When I first saw the image of the father and daughter who drowned at the U.S.-Mexico border, it immediately reminded me of the iconic image, from 2015, of a dead three-year-old Syrian refugee on a Turkish beach. Then I thought of the research conducted by University of Oregon psychologist Paul Slovic and journalism professor Nicole Smith Dahmen. The duo have spent years studying the ability of graphic photographs to stir people from complacency to action – but, they write, the window of caring is smaller than you’d think.

Also today: The Supreme Court isn’t easily shocked, celebrating HIV testing day and should Baptist women preach?

Top story

The bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter lie on the bank of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico. AP Photo/Julia Le Duc

How much power can an image actually wield?

Nicole Smith Dahmen, University of Oregon; Paul Slovic, University of Oregon

A photo of a drowned father and his 23-month-old daughter at the US-Mexico border has prompted horror and outrage on social media. Can it spur aid for migrants?

Economy + Business

Education

  • How the Flint water crisis set students back

    Marilynne R Wood, University of Toledo

    The children who suffered lead poisoning as a result of the Flint water crisis of 2014 are likely to struggle academically and socially as a result, an expert on treating lead-poisoned children argues.

Health + Medicine

  • Should you be tested for HIV? Why June 27 is a good day to do it

    Jodi Sutherland, Binghamton University, State University of New York

    June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, and an expert suggests it's a good time to think about testing, especially for youth. And, a recent study suggested that nurses have a role in reaching youth.

Ethics + Religion

Politics + Society

Environment + Energy

Science + Technology

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