreme Court, access to dentistry in Appalachia and why bank robberies aren’t such a thing anymore. Emily Costello Managing Editor Readers' picks When asked to recall the popular children’s book series ‘The Berenstain Bears,’ many people make the same error by spelling it ‘The Berenstein Bears.’ Stephen Osman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images [New study seeks to explain the ‘Mandela Effect’ – the bizarre phenomenon of shared false memories]( Deepasri Prasad, Dartmouth College; Wilma Bainbridge, University of Chicago People are puzzled when they learn they share the same false memories with others. That’s partly because they assume that what they remember and forget ought to be based only on personal experience. - [‘There’s only so far I can take them’ – why teachers give up on struggling students who don’t do their homework]( Jessica Calarco, Indiana University; Ilana Horn, Vanderbilt University Not all students have access to the same level of parental help at home. So why are they judged as if they do? Two scholars probe how educators view students who fail to complete their homework. - [What are tactical nuclear weapons? An international security expert explains and assesses what they mean for the war in Ukraine]( Nina Srinivasan Rathbun, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Tactical nuclear weapons were designed to be used on the battlefield rather than for strategic defense, but that doesn’t mean there’s a plausible case for using them. - [COVID-19 can cause lasting lung damage – 3 ways long COVID patients’ respiration can suffer]( Jeffrey M. Sturek, University of Virginia; Alexandra Kadl, University of Virginia Understanding how injury and disease, including COVID-19, can impair lung function can help researchers and clinicians better help patients who are experiencing chronic conditions - [Transgender men and nonbinary people are asked to stop testosterone therapy during pregnancy – but the evidence for this guidance is still murky]( Carla A. Pfeffer, Michigan State University Testosterone therapy is often essential for the health and well-being of transmasculine people. The choice to stop it to pursue pregnancy can be a difficult one. Editors' picks Downed powerlines can mean weeks without power. AP Photo/Matt Slocum [Hurricane Ian: When the power grid goes out, could solar and batteries power your home?]( Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Galen Barbose, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory A study of real-world disasters shows home solar and storage could keep the lights on and the air conditioner running during many outages, but not all. - [Hurricane Ian flooded a hospital and forced evacuations from dozens of nursing homes – many health facilities face similar risks from severe storms]( Brett Robertson, University of South Carolina Coastal hospitals are still at high risk, nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina’s flood disaster at Memorial Medical Center shocked the world. - [A seismic change has taken place at the Supreme Court – but it’s not clear if the shift is about principle or party]( Morgan Marietta, UMass Lowell Major Supreme Court decisions and reversals last term are leaving some people, including this scholar on constitutional politics, wondering – what’s going on with the court? - [Deep brain stimulation can be life-altering for OCD sufferers when other treatment options fall short]( Rachel A. Davis, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus This rare procedure is offered by only a handful of centers in the US and around the world and should be used only when less invasive treatment options for OCD have been tried. - [Why it’s such a big deal that Alla Pugacheva, ‘the tsarina of Russian pop,’ came out against the war in Ukraine]( Olga Partan, College of the Holy Cross In opinion polls over the past two decades, she’s routinely selected as one of the most popular Russians – often appearing second only to Vladimir Putin. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Quizmaster, The Conversation This week: questions on hurricanes, electric vehicles, long COVID and rabies. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. 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