Do you crush microbes when you step on them?

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Do you crush microbes when you step on them?     Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.Do viruses, bacteria and other small things get crushed like an ant when stepped on? – Ryan L., age 12, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Continued here

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Africa needs its own credit rating agency: here's how it could work     The credit rating industry in Africa is dominated by the three international agencies: Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. Together they control an estimated 95% of the credit rating business globally. Credit rating agencies are institutions that assess a borrower’s creditworthiness in general terms, or with respect to a particular debt or financial obligation. A credit rating can be assigned to any entity that seeks to borrow money – an individual, a corporation, a state or provincial authority, or a sovereign government. Investors use a credit rating to make decisions about risk and return. So the rating is required if an institution wants to raise funds on financial markets. Continued here

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Communication Is at the Heart of Positive Employee Relationships | Ben Laker     Our summer special report helps leaders gain a comprehensive view of risks, learn how to overcome market disrupters, and manage the analytical tools that provide predictive insight for decision-making.Our summer special report helps leaders gain a comprehensive view of risks, learn how to overcome market disrupters, and manage the analytical tools that provide predictive insight for decision-making.In today’s competitive job market, companies must focus not only on finding the best candidates but also on fostering positive relationships with them, starting with the first step of the recruitment process through every stage of employment. Continued here

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The 'Depression Burger' of Route 66     In El Reno, a small industrial town just west of Oklahoma City on Oklahoma's portion of Route 66, Sid's Diner is hopping during lunch. With the sharp smell of crisping onions and burger grease in the air, most of the diners in the joint are munching down on a sandwich that was born out of poverty but made famous by love.Adam, the second-generation owner at Sid's Diner, taking over from his father Marty Hall, is working the flat iron grill. He presses the patty of beef mince made juicy with a mess of sweet onion slivers onto the searing heat. As meat cooks to a nice crispy crust, he flips the burger onion-side down, letting the grease and the grill cast the magic of caramelisation. Continued here

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Asian folktales offer moral lessons that help reduce racial prejudice in children     In a Cambodian children’s folktale, one man is afraid of lawyers and another is afraid of filth. As the story goes, both are constantly bombarded by their fears despite their efforts to avoid them. The moral of the tale is revealing and contains a powerful anti-racism message: What you hate becomes your fate. Continued here

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How uploading our minds to a computer might become possible     The idea that our mind could live on in another form after our physical body dies has been a recurring theme in science fiction since the 1950s. Recent television series such as Black Mirror and Upload, as well as some games, demonstrate our continued fascination with this idea. The concept is known as mind uploading.Recent developments in science and technology are taking us closer to a time when mind uploading could graduate from science fiction to reality. Continued here

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Taking students to the range to learn about gun culture firsthand     Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. I grew up in the liberal culture of the San Francisco Bay Area and never touched a firearm until I was 42 years old, living in North Carolina and teaching sociology at Wake Forest University. Continued here

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Why the boho, rock-goddess aesthetic lives on     Of all the rock 'n' roll legends who have played Glastonbury over its 53-year history, one much-loved band hasn't appeared on the bill. Fleetwood Mac have never made the pilgrimage to Worthy Farm. Even so, when the gates to Glastonbury opened a few days ago, the band's Stevie Nicks will certainly have been there in spirit. Or rather, in the form of all the many festival-goers dressed in her signature look of flowing maxi dresses, billowing sleeves, kimonos, shawls and layers of chiffon, velvet and lace.   Modern festival fashion has long leaned into the bohemian look – it's 20 years since Kate Moss arrived at Glastonbury in a pair of fringed suede boots and loose pink kaftan and scarf-style belt. Then, soon after, Sienna Miller's coin belts, cowboy boots and floppy hats also became summer staples. "In the early 2000s, 70s bohemian-inspired fashion became inextricably linked with summer in the public's minds, likely due to the high press attention on celebrity attendees," says fashion and cultural historian Laura McLaws Helms. "Since then, every summer, aspects of the aesthetic return to fashion. It now feels that part of having the 'festival experience' is wearing a bohemian-inspired look." Continued here

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Body mass index: why practitioners are relying on it less when looking at a patient's health     Body mass index has long been used by doctors as the standard method for measuring health – and often still is. But earlier this month, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a new policy that cautions medical professionals from using the body mass index (BMI) as a stand-alone clinical tool during patient consultations. In 2022, England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) also made similar changes to obesity guidelines, recommending that waist-to-hip ratio be used alongside BMI.It’s hardly surprising this new policy recommendation has been made given the widespread recognition in recent years that BMI has many limitations – particularly when used to make judgements about body weight, and, importantly, health. Continued here

