NATO meeting is more than a photo-op

+ the next James Webb telescope US Edition - Today's top story: Ukraine is the hot topic at the NATO summit – the most important work is all in the details happening behind the scenes [View in browser]( US Edition | 12 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Removing Klamath dam recognizes rights of Indigenous people – and the river itself]( - [Media representation of women in physics is few and far between]( - [How to tell if your sore throat is actually strep throat]( Lead story I spent several years covering the United Nations, where there is a lot of pomp and circumstance that comes with convening world leaders. But in small rooms, hallways and nearby cafes, there is also constant behind-the-scenes work that arguably plays a more important role in determining policy than any official speech. There’s a lot at stake with the NATO summit in Lithuania, set to wrap up on Wednesday. While Sweden got a green light for admittance at this year’s meeting, Ukraine’s application remains in limbo. Former U.S. diplomat and Tufts University public diplomacy scholar Tara Sonenshine explains in today’s lead story [what is behind summits like the NATO meeting](, and why the events tend to go far beyond a photo-op for politicians. “From the logistical advance teams that prepare the groundwork for presidential travel to the protocol officers ensuring that handshakes or hugs are timed for photography, every detail matters both publicly and privately at these sorts of affairs,” she writes. [ [Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up for our weekly science email newsletter.]( ] Amy Lieberman Politics + Society Editor President Joe Biden and other world leaders are together at the 2023 NATO summit in Lithuania on July 11, 2023. Pauline Peleckis/Getty Images [Ukraine is the hot topic at the NATO summit – the most important work is all in the details happening behind the scenes]( Tara Sonenshine, Tufts University The NATO summit is a chance for world leaders to hash out difficult topics, like the war in Ukraine – and for the US to show off its leadership, writes a former diplomat. Politics + Society - [How the shooting of Ralph Yarl demonstrates the fiction of a colorblind society in America]( Barbara Harris Combs, Kennesaw State University A high school honors student, Ralph Yarl rang the wrong doorbell. Claiming fear for his life, the 84-year-old white male homeowner shot him. Environment + Energy - [A Canadian lake holds the key to the beginning of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch]( Alejandro Cearreta, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea Crawford Lake in Ontario contains the record that best identifies the beginning of the Anthropocene, the geologic epoch characterized by the global impact of human activity. - [Removing dams from the Klamath River is a step toward justice for Native Americans in Northern California]( Beth Rose Middleton Manning, University of California, Davis; Robert Lusardi, University of California, Davis The largest dam removal project is moving forward on the Klamath River in California and Oregon. Tribal nations there have fought for decades to protect native fish runs and the ecology of the river. Education - [Classic literature still offers rich lessons about life in the deep blue sea]( Jonathan Bate, Arizona State University The recent tragedy of the Titan submersible bore striking parallels to one of the most widely read novels about life at sea. Ethics + Religion - [Children, like adults, tend to underestimate how welcome their random acts of kindness will be]( Margaret Echelbarger, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York) In a study with people as young as 4 years old, participants underestimated how much others would appreciate their good deeds. Science + Technology - [A new, thin-lensed telescope design could far surpass James Webb – goodbye mirrors, hello diffractive lenses]( Daniel Apai, University of Arizona Space telescopes are limited in size due to the difficulties and cost of getting into orbit. By revamping an old optical technology, researchers are working on a lightweight and thin telescope design. - [Female physicists aren’t represented in the media – and this lack of representation hurts the physics field]( Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh; Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh The trailer for ‘Oppenheimer’ fails to include female physicists, which is indicative of a broader media trend that, if reversed, could lead to greater gender diversity in science. Health + Medicine - [Strep throat can easily be confused with throat infections caused by viruses – here are a few ways to know the difference]( Allen Shaughnessy, Tufts University Despite an abundance of research on strep, there is still a great deal of debate in the scientific community over whether and when people should get tested and treated for it. International - [Sweden is joining Nato: what that means for the alliance and the war in Ukraine]( Simon J Smith, Staffordshire University; Jordan Becker, United States Military Academy West Point All Nordic states are now members of the military alliance, bolstering key border regions with Russia. 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