Ear muscle we thought humans didn’t use — except for wiggling our ears — actually activates when people listen hard

 WAIT, WHAT?! WE CAN WIGGLE OUT EARS?!

The auricular muscles, which helped our distant ancestors move their ears to improve hearing quality, activated when people were trying to listen to competing sounds

Frontiers

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If you can wiggle your ears, you can use muscles that helped our distant ancestors listen closely. These auricular muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums. Millions of years ago, our ancestors stopped using them, so humans’ auricular muscles are only vestigial. But now scientists examining the function of these muscles have discovered that they activate when we’re trying to listen to competing sounds. 

“There are three large muscles which connect the auricle to the skull and scalp and are important for ear wiggling,” explained Andreas Schröer of Saarland University, first author of the study in Frontiers in Neuroscience. “These muscles, particularly the superior auricular muscle, exhibit increased activity during effortful listening tasks. This suggests that these muscles are engaged not merely as a reflex but potentially as part of an attentional effort mechanism, especially in challenging auditory environments.” 

Straining your ears 

It’s difficult to test how hard someone is listening without self-reported measures. But electromyography, which measures electrical activity in a muscle, can help identify activity in the auricular muscles linked to listening closely. Similar research has already shown that the largest muscles, posterior and superior auricular muscles, react during attentive listening. Because they pull the ears up and back, they are considered likely to have been involved in moving the pinna to capture sounds.  

“The exact reason these became vestigial is difficult to tell, as our ancestors lost this ability about 25 million years ago,” Schröer said. “One possible explanation could be that the evolutionary pressure to move the ears ceased because we became much more proficient with our visual and vocal systems.” 

To test whether these muscles are more active during more difficult listening tasks, the scientists recruited 20 people without hearing problems. They applied electrodes to participants’ auricular muscles and then played them an audiobook and distracting podcasts from speakers in front of or behind them. Each participant underwent 12 five-minute trials, covering three different levels of difficulty. 

On easy mode, the podcast was quieter than the audiobook, and the speaker’s voice was a stronger contrast to the audiobook. To create two more difficult modes, the scientists added a podcast that sounded more like the audiobook and made the distractors louder.  However, the researchers were careful to make even the most difficult condition achievable: if the participants gave up, no physiological effort would register.  

Then, the scientists asked the participants to rate their effort levels and to estimate how often they lost the thread of the audiobook in each trial. They also quizzed the participants on the audiobook’s content. 

Hearsay 

The scientists found that the two auricular muscles reacted differently to the different conditions. The posterior auricular muscles reacted to changes in direction, while the superior auricular muscles reacted to the difficulty level of the task. Participants’ self-reported measures of effort and how often they lost track of the audiobook rose in line with the difficulty of the task, and the accuracy of their responses to questions about the audiobook dropped noticeably between the medium and the difficult mode.  

This correlated with the superior auricular muscles’ activity levels: they didn’t activate more during the medium mode than during the easy mode, but were very active during the difficult mode. This suggests that the activity of the superior auricular muscles could provide an objective measure of listening effort, although it’s unclear if the muscle activity helps people hear. 

“The ear movements that could be generated by the signals we have recorded are so minuscule that there is probably no perceivable benefit,” said Schröer. “However, the auricle itself does contribute to our ability to localize sounds. So, our auriculomotor system probably tries its best after being vestigial for 25 million years, but does not achieve much.” 

The scientists pointed out that more work will be necessary to confirm these results and develop practical applications. Like many hearing studies, their sample was relatively small and composed of young people without hearing problems. Larger, more diverse participant groups, in more realistic conditions, are needed.  

“Investigating the possible effects of muscle strain itself or the ear’s miniscule movements on the transmission of sound is something we want to do in the future,” said Schröer. “The effect of these factors in people with hearing impairments would also be interesting to investigate.” 

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Journal

Frontiers in Neuroscience

DOI

10.3389/fnins.2024.1462507 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Electromyographic Correlates of Effortful Listening in the Vestigial Auriculomotor System

Article Publication Date

31-Jan-2025

 

Carbon sequestration in marshes depends on many variables

Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research (OLAR)

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image: 

The study was conducted in North Inlet marsh, shown here, which is typical of salt marshes along the southeast coast of North America. The marsh is covered with a monoculture of the grass Spartina alterniflora. The tides rise about twice daily to flood the marsh with seawater.

