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Editor's note
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Not content just messing with U.S. elections, Russian propagandists are beginning to sow discord across all aspects of American society – as they have done in Europe already. Tufts University’s Susan Landau explains what they’re up to and how their interest in exploiting social divisions might put a target on the Boy Scouts – or churches, Lions Clubs and other civic groups.
More than a million people in the Carolinas are under evacuation orders as Hurricane Florence nears the Eastern Seaboard. But people who flee the shore could still be in danger, especially if Florence stalls over the region and dumps huge quantities of rain. As geographer Craig Colten warns, major storms in the South have caused heavy damage inland in recent decades, mainly from river flooding – but most emergency plans focus on
protecting people at the coasts.
India’s supreme court has legalized homosexuality in a unanimous decision. Last week’s ruling, which overturned a 157-year-old British colonial ban on gay sex, is more than a landmark LGBTQ victory, says gender studies professor Amy Bhatt from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. She explains how it also restores India’s historically fluid, boundary-breaking norms about sexuality.
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Jeff Inglis
Science + Technology Editor
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Top stories
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Civic groups like the Boy Scouts are likely under attack by Russian agents – and likely don’t know it.
Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com
Susan Landau, Tufts University
Russia is trying to create social tension in the US to boost its own strength on the world stage. That includes targeting society itself.
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Farm near Seven Springs, North Carolina, surrounded by water on Oct. 25, 1999, nearly six weeks after Hurricane Floyd.
AP Photo/Karen Tam
Craig E. Colten, Louisiana State University
Hurricanes in the southern US have caused widespread damage inland in recent decades, mainly through river flooding. But evacuations and stormproofing focus almost entirely on keeping people safe on the coasts.
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Hindu texts from thousands of years ago demonstrate acceptance of a ‘third gender.’ Today, transgender Indians, or hijras, remain visible members of society.
AP Photo/Bikas Das
Amy Bhatt, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Before colonialism, India embraced homosexuality and gender fluidity. The Supreme Court's repeal of a 157-year-old gay sex ban partially reclaims that history, but LGBTQ Indians still face hurdles.
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Economy + Business
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Steven Pressman, Colorado State University
Around 1 in 8 Americans was poor in 2017. That doesn't compare well to other developed nations.
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Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon
Moonves, accused by 12 women of sexual harassment and assault, managed to walk away with a face-saving exit package that may even include some of his $182 million severance.
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Science + Technology
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Christopher Henshilwood, University of Bergen; Karen Loise van Niekerk, University of Bergen
A new discovery adds to our existing understanding of Homo sapiens in Africa.
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Andy Tay, Stanford University
These single-celled organisms naturally respond to the Earth's weak magnetic field. Scientists are untangling how it all works, looking to future biomedical and other engineering applications.
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Health + Medicine
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Jay Shendure, University of Washington; Greg Findlay, University of Washington; Lea Starita, University of Washington
Mutations in BRCA genes are linked to the early onset of breast and ovarian cancers. But the effect of most mutations is unclear. Now new research can distinguish harmless from dangerous mutations.
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Environment + Energy
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Ali Mostafavi, Texas A&M University
Many people board up their houses and stay in place during disasters – but often they aren't prepared to go without water, power or transportation for days or weeks afterward.
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Daniel P. Aldrich, Northeastern University
Many factors can influence people to evacuate or stay in place when disasters loom. Research using Facebook posts suggests that people with broad social networks are more apt to get moving.
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Trending on site
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Bandy X. Lee, Yale University
Revelations about the president's behavior in a new book and an unsigned op-ed, writes a Yale psychiatrist, support what she and mental health specialists have warned: Trump is dangerously unstable.
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Stuart Murray, University of California, San Francisco
Anorexia nervosa can be a deadly disease. A recent analysis of several studies showed that it may be even harder to treat than previously believed. But the news isn't all bad.
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Deirdre Clemente, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
On the front lines were female tennis players who refused to adhere to the club dress codes that banned them.
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Today’s chart
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Robert W. Klein
Georgia State University
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