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Why workers are still winning the return-to-office fight     For nearly three years, workers and employers have been locking horns over the return to office. Employees who came to prize the flexibility of pandemic-era remote work aren’t backing down as they fight with companies that want them back at their office desks.It is, in some ways, strange this battle is still raging – especially as the labour market has become more employer-favourable throughout the past several months. At the height of the Great Resignation, employers faced a prolonged hiring crisis with a talent shortage. With workers holding the upper hand, many demanded hybrid- and remote-working policies as part of their employment packages. Continued here

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Climate conferences have a huge trust deficit: how to make COP28 deliver     Carlos Lopes is a board member of the World Resources Institute, Climate Works Foundation and African Climate Foundation.As countries prepare for COP28 summit scheduled for the end of the year in Dubai, the world has the opportunity to map a transition pathway that addresses over 14 years of unmet promises. This is particularly true when it comes to climate finance. Continued here

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Baby deaths in Tanzania: being born in a city no longer increases their chances of survival     Peter Macharia was supported by the Institute of Tropical Medicine’s EWI People Program. He acknowledges the Royal Society Newton International Fellowship (NIF/R1/201418) and the Wellcome Trust support to the Kenya Major Overseas Programme (#203077). Five million children under five years old died in 2021. Of these, nearly half occurred within the first month – a time of high vulnerability. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest death rate in the world: 27 in 1,000 newborn babies (1,067,000). This is 11 times higher than in countries with the lowest rates (2 deaths in 1,000), such as Australia and New Zealand. Continued here

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States are weakening their child labor restrictions nearly 8 decades after the US government took kids out of the workforce     A movement to weaken American child labor protections at the state level began in 2022. By June 2023, Arkansas, Iowa, New Jersey and New Hampshire had enacted this kind of legislation, and lawmakers in at least another eight states had introduced similar measures. The laws generally make it easier for kids from 14 to 17 years old to work longer and later – and in occupations that were previously off-limits for minors. Continued here

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Dog detectives can sniff out protected great crested newts and reduce costly construction delays     Construction projects often find themselves at odds with the great crested newt. In 2020, the then UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, referred to them as a drag on the economy, citing their presence on development sites as a cause for costly delays. These creatures even put a stop to Ed Sheeran’s proposal to build a wedding chapel on his Suffolk estate.Great crested newts play crucial ecological roles. They breed in ponds and ditches during the spring and early summer, before emerging to spend most of their time on land. This behaviour means they are able to recycle nutrients from water to land. Continued here

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Vale Simon Crean: a true believer in the Labor Party     On reflection, Simon Crean was probably the first domino to fall in a certain madness that seized Labor during the Howard era and presaged a decade of turmoil that only settled down under Bill Shorten’s leadership (2013-19).Crean, who died suddenly over the weekend while travelling in Europe, was known for his hard work, moral clarity and even temperament. Continued here

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BMI alone will no longer be treated as the go-to measure for weight management - an obesity medicine physician explains the seismic shift taking place     Amid the buzz around weight loss drugs and rising rates of obesity worldwide, many health care professionals are questioning one of the key measures that has long been used to define obesity. On June 14, 2023, the American Medical Association adopted a new policy, calling on doctors to deemphasize the role of body mass index, or BMI, in clinical practice. Continued here

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Failed Wagner Group coup leaves Putin humiliated and Belarus dictator Lukashenko more secure - for now     For Vladimir Putin, the abortive Wagner Group coup has been a humiliating affair that exposed his lack of control over military units ostensibly fighting for Russia. It was an episode that the Russian president is unlikely to forgive in a hurry.But for the Belarusian dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, it has been a boon. With the rebels just 200km from Moscow, Minsk announced Lukashenko had brokered a deal with their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, promising a safe passage and amnesty for Prigozhin’s troops and a one-way ticket to Belarus for himself. Shortly after this announcement, Prigozhin aborted his march on the Russian capital and his soldiers began to withdraw from the two Russian cities they had occupied. Continued here

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Marshall Islands, a nation at the heart of global shipping, fights for climate justice     I went sailing on a bright yellow outrigger canoe in the Marshall Islands in March. On board were Alson Kelen, founder of Waan Aelõñ in Majel (WAM, Canoes of the Marshall Islands), and a group of youngsters taking part in a climate justice workshop. Alson’s NGO is a hive of activity. Sailing ships, some finished and some under construction, surround an A-frame building right between the government-owned Marshall Islands Resort and the Ministry of Education on Majuro Atoll. Alson acquired the land decades ago from the country’s first president, Amata Kabua, for a symbolic dollar. Continued here

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Supreme Court has not committed to a major innovation in transparency it started during the pandemic     When the Supreme Court began livestreaming audio of oral arguments in May 2020, it was because the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the justices from convening in person.But since then, even as pandemic-era restrictions eased, the Supreme Court has continued livestreaming, uninterrupted. The Supreme Court initially approved the practice on a month-by-month basis, then three months at a time, and most recently for an entire term, stretching from October 2022 through April 2023, when it last met to hear arguments. Continued here