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Credit: James Morris, 2002

While a single plant is capable of fixing inorganic carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, the entire ecosystem surrounding the plant, including water, other organisms and soil conditions, influences how efficiently the ecosystem exchanges CO2.

Understanding how photosynthesis, energy allocation and productivity differs in plants in various ecosystems is challenging. In the forest ecosystem, taller trees grow over decades to absorb all of the available solar radiation in the canopy, depriving seedlings of the sunlight required to increase their biomass. Likewise, marsh grasses adapt to changes in marsh elevation that affect the amount of flooding the grasses experience and the energy the plant allocates to leaf or root growth.

In order to better understand how the dynamics of ecosystems can change plant productivity, scientists from the University of South Carolina and Christopher Newport University studied the photosynthesis and respiration, or energy expenditure, of a single species of marsh grass, Spartina alterniflora, that grows in tall or short forms depending on the elevation of the marsh and the proximity of plants to tidal creek water.

The team published their study on December 11, 2024 in the journal Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research.

“In saltmarshes of eastern North America, there is typically a spatial productivity gradient of the dominant grass, Spartina alterniflora. The grass is tallest and most productive near the edges of tidal creeks while the interior marsh areas are covered by a short, less productive form of Spartina. Our objective was to quantify the exchange of CO2 gas between the atmosphere and the grass canopy and soil. We did this to better understand how marsh sites of high and low productivity compare,” said James T. Morris, professor at the University of South Carolina and first author of the research paper.

Importantly, the researchers ensured that all of the photosynthetic parameters, or factors that influence the efficiency of photosynthesis in a plant, in the study were equal, including the amount of available sunlight, temperature and the species of plant. The scientists carefully measured grass growth, photosynthesis and respiration using sealed environmental chambers that allowed the team to measure the activity of a specific area of the marsh ecosystem. Specifically, measurements were collected from tall forms of the marsh grass located closer to the creek at  lower elevations and from short forms of the plant located further from the creek at a higher elevation.

By regularly measuring grass biomass, CO2 gas uptake for photosynthesis and CO2 release through respiration over the course of a year, the team was able to compare carbon fixation between the tall and short forms of grass. In some cases, the short- and tall-form grasses showed similar characteristics, such as demonstrating highest levels of canopy respiration, or energy expenditure above ground, in early March when the standing biomass of both grass forms is lower. Gross photosynthesis, or the total amount of CO2 consumed for photosynthesis, for both plant forms also plateaus in mid-summer.

More importantly, the short and tall forms differed in their productivity over the course of a single year. Soil respiration, or a measure of the amount of CO2 released and energy consumed by plant roots, was higher in short-canopy grasses compared to tall. Interestingly, the leaf weight-specific rate of photosynthesis at a common canopy biomass was similar in both short and tall grasses, but the study found that the short canopy plants grew less than the tall plants.

Because canopy growth of short-canopy grasses slowed earlier during the growing season than tall-canopy grasses, the team also found that tall-canopy grasses capture more atmospheric CO2 over the course of the year than short-canopy grasses, which grew further from the creek at higher elevations.

“We found that the photosynthetic parameters of the grasses were equivalent and the differences in their productivity were determined by differences in the partitioning of growth between leaves and roots. The less productive short form of grass invests more energy in growth of roots. A second major finding was that in a single growing season the biomass of the most productive form of grass expands to intercept all of the available solar energy much like a mature forest,” said Morris.

Based on their results and those of other researchers, the team hypothesizes that the variability in net carbon sequestration between different salt marshes is due to changes in differences in relative marsh elevation, climate and marsh age.

The next step for the research team is to resolve a discrepancy in the amount of measured carbon the grasses were investing toward the growth of the canopy and roots, respectively, which should be roughly equal. “We discovered that a major part of the [plant] carbon budget is missing [in our measurements]. We were unable to balance total plant growth with total photosynthesis. The next step will be to identify the source of the missing carbon,” said Morris. 

Gary J. Whiting from the Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA also contributed to this research.

This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) awards 2203324 and 1654853.

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Journal

Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research

DOI

10.34133/olar.0077 

Method of Research

Observational study

Future of UK peatlands under threat due to climate change

The UK’s peatlands face an uncertain future amid the escalating impacts of climate change

University of Exeter

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Vast areas of the UK’s peatlands are likely to be unsuitable for peat accumulation by 2061–80 due to climate change. 

