|
Top headlines
Lead story
With hurricane season underway, forecasters will need all the satellite data they can get. Yet three key satellites are about to go dark.
The U.S. government announced last week that it was cutting off data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which is particularly important for recognizing when a hurricane is likely to rapidly intensify.
The move – and the short notice – drew a backlash on social media, but the situation is more nuanced than it might appear.
We asked Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who trains forecasters to use satellite data, to explain why the data is going dark and whether other satellites can fill in for what’s about to be lost.
[ Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails). ]
|
Many coastal communities rely on satellite data to understand the risks as hurricanes head their way.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
Chris Vagasky, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program has been particularly important for understanding when a hurricane is about to rapidly intensify, a dangerous situation for coastal communities.
|
International
|
-
Stephen Collins, Kennesaw State University
In the majority of cases, diplomacy has played a pivotal role in convincing nuclear-seeking nations to relinquish their pursuit of nuclear weapons.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Jesse Rhodes, UMass Amherst; Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst; Douglas Rice, UMass Amherst; Gregory Wall, UMass Amherst; Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst
Ten years after Donald Trump launched the Make America Great Again movement, a poll offers some insight into what the slogan means to Republicans and Democrats.
|
|
Economy + Business
|
-
Valerie L. Myers, Ph.D., University of Michigan
Reclaiming the true meaning of calling can rebuild trust and renew systems from the inside out.
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Paul Shafer, Boston University; Kristefer Stojanovski, Tulane University
The justices ruled that a key preventive health task force has authority because it is appointed by the Health and Human Services secretary. Some experts worry that RFK Jr. could politicize it.
-
Sumit Agarwal, University of Michigan
Medicaid improves access to care for low-wage workers who cannot survive on bare-bone benefits offered by their employers.
-
Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi
In recent years, the majority of stimulant-related overdose deaths have also involved fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
-
Mark Salzer, Temple University
Creating inclusive communities means not just offering services to people with serious mental illness, but changing negative beliefs and behaviors toward them.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Peter Mullner, Boise State University
Materials science might seem very technical, but as a scientific discipline, it has led to many shifts in society over the past few centuries.
|
|
Education
|
-
Robin Pickering, Gonzaga University
Comprehensive sex education has benefits, but the birds and the bees appear to be a taboo topic for some families.
|
|