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Worried about AI? You might have AI-nxiety - here's how to cope     Even tech experts have been astonished by the recent, rapid growth of AI technology, able to hold human-like conversations in multiple languages, create music and pass medical exams. While the potential benefits of AI in fields such as healthcare are indeed inspiring, the pace of change is rapid, and there is still lots of uncertainty about the future.If you feel worried about how AI could affect your career, your privacy or your safety in the coming years, you might be experiencing AI-nxiety. This term, coined by a marketing agency and spreading on social media, describes the uneasy feeling about the effects of AI on human creativity and inventiveness. Continued here

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Plastic pollution: campaigners around the world are using the courts to clean up - but manufacturers are fighting back     Plastic pollution has become such major problem that it’s threatening our human rights. That’s the view of two UN special rapporteurs (human rights advisers) who recently issued a joint statement, warning against the “overwhelming toxic tidal wave” of plastic endangering us and the environment “in a myriad of ways over its life cycle”. They called for urgent action on dealing with this global crisis.Such a call could not be timelier, as governments have achieved disappointingly little so far. Yes, most restrict single-use plastic bags, or some other type of single-use plastics. But such measures are clearly not enough. Continued here

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Fake news: EU targets political social media ads with tough new regulation proposal     Throughout Europe, strict rules govern how traditional media operates during elections. Often that means imposing a period of silence so that voters can reflect on their choices without undue influence. In France, for example, no polls are allowed to be published on the day of an election.There are, however, very few laws governing what social media companies do in relation to elections. This is a problem now that political parties campaign on these platforms as a matter of course. Continued here

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How to Stay Cool Without Air-Conditioning     Be the coolest person on your block with these tips on how to hydrate, what to wear, and ways to turn your home into a refuge from the heat.Summer has come to mean record-breaking temperatures, raging wildfires, and heat-related illnesses. It can be hard to stay cool when we’re literally cooking ourselves like a tray of cocktail weiners. Air-conditioning is still a luxury for many people, and in much of the northern US and Canada, it’s not uncommon to live in a home without it. Others, to reduce their environmental footprint, go without AC because the energy-sucking machines raise city temperatures by pumping heat outdoors. Even for those with AC, the power could go out during an ill-timed heat wave. Continued here

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Two in five children in care are placed outside their local authority - here's why that's a problem     Since June 2022, a series of BBC investigations have made shocking revelations about terrible abuse and malpractice in a number of children’s homes run by the Hesley Group in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Among other things, the reports describe instances of physical assaults and psychological abuse on vulnerable children by staff. These revelations prompted the government to commission an expert panel in October 2022 to conduct a safeguarding review. The homes have since been closed. Continued here

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A new study of Warlpiri language shows how 'baby talk' helps little kids learn to speak     Parents and other caregivers typically modify their speech when they talk to babies and young children. They use simple sentences and special words, like “nana” for banana. They also speak slowly, use a higher pitch, and exaggerate the ups and downs of the “tune” of their speech. In many languages, caregivers also exaggerate their vowels in a process called “hyperarticulation”. Continued here

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An unlikely hero: American Born Chinese challenges the model minority myth     There’s trouble brewing in Heaven. This has implications for an average teenage boy Jin Wang (Ben Wang), the protagonist of the Disney+ series American Born Chinese (2023). The series is an adaptation of Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name. It features many actors from the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once, such as Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Continued here

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Canada's misguided changes to drug regulation could fast-track unproven medications and divert funds from other health needs     Director of the Health Law Institute at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University The Canadian government is proposing a new “Agile Licensing” framework to expedite pre-market regulation of pharmaceuticals. While Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos claims this is part of the government’s strategy to offer Canadians “access to quality and affordable medicines,” the policy is likely to cause more harm than good. Continued here

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Here's how much water it takes to make a serving of beef - and why where it comes from is so important     Almost everything we eat has consumed water somewhere in the process of being made and processed. But beef is credited with one of the biggest water footprints. Our calculations for British beef, as well as studies for other beef producing countries, have assessed this at more than 15,000 litres for each kilogram. Continued here

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The British public often has unexpected opinions about welfare spending - here's why     The soaring costs of energy and food have diminished the value of incomes for millions, leaving the majority of Britons significantly poorer. Wages have failed to recover since the 2008 financial crash and public services have suffered in availability and quality.We might expect this to amplify calls for the government to spend more to help the less well off, particularly as increasing numbers of people are affected. But public opinion about redistribution, shifting resources from society’s richer to support its poorer, doesn’t always follow an immediately obvious logic. Continued here

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Military interventions have failed to end DRC's conflict - what's gone wrong     For 30 years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered from communal violence, armed conflict and insecurity. Diverse actors have tried to stop it but conflict has intensified, particularly in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika. Regular armed forces and non-state armed groups have been involved in the violence. In mid-April 2023, it was reported that there were 252 local and 14 foreign armed groups in the eastern Congolese provinces. Continued here