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Credit: Dr Dan Bebber

The UK’s peatlands face an uncertain future amid the escalating impacts of climate change.

Peatlands are critical ecosystems for carbon storage and biodiversity, containing more carbon than all the world's forests despite covering just 3% of the global land surface.

But new research reveals that vast areas of the UK’s peatlands, including the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site, are likely to be unsuitable for peat accumulation by 2061–80 due to climate change.

The researchers urge for a shift in conservation strategies, with the findings highlighting significant regional differences.

Western Scotland emerges as a stronghold for peatlands, making it an urgent priority area for conservation efforts.

Using advanced bioclimatic models, the study projects substantial reductions in areas suitable for peat accumulation across the UK, with the Flow Country, Dartmoor, and the Peak District particularly at risk.

Even under moderate emissions reductions, many of these landscapes may no longer sustain the conditions necessary for peat formation.

However, western Scotland is projected to retain areas that remain suitable for peatlands, underscoring its importance in future conservation and restoration efforts.

Lead researcher Professor Dan Bebber, from the University of Exeter, said: "Our findings reveal a stark north-south divide.

“While western Scotland is likely to remain suitable for peatland, much of England's peatlands, including Dartmoor and the Peak District, are projected to lose their viability.”

The Flow Country in northern Scotland, which contains one of the largest expanses of blanket bog in the world, is particularly vulnerable.

Under a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5), up to 97% of its peatland may become unsuitable for sustained peat formation.

The study also highlights an increase of 44–82% in desiccation events affecting Sphagnum moss, a critical component of peat ecosystems, potentially leading to widespread moss die-offs and fundamental changes in the landscape.

Professor Angela Gallego-Sala, co-author and an expert on peatland and climate interactions, said: "Peatlands are vital carbon sinks, storing more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. The projected losses of suitable climate in England and parts of Scotland mean that our restoration efforts must adapt and alternative strategies considered where restoration may not yield the desired effects because of climate change effects."

The study serves as a wake-up call to policymakers and conservationists about the challenges of managing peatlands in a changing climate.

Co-author Dr Jonathan Ritson, from the University of Manchester, said: “Although our research suggests an uncertain future for peatlands in England, this is also a wake-up call for how much urgent work is needed if we want them to survive under future climate.

The researchers stress the importance of combining global efforts to reduce emissions with localised strategies to adapt land management practices and safeguard ecosystems.

The University of Derby’s Dr Kirsten Lees, who is also co-author of the report, added: “Peatland resilience is an important area of research, as these ecosystems store vast amounts of carbon alongside providing a range of other services. Restoration of areas which are in poor condition is key to protecting these carbon stores. Our research shows that future changes in climate are a vital consideration when planning restoration projects, to ensure that work is targeted towards areas where peatlands can thrive.” 

“Climate change impacts on blanket peatland in Great Britain” is published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

---

Journal

Journal of Applied Ecology

DOI

10.1111/1365-2664.14864 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Climate change impacts on blanket peatland in Great Britain

Article Publication Date

30-Jan-2025

New film claims 'Napalm Girl' photo credited to wrong journalist

Agence France-Presse
January 27, 2025 

Former photographer Nguyen Than Nghe attended the premiere of 'The Stringer' at the Sundance Film Festival (Maya Dehlin Spach/AFP)

by Andrew MARSZAL

The makers of a new documentary alleging the iconic "Napalm Girl" photo was deliberately credited to the wrong photographer -- claims denied by the Associated Press -- said Sunday that it is "critical" to "share this story with the world."

"The Stringer," which premiered at the Sundance film festival, chronicles an investigation into rumors that the devastating image which helped change global perceptions of the Vietnam War was actually taken by a little-known local freelancer.


Nick Ut, the AP staff photographer credited with the photo of a nine-year-old girl fleeing naked from a napalm strike, won a Pulitzer Prize. He has always said that he took the photo. Ut's lawyer attempted to block the film's release.

AP published a report last week detailing its own investigation into the controversy, which found "nothing that proves Nick Ut did not take the photo," but said it had not yet been granted access to the film's research.

"AP stands ready to review any and all evidence and new information about this photo," the organization said in an updated statement Sunday.

The new film was triggered when Carl Robinson, the photo editor on duty in AP's Saigon bureau on the day the image was captured, began speaking out about the provenance of the photo.

