The Conversation - How sharks make the ocean healthier

+ the Olympics' civil religion ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

It’s hard not to feel concerned about sharks at the beach in summer, when local movie theaters screen “Jaws” and warning signs go up at beaches from Cape Cod to the Gulf Coast. But as scientists constantly point out, sharks are vastly more at risk from humans than vice versa. And a new study shows that without sharks, the world’s oceans would be much less healthy.

In a broad review of decades of shark research, Florida International University biologist Michael Heithaus and his colleagues found that sharks help maintain important underwater ecosystems such as seagrass beds, kelp forests and coral reefs just through their presence. As top-of-the-food-chain predators, sharks cause other sea creatures to move around and change their habits in ways that help these ecosystems thrive. As Heithaus’ research team shows, an ocean without sharks would be a truly dismal prospect.

This week we also liked articles about Missy Elliott’s musical career, the disproportionate toll that thinking about household chores takes on moms, and why Kamala Harris doesn’t have much in common with Hubert Humphrey as a presidential candidate.

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Jennifer Weeks

Senior Environment + Cities Editor

Gray reef sharks and blacktip reef sharks near Tahiti, French Polynesia. Alexis Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Oceans without sharks would be far less healthy – new research

Michael Heithaus, Florida International University

A broad review of shark research shows that sharks play critical roles in keeping ocean ecosystems such as coral reefs and seagrass beds healthy.

Athletes line up for a 100-meter race at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

The French baron who revived the Olympics believed they were more than sport – they were a religion of perfection and peace

Jeffrey Scholes, University of Colorado Colorado Springs; Terry Shoemaker, Arizona State University

Pierre de Coubertin hoped to channel the best of the ancient ceremonies into a new tradition that could foster both national pride and international harmony.

Missy Elliott’s music tells stories of Black cyborgs, space-time travel and postapocalyptic worlds. Prince Williams/WireImage via Getty Images

Missy Elliott tours as a headliner − and it’s about time

Elliott H. Powell, University of Minnesota

The six-time platinum-selling artist invites fans into an imagined future that celebrates Blackness and queerness.

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+ Biden's SCOTUS reform could improve court legitimacy ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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