Human-caused fire transformed prehistoric California

Tipping etiquette and norms are in flux − here’s how you can avoid feeling flustered or ripped off

Nathan B. Warren, BI Norwegian Business School; Sara Hanson, University of Richmond

Tipping seems to be more coercive and less tied to service quality these days.

Identifying fire victims through DNA analysis can be challenging − a geneticist explains what forensics is learning from archaeology

Anne Stone, Arizona State University

Maui officials have asked relatives to provide DNA samples to help identify victims of the Lahaina wildfires. Time and exposure to the elements, however, can make DNA retrieval from remains difficult.

Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly

Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond, University of California, San Diego

A few marine mammals in apparent revolt pushed meme-makers into overdrive. But a scholar who thinks about justice and human-animal relations suggests something deeper is behind the schadenfreude.

ChatGPT and other language AIs are nothing without humans – a sociologist explains how countless hidden people make the magic

John P. Nelson, Georgia Institute of Technology

Language model AIs seem smart because of how they string words together, but in reality they can’t do anything without many people guiding them every step of the way.

Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US, new study finds

Laura Fleszar, University of Washington; Allison Bryant Mantha, Harvard University; Catherine O. Johnson, University of Washington; Greg Roth, University of Washington

Black women died during or soon after pregnancy at higher rates than any other racial group in every year from 1999 to 2019. American Indian and Alaska Native women had the greatest increase in risk during this period.

Solidarity and symbolism the order of the day as US, Japan and South Korea leaders meet at Camp David

Mary M. McCarthy, Drake University

President Biden has an opportunity to show himself as a global leader who can bring historically antagonistic U.S. allies together.

Georgia indictment and post-Civil War history make it clear: Trump’s actions have already disqualified him from the presidency

Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago; Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago

US law actually bars former President Donald Trump from holding office ever again. The recent Georgia indictment of Trump helps make the case.

Nagorno-Karabakh blockade crisis: Choking of disputed region is a consequence of war and geopolitics

Ronald Suny, University of Michigan

The 120,000 residents of the disputed region are being deprived of food and medicines after a crucial link to Armenia was cut off by Azerbaijan.

How Ukraine’s savvy official social media rallied the world and raised the bar for national propaganda

Brandon Boatwright, Clemson University

An analysis of tweets posted by the Ukrainian national government and the Kyiv city government in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 shows a national resilience.

A heroic effort to save Florida’s coral reef from extreme ocean heat is underway as corals bleach across the Caribbean

Michael Childress, Clemson University

Ocean temperatures have hit record highs off the Florida Keys. Scientists and volunteer divers are racing to save these valuable creatures.

A carbon tax on investment income could be more fair and make it less profitable to pollute – a new analysis shows why

Jared Starr, UMass Amherst

Taxing consumption that contributes to climate change hits the poor the hardest, while overlooking the huge profits tied to greenhouse gas emissions.

Oppenheimer often used Sanskrit verses, and the Bhagavad Gita was special for him − but not in the way Christopher Nolan’s film depicts it

As the mental health crisis in children and teens worsens, the dire shortage of mental health providers is preventing young people from getting the help they need

Montana kids win historic climate lawsuit – here’s why it could set a powerful precedent

Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:

Sixteen young people from Montana won their lawsuit against the state on Aug. 14. What was the focus of their suit, Held v. State of Montana ?

1. A. Climate change
2. B. Abortion rights
3. C. Wolf trapping
4. D. Housing costs

Test your knowledge