In the film, Robinson says he was ordered to write a photo caption attributing the photo to Ut by Horst Faas, AP's two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning chief of photos in Saigon.

"I started writing the caption... Horst Faas, who had been standing right next to me, said 'Nick Ut. Make it Nick Ut,'" says Robinson.


After interviewing Robinson, the filmmakers identified the long-lost name of a Vietnamese freelance photographer who is visible in other photos of the infamous scene at Trang Bang on June 8, 1972.

They eventually tracked down Nguyen Thanh Nghe, who states in the film that he is certain he took the photo.

"Nick Ut came with me on the assignment. But he didn't take that photo... That photo was mine," he says.

Executive director Gary Knight, a photojournalist who led the film's investigation, told AFP it was "critical" that members of the news media "hold ourselves to account."

"The photograph in question is one of the most important photographs of anything ever made, certainly of war," he said.

"Just getting that recognition (for Nghe)... it was always important for us as a film team to share this story with the world," added director Bao Nguyen.

- 'Speaking up' -

One question repeatedly raised in response to the new allegations is why it took so long for anybody to speak up.

Robinson says that, at the time of the photo being captioned, he feared for his job.


He added he consequently felt it was "too late" to speak out, until he learned the name of the freelancer decades later.

Ut's lawyer Jim Hornstein told AFP that Robinson had a "50-year vendetta against Nick Ut, AP and Horst Faas," and said "a defamation action will soon be filed against the film makers."

In the documentary, Nghe's family say he consistently spoke at home of his regret about losing credit for the photo.


Nghe says: "I felt upset. I worked hard for it, but that guy got to have it all. He got recognition, he got awards."

Nguyen, the film's director, said the idea that the family are "only now are speaking up... is sort of a fallacy.

"Within their own circles, they've been saying this for so long," Nguyen said.

Knight said there has always been "a huge power imbalance in journalism."


"It has been dominated by white, Western heterosexual males for as long as I've been in it, and before," he said.
- 'Investigating' -

The filmmakers also hired INDEX, a France-based non-profit that specializes in forensic investigations, which concluded it is "highly unlikely" Ut was in the right position to take the photo.


AP's latest statement repeats its request for the filmmakers to share evidence, including eyewitness accounts and the INDEX report.

"When we became aware of this film and its allegations broadly, we took them very seriously and began investigating," it says.

"We cannot state more clearly that The Associated Press is only interested in the facts and a truthful history of this iconic photo."


© Agence France-Presse

US court axes handgun sales ban to adults under 21

Agence France-Presse
January 30, 2025 

In its ruling, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals says the law passed by Congress in 1968 banning handgun sales by licensed dealers to adults under the age of 21 violated the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. (AFP)

A conservative US appeals court ruled on Thursday that a law banning the sale of handguns by federally licensed firearms dealers to adults under the age of 21 is unconstitutional.

Federal law prohibits Federal Firearms Licensees from selling handguns to persons between the ages of 18 to 21, although parents can buy them for their children or they can purchase them themselves in private sales or at gun shows.

While Americans under the age of 21 cannot currently purchase a handgun from a federally licensed dealer, they can buy a rifle or shotgun.

In its ruling, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the law passed by Congress in 1968 banning handgun sales by licensed dealers to adults under the age of 21 violated the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

"The operative clause of the Second Amendment states that 'the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,'" a three-judge appeals court panel said.

"There are no age or maturity restrictions in the plain text of the Amendment, as there are in other constitutional provisions" such as the requirement that members of the US House of Representatives be at least 25 years old, they said.

"This suggests that the Second Amendment lacks a minimum age requirement," they said. "Ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes eighteen- to twenty-year-old individuals among 'the people' whose right to keep and bear arms is protected."

The law was challenged by three nonprofit gun rights groups -- the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation and the Louisiana Shooting Club -- along with several individuals between the ages of 18 and 21.

Everytown Law, a gun violence prevention organization, denounced the ruling, calling it "reckless and unfounded."

"The law that prohibits dealers from selling handguns to those under twenty-one is both constitutional and crucial for public safety," said Janet Carter, senior director of issues and appeals at Everytown Law.

"Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens, and 18-to-20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of adults 21 and over, according to FBI statistics," Carter said, adding she hopes the federal government will contest Thursday's decision.

The Supreme Court, in June of last year, upheld a federal law prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing a firearm, reversing a ruling by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals which had said the restriction was unconstitutional.

