Nashville School Shooting, Moon Water, and the Age of Average

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Nashville School Shooting

Three children and three adults were shot and killed yesterday after a 28-year-old shooter carrying two semiautomatic rifles and a handgun opened fire at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.

The suspect, Audrey Hale, who identified as transgender and was reportedly a former student, died after being shot by police responding to the scene at The Covenant School, which serves about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade. The victims were identified as aged 9, 60, and 61 (see here, via Twitter).  

Officials say police received an initial call about the active shooter at 10:13 am CT. The suspect reportedly entered the school by firing through the glass doors of a first-floor side entrance before moving to the second floor, where two police officers from a five-member team opened fire, killing the suspect at 10:27 am (see timeline). The school did not have a public safety officer onsite. 

Investigators said the suspect had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and left behind some writings. The suspect's motive is unclear. See more details from the police here (via Twitter). 

Nearly 3,000 people have died in over 500 mass killings in the US since 2006. See a running database of all mass killings here. 

Israel Delays Judicial Reform

The Israeli government yesterday suspended its plans to overhaul the judicial system until the parliament’s summer session, starting April 30. The news comes following mass protests and after the country’s largest trade union federation announced a strike against the overhaul, shutting down transportation, universities, banks, and other services.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, was fired Sunday. The firing came one day after Gallant, in a speech, argued a pause in judicial reforms was necessary for national security, referring to reservists in the military who publicly said they will not serve the country if the overhaul passes.

The proposed reforms would give the government more control over appointing judges to the Supreme Court and allow parliament to override court decisions. Supporters argue the changes are necessary to balance the court, while critics claim the reforms give Netanyahu nearly unchecked power and weaken the court. See photos from the protest here. 

Moon Water Discovery

Scientists have identified a new potential source of water in trillions of small glass beads on the surface of the moon, according to a new study of moon rock samples collected in 2020 by the Chinese Chang'e 5 rover. The findings could form the basis for a future sustainable source of water in planned lunar habitat projects.

Analysis of a four-pound moon sample revealed the glass beads were formed from the molten, oxygen-filled remains of meteors inundated with hydrogen from solar wind, forming small amounts of water within the silicate beads. Extracting the tiny bits of water requires a simple process of heating the beads to just over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists believe the moon could have up to 71 trillion gallons of water via this source. Read the original study here.

The discovery is not the first time water has been found on the moon, although it is likely the most widely distributed and accessible water yet identified. See NASA's history of water discoveries on the moon here. 

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In-Depth

> Following Captain Cook

The Guardian | Suzanne Heywood. In 1976, a 7-year-old girl embarked on what was supposed to be a three-year trip around the world with her family. What followed was a decadelong adventure fraught with storms, shipwrecks, and seclusion. (Read)

> The Age of Average

Alex Murrell | Alex Murrell. A look at creative fields, ranging from film and fashion to architecture and advertising, and how many have been increasingly dominated and characterized by convention and cliché. (Read)

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