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In 1971, His Climate Research Raised Early Alarm Bells
Early Climate Scientist:
'Where Did I Go Wrong?'
LONGFORM
Nov 26, 2023 9:00 AM CST

Early Climate Scientist: 'Where Did I Go Wrong?'

Australia's Graeme Pearman, 82, now laments that so little action was taken decades ago

(Newser) - "I often wonder: where did I go wrong?" Graeme Pearman tells the Guardian . "Why didn't people respond? Is that my responsibility?" In the early '70s, Pearman rang the alarm about what he saw as an impending climate crisis as part of CSIRO, Australia's government agency...

Maybe Our Money Should Expire
Maybe Our Money Should
Have an Expiration Date
longform
Nov 25, 2023 2:45 PM CST

Maybe Our Money Should Have an Expiration Date

Noema explores the concept put forth by a long-ago German economist

(Newser) - It's a novel thought experiment: What if our money had an expiration date? In Noema , Jacob Baynham explores the idea and how it would transform the very idea of what money is, or should be. As Baynham explains, a German economist named Silvio Gesell proposed the idea more than...

He's an Appalachian Trail Legend—but a 'Polarizing' One

'Outside Online' profiles Warren Doyle

(Newser) - When it comes to Appalachian Trail legends, Warren Doyle's name has a place at the top of the list. The 73-year-old set a fastest known time of 66 days five decades ago, has hiked all 2,198 miles of the trial 18 times, has coached other AT record setters,...

The Phony Will Worked— Until His Ex Got Suspicious

'Toronto Life' unravels story of ex-cop, his mistress, and the money they stole from a dead man

(Newser) - In one sense, the story by Katherine Laidlaw in Toronto Life recounts a straightforward, depressing crime: When an elderly man with dementia died without a will and seemingly without relatives, a couple successfully schemed to illegally obtain his estate of more than $800,000. They pulled it off because Adellene...

School Principals Form Unwanted but Necessary Group

A deep dive into the Principal Recovery Network, a support group for leaders at schools affected by gun violence

(Newser) - Frank DeAngelis used to belong to a lonely club of one. Now, he's got nearly two dozen companions in that club, but it's one he wishes didn't exist. In fact, DeAngelis—the former principal of Colorado's Columbine High School, where a 1999 mass shooting left 12...

Can $500 a Month for a Year Change a Life?
What Happened When Chicago
Gave Her $500 a Month
longform
Nov 19, 2023 6:01 AM CST

What Happened When Chicago Gave Her $500 a Month

A look at how one woman's life was impacted by the yearlong Resilient Communities Pilot

(Newser) - You hear about them every so often: pilot programs that give a select group of people a guaranteed income for a specific amount of time in a quest to see if such an approach can make a difference in the fight against poverty. In a deep dive for Chicago Magazine ...

A Famed Tennis Family Moved to the US, Found Tragedy
How Things Came Undone
for a Famed Tennis Family
longform
Nov 18, 2023 2:40 PM CST

How Things Came Undone for a Famed Tennis Family

The 'NYT' shares the story of David Lewis and his daughters

(Newser) - Everyone in the New Zealand tennis world knows David Lewis, writes Matthew Futterman for the New York Times . They also know "what happened to his family." Lewis was part of a trio of tennis-star brothers—himself a pro, another losing the 1983 Wimbledon men's singles final to...

How Did Little Tokelau Become a Cybercrime Hub? Think '.tk'

'MIT Technology Review' unpacks the inadvertent twist for Pacific territory

(Newser) - Unless you're a geography buff, you may never have heard of the tiny Pacific territory of Tokelau. It's no wonder: As Jacob Judah explains in the MIT Technology Review , Tokelau is made up of three small atolls, has only about 1,400 inhabitants, and didn't even get...

The Rare Kit Kats Made It to the US. Then Came the Scam

'Strategic theft' is on the rise. This was one instance of it

(Newser) - As far as scams go, it's a strange and confusing one—and on the rise. The New York Times delves into the world of "strategic theft," which it describes as "part identity theft, part extortion," with a real-world case involving 55,000 unusually flavored Kit...

Lululemon Founder Investing Fortune to Cure His Disease

Bloomberg profiles Chip Wilson and his fight against form of muscular dystrophy

(Newser) - The founder of athleisure company Lululemon has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and he's spending millions to find a cure before time runs out. Bloomberg details Chip Wilson's story, from becoming an entrepreneur in the outdoor and fitness realm (when he was first diagnosed in the late...

Cajun Turtles' Biggest Threat: Illegal Hunters
Cajun Turtles' Biggest
Threat: Illegal Hunters
longform
Nov 12, 2023 6:33 AM CST

Cajun Turtles' Biggest Threat: Illegal Hunters

'Texas Tribune' explores the fate of alligator snapping turtles in Texas and Louisiana

(Newser) - Alligator snapping turtles have long been a Cajun delicacy, so much so that the prehistoric-looking creatures' numbers are dwindling. As the Texas Tribune explains, Texas has strict laws to protect the freshwater turtles—which can easily top 100 pounds and live longer than the researchers who study them—but Louisiana...

Doctors Are Learning a Risky Procedure on YouTube
A Risky Hernia Procedure
Is Gaining Popularity
longform
Nov 5, 2023 4:25 PM CST

A Risky Hernia Procedure Is Gaining Popularity

'New York Times' takes a in-depth look at component separation

(Newser) - Some doctors are learning how to perform a complicated and risky medical procedure that has recently gained popularity by watching online videos or attending quick trainings. And the New York Times reports that in a growing number of cases, patients are being left painfully disfigured after going under the knife....

He Entered NBA With No Red Flags. They Piled Up Fast

ESPN looks at the troubles of superstar Ja Morant, whose career is on the line

(Newser) - The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies have begun their new season, but superstar Ja Morant has to watch from the bench for the first 25 games. The 24-year-old is serving the league suspension—which amounts to him forfeiting $7.7 million in salary—after he showed up on social media posing...

A Maligned, Centuries-Old Test Is Still Used in Murder Cases

ProPublica digs into the criticisms of the 'lung float' test in regard to stillborn babies

(Newser) - It's called the "lung float" test, and, as ProPublica explains, the name is an accurate one. The test first emerged centuries ago as a way to determine if a baby was born stillborn or murdered. The infant's lungs would be placed in water and if they floated—...

For Professors, Online Stalkers Are a Growing Concern
Increasingly, Professors
Are Being Stalked
longform
Nov 4, 2023 10:00 AM CDT

Increasingly, Professors Are Being Stalked

The Verge takes a look at the growing problem of the harassment of faculty members

(Newser) - The problem of stalking on college campuses is a disturbingly common one. As Erika Hayasaki writes in the Verge , 17% of students have reported being victims in some fashion, with the reported stalkers running the gamut from classmates to strangers and even nonstudents. The story, though, looks at a different...

Two Scientific Words Explain Fascination With Horror

'Predator inspection' serves an evolutionary purpose, according to 'Scientific American'

(Newser) - Halloween season is in full swing, with people subjecting themselves to haunted houses, scary movies, and ghoulish costumes. And why? Not to take all the fun out of the festivities, but two researchers in Scientific American have two words to explain this fascination with—and even embrace of—horror: predator...

The World Is Burning. 'Tell Me About Your Mother'
The World Is Burning.
'Tell Me About Your Mother'
longform
Oct 29, 2023 2:10 PM CDT

The World Is Burning. 'Tell Me About Your Mother'

'New York Times Magazine' explores how climate angst is changing the world of therapy

(Newser) - Not too long ago, if somebody walked into a therapist's office and described their existential dread about what's happening to the climate, the patient might have been considered a crackpot. Today? With mind-boggling heat, rampant wildfires, related smoke pollution, flooding, etc., not so much. In fact, Seattle therapist...

It Was One of the Internet's First Crash-and-Burn Stories

Narratively takes a deep dive into 'Kony 2012,' which captivated the world briefly, then fizzled

(Newser) - A blast from the internet's viral hall of fame, Kony 2012 , is back in Narratively's in-depth look into how the sensation-turned-cancellation came to be—and what has happened in the 11 years since the video promising to change the world ripped through headlines. In the piece, the visionary...

Possible Descendant Wants Harvard's Early Slave Photos

Tamara Lanier sued university unsuccessfully to reclaim images she believes depict her family

(Newser) - Thirteen years ago, Tamara Lanier underwent a quest to understand her lineage, resulting in a lawsuit to reclaim photos from a Harvard museum that she believes depict her enslaved ancestors. ProPublica unfolds the moving story that begins with an African-born, enslaved man named Renty. Harvard professor Louis Agassiz, who subscribed...

Trans Teen, Family 'Run Out of Town on a Rail'
Trans Teen, Family
'Run Out of Town on a Rail'
LONGFORM
Oct 22, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Trans Teen, Family 'Run Out of Town on a Rail'

'New Yorker' piece dives into how laws in Tennessee, and in South in general, have affected LGBTQ youth

(Newser) - Tennessee has passed nearly 20 anti-LGBTQ+ laws since 2015, among the highest in the nation, per the Human Rights Campaign. For Kristen Chapman, that number is more than just a statistic—it proved to be the death knell for her family's future in the Volunteer State, as her 17-year-daughter,...

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