Paramount discusses settling Trump's '60 Minutes' lawsuit to preserve major merger: report

Daniel Hampton
January 30, 2025 

RAW STORY

FILE PHOTO: Paramount Global and Skydance logos are seen in this illustration taken December 17, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

CBS's parent company Paramount is reportedly entering settlement discussions with representatives of President Donald Trump after he accused "60 Minutes" in a lawsuit of deceptively editing its interview with then Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Trump's lawsuit alleges that the interview with Harris was selectively edited and “

intentionally misled the public by broadcasting a skillfully edited interview” that was “aimed at causing confusion among the electorate regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’s abilities, intelligence, and appeal.” Lawyers for CBS and legal experts have blasted the suit as meritless, noting that not only did Trump not provide any evidence the interview was deceptively edited, but it's unclear that he would even have grounds to sue over it if it had been.

On Thursday, several people with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times that many Paramount executives believe settling with him will boost their chances that the Trump administration doesn't try to block or slow their planned multibillion-dollar merger with entertainment company Skydance.

Details of the settlement discussions weren't immediately known.

Among the people supporting a settlement: Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, who would rake in billions of dollars if the sale goes through, according to the report.

This comes after ABC News settled a separate longshot lawsuit brought by Trump against the network, over anchor George Stephanopoulos stating that a jury had found him liable for the rape of E. Jean Carroll. A New York jury did find him guilty of sexual abuse and defamation, and a state judge disputed the legal distinction between sexual abuse and rape in this context; however, the network decided to pay out rather than face an expensive and drawn-out trial, a decision which enraged many employees.

After Meta's massive settlement with Trump, critics on social media blasted Trump for using lawsuits as a "workaround for bribes" and called the practice "open-air corruption."

Australia says reliance on coal-fired power drops to record low

Agence France-Presse
January 30, 2025 

Energy authorities say quick action is needed to fill the gap left by shuttered coal-fired power stations (DAVID GRAY/AFP)

Australia's reliance on coal-fired power stations has dropped to a record low, accounting for less than 50 percent of its electricity for the first time, the market operator said Thursday.

Overall electricity demand hit a record high in the final quarter of 2024 as temperatures rose and people shifted away from gas, the Australian Energy Market Operator said.

At the same time, roof-top solar output surged 18 percent and grid-scale solar climbed nine percent -- both reaching record levels, it said in an update on the National Electricity Market (NEM).

"The rise in rooftop solar output, coupled with record low coal-generation availability, resulted in coal-fired generation contributing less than 50 percent of the NEM's total generation for the first time," said Violette Mouchaileh, a senior official at the market operator.

Renewable energy sources supplied a record 46 percent of electricity in the quarter, she said, peaking at 75.6 percent on November 6.

That drove greenhouse gas emissions in the period to record lows, the market operator said.


Australia's government last week announced an extra US$1.2 billion in clean energy financing to speed a transition from coal and other fossil fuels to renewables.

The country -- one of the world's leading coal exporters -- has vowed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

- Climate wars -

But energy authorities say quick action is needed to fill the gap left by shuttered coal-fired power stations.

Wholesale electricity prices surged 83 percent during 2024, the report noted, mostly due to high demand, the decline of available coal-fired power, and transmission constraints.

"The data confirms what we know -- unreliable coal is having a negative impact on energy prices, more renewables in the system bring wholesale prices down, and new transmission infrastructure is critical to keeping prices lower," said Chris Bowen, the minister for climate change and energy.

"We are building an energy grid so everyone, everywhere has access to the cheapest form of energy at any given time," he said in a statement to Australian media.

Over the past decade, an ideological brawl dubbed the "climate wars" has dominated Australian politics, repeatedly undermining attempts to reduce carbon emissions.

In the run-up to general elections that must be held by May 17, Australia's conservative opposition Liberal Party has announced plans to launch nuclear power so as to rely less on solar and wind.

The national science agency CSIRO said in a report last month that nuclear power would be 50 percent more expensive than renewables and would take at least 15 years to build.

Australia sits on bulging deposits of coal, gas, metals and minerals, with mining and fossil fuels stoking decades of near-unbroken economic growth.

But it has also begun to suffer from more intense bushfires and increasingly severe droughts, which scientists have linked to climate change.


© Agence France-Presse

Judge orders LSU to reinstate law professor sidelined for political comments

Piper Hutchinson,

 Louisiana Illuminator
January 30, 2025 

The LSU Law Center pictured on March 20, 2023, in Baton Rouge. 

(Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)


A state judge has ordered LSU to allow its law professor Ken Levy to return to teaching duties. The university had removed Levy from the classroom pending an investigation into alleged criticism of Gov. Jeff Landry.

Levy, a tenured professor of constitutional and criminal law, sued the university earlier this week, saying it violated his First Amendment rights and its own policies regarding tenured faculty.

Judge Don Johnson of the 19th Judicial District granted Levy’s request for a temporary restraining order that would allow him to return to the classroom for at least the next week. Johnson set a hearing for an injunction on Feb. 10. Read the judge’s order below.

“Professor Levy is looking very much forward to his day in court,” Jill Craft, Levy’s attorney, said in an interview. “The rights that are at stake are critical to the foundation of this country.”

Levy alleged in his lawsuit that political comments made on the first day of his Administration of Criminal Justice course were reported to the governor, which he believes led to calls to the university administration about his comments.

In an affidavit to the court, Levy says that he brought up Landry’s reaction to comments of fellow law professor Nick Bryner during class. Levy asked his students not to record his lectures because he didn’t want to be targeted by Landry.

In November, Landry publicly asked LSU to discipline Bryner last year for his comments about President Trump the day after the presidential election. A video of Bryner’s comments were sent to the governor, who then circulated the video on social media.

“If Governor Landry were to retaliate against me, then f*** the governor and f*** that. — all of which was a joke and clearly said in a joking manner to highlight my no recording policy in class and the First Amendment,” Levy wrote in the affidavit.

Levy argues in the affidavit that the actions taken against him stifle not only his right to free speech and academic freedom but that of other faculty members. His lawsuit focuses not just on the First Amendment but on LSU’s own policies regarding tenured faculty.

Tenure provides an indefinite academic appointment to qualifying faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in their field. Academics with tenure can only be terminated for cause, but it typically only happens in extreme circumstances. College faculty view tenure as a key part of academic freedom at universities and a shield against political, corporate and religious intervention.

Levy attached a letter in his suit from LSU Director of Employee Relations Lindsay Madatic that informs Levy of his removal from the classroom “pending an investigation into student complaints of inappropriate statements.” Madatic writes his compensation will remain unchanged and that he is permitted on campus.

Jill Craft, Levy’s attorney, argues Madatic does not have the authority to discipline him.

In her request for a temporary restraining order, Craft said that LSU does not have a policy that allows for relieving a tenured professor of his or her duties.
LSU’s top attorney is leaving his position

LSU has several policy statements and permanent memoranda that address disciplining a tenured faculty member. These policies call for several layers of review, all of which require peer faculty input. None of this happened before Levy was removed from his classes, which Levy and Craft contend is a form of discipline.

“No matter how characterized by LSU, its actions in unilaterally relieving [Levy] of his teaching duties violate his substantive and procedural rights,” Craft wrote.

LSU Faculty Senate President Dan Tirone said the only time he was familiar with a professor being removed from the classroom pending an investigation involved Title IX allegations or other types of abuse. In those cases, the professor would also be prevented from accessing campus for safety reasons.

The removal of Levy from the classroom led to significant backlash from the public and from LSU law students, who staged a protest Tuesday in his defense. The students delivered a petition to university general counsel Winston DeCuir calling for Levy to be reinstated, apologized to and for complete transparency into the disciplinary process.

DeCuir has since tendered his resignation.

Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rates against the disease fall

Stephen Simpson,

 Texas Tribune

Jayme Lozano Carver, 

The Texas Tribune
January 30, 2025 

A vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is pictured at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, Washington on March 20, 2019.

 Credit: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

"Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rates against the disease has fallen" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

At least four cases of measles, including two involving school-aged children, have been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, putting state health agencies on alert.

For some communities, this is the first case of measles in more than 20 years.

Laura Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the agency sent out an alert to health providers statewide once measles were confirmed to be found in two adult residents in Harris County last week.

The alert stated that both individuals reside in the same household and were unvaccinated against measles. These were the first confirmed cases of measles reported in Texas since 2023, when two were reported.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease. General symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, and a full-body rash. This disease can cause serious health consequences and even death, especially for young and unvaccinated children.

About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles will be hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to three of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles may die from respiratory and neurologic complications.

Houston Health Department officials say the cases of measles were associated with the pair’s recent international travel and released a list of possible locations and dates where members of the public might have been exposed.


The state health agency also confirmed two measles cases in the South Plains, both involving school-aged children who were not vaccinated. Anton said they were hospitalized and have since been discharged.

Katherine Wells, the Lubbock Health Department's health director, said the children were treated at a Lubbock health care facility. They were from the area, but not Lubbock residents. Wells said at this time, there are no known sites of exposure outside the health care facility where they were tested. Since Lubbock is the medical hub for the South Plains, they traveled to Lubbock for testing.

“We’re working with the South Plains Public Health District and our medical partners to work and identify where there could have been some community exposures,” Wells said. The state health agency is helping with the disease investigation in Lubbock and the South Plains region.

Wells said the community should be aware of the cases, as well as health care professionals who see rashes or high fevers from their patients.

“We want people to know there were some cases here,” Wells said. “So if they have concerns and are unvaccinated, call your health provider or the health department for more information.”

Wells said that the last measles case in Lubbock County was in 2004.

Austin Public Health has also sent an alert about the potential measles outbreak, urging residents to take proactive measures to protect themselves and their families. The last confirmed measles case in the city of Austin was in December 2019.

“Vaccination is our best defense against measles and other preventable diseases,” said Desmar Walkes, medical director and health authority for Austin/Travis County. “By staying up to date on vaccinations, we not only protect ourselves but also the most vulnerable members of our community.”

The recent upswing in cases statewide comes as the measles vaccination rate among kindergarteners has dropped, from almost 97% in the 2019-2020 school year to 94.3% in 2023-24. Texas is among the majority of states that have seen vaccination declines since the pandemic.

In March 2024, there were already more reported cases of measles than in all of 2023, according to the CDC.

A result of the country’s vaccination program, measles was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning the disease has not spread continuously for over 12 months.

Experts recommend that children get the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in two doses: the first between 12 months and 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles infection, and two doses are about 97% effective.

Other diseases considered long-forgotten are also now making a comeback.


Whooping cough is returning to pre-pandemic levels. Polio, another disease thought to be eradicated, was detected in New York State wastewater in 2022.

Vaccine proponents fear statewide disease trends will worsen as Texas lawmakers this legislative session try to weaken vaccine mandates and more families opt out of immunizations.

Since 2018, the requests to the Texas Department of State Health Services for an exemption form have doubled from 45,900 to more than 93,000 in 2024.


Lawmakers have filed more than 20 vaccination-related bills, including a House joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution to preserve Texans’ right to refuse vaccination.

President Donald Trump’s re-election and his selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his choice for U.S. Health and Human Services secretary has boosted the vaccine choice movement. Kennedy has previously made controversial comments about vaccines, which include linking them to autism in children.

During his confirmation hearing this week, U.S. Senators questioned his trip to Samoa in 2019, months before 83 people, mostly children, died of a measles outbreak there.


Kennedy has recently walked back some of his statements during the hearing, saying he is not “anti-vax” but “pro-safety” when asked to clarify his stance on vaccines.

“I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking anything,” he said.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/30/texas-measles-vaccinations-schools/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Dirty white boys: Why the racist GOP made dismantling these initiatives their No. 1 target

D. Earl Stephens
January 29, 2025 

RAW STORY

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Pool


This is beyond horrid.”

Those four words were spoken from an old colleague of mine who now works under constant threat inside the Department of Interior. They illustrate better than I can in 1,000 words what we are watching right now as a racist, America-attacking, convicted felon puffs out his blubbery chest and takes a sledgehammer to our government to appease the billionaire oligarchy who are leading him around by his stuffy nose.

The tough guy from the yacht clubs of New York, is going full Mussolini while he saves America from all the pain he and his white collar gangs on Wall Street have inflicted on the working class for decades.


Let’s not confuse what is really going on here, people …

End of the day, this is nothing but a grotesque attack on the poor, and many of the programs that have been put in place to help, shelter, feed, and just give them a little hope that there is something better. Because if you can take a person’s hope and dignity away, you can hope they’ll just go away, too.

That’s how losers win, and democracies crumble.


Defenseless human beings in Red and Blue States are being scapegoated and blamed for what allegedly ails us, so the broken-heartless in America can feel superior about themselves after coming home from a job each day that never loves or pays them near enough. But, hey, at least while they’re groveling for an extra 50 cents an hour, and a few days of paid vacation, they can crack open a cold one, crank up Fox News, and look down on the “lesser” from their perch in some gutter.

President Lyndon Johnson described it best to then-White House staffer Bill Moyers after encountering overt racism during a trip to Tennessee after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964:

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."


And because Trump, who banged a porn star just weeks after his third wife gave birth to their only child, knows a thing or two about hurting people — I mean REALLY hurting them — he’s going hard after DEI programs that help good people and hurt complete lowlifes like him.

You see, by their rancid telling, long before we were ever a country, people of color have always been the problem here …

There’s absolutely nothing new in this repulsive, political play, because by definition the orange, little-fingered thug represents the Grand Old Party.


So let’s slam everything into reverse, and drill, baby, drill …

I typed all of this as a warning and a pretext for what’s coming next: A defense of DEI, and why it is absolutely vital we carry on with its worthy mission.

There’s a reason it is No. 1 on the mad king’s chopping block: Nothing threatens him more than an engaged, motivated, informed and diverse electorate.


There was a time I wasn’t fully convinced of the absolute need for DEI initiatives. I wrote about some of this a couple of years ago, so I apologize if you’ve come across it before.

The year was 2000. Bill Clinton was wrapping up his last year of the presidency, and looking back, it seems like we were in the final months of what passed for normalcy in America. The contentious Gore-Bush election was just around the corner (which was ironically and tragically decided by a Conservative Supreme Court), to be closely followed by 9/11, the Iraq War, the Great Recession, unhinged vitriol by the Right over President Obama’s tan suit, and finally ending with the election (and reelection) of a stone-cold traitor …

In the spring of that year, I was privileged to represent Stars & Stripes newspaper at American Society of Newspaper Editors Annual Managing Editors Conference in Reston, Virginia.


I had been with Stripes for nearly two years and had recently been promoted to managing editor of the important, editorially independent newspaper that serves our troops and their families overseas.

I was surrounded by my peers representing daily newspapers from Minneapolis to St. Louis, and from San Antonio to Denver. I reckon there were about 35 or 40 of us MEs at this thing, but it’s been long enough now that I can’t remember for sure.

For some reason I can, however, vividly recall looking at the schedule they handed us for the week while battling with a coffee and donut that first morning. On the afternoon of the fourth day we’d be talking about “Diversity in the Newsroom.”


“Uh-oh,” I mumbled to myself. “This is when we’re gonna catch hell from some well-paid, uninformed “expert” for failing to have enough diversity in our newsrooms. Can’t wait ...”

Before I tell you what happened in that session, and how it radically changed my thinking on the subject, I want to stop right here very quickly and pat myself on the back just a tiny bit.

At the time of this conference, I had 10 assistant managers reporting to me in the newsroom. Here was the makeup of these managers:Four white women
Three white men
Two African-American women
One Asian-American man


I’m not saying that I was staffing up the United Nations, but I am saying I worked with real intention to make sure my newsroom didn’t look like White Man’s Appreciation Day at the country club.

The overall makeup of our newsroom admittedly wasn’t as diverse, because getting and then keeping diverse journalists was a real challenge.

Because we were located in the National Press Building in downtown Washington, D.C., we were surrounded by two huge national newspapers: The Washington Post and USA Today.


Just as quickly as we were hiring and training up diverse talent, those papers were poaching them away from us. They, too, had diversity initiatives in place, and far bigger budgets at their disposal to lure away ambitious newspaper people from mid-sized papers like Stripes.

While it was a backhanded compliment that these newspapers were interested in our journalists, the constant churn presented a real challenge for us as we tirelessly pumped out seven editions of the paper to our readers all around the world 365 days a year.

By the time the Thursday afternoon diversity session of that conference rolled around I was feeling noble, haughty, and ready for what was coming at me.


The session was led by David Yarnold, the Managing Editor of the San Jose Mercury News. Turns out, I’d heard of Yarnold and his innovative initiatives to make diversity a key pillar in building a successful newsroom, but like any ornery journalist, I was skeptical as hell he really knew what he was talking about.

I was about to be schooled.

Yarnold opened by making light of the skepticism that wafted over the auditorium concerning this diabolical subject. He’d obviously done this a time or two, and slowly began winning us over, before he positively blew my mind.

Yarnold asked us what a good newspaper must do to be successful. There was some mumbling in the audience, before somebody finally piped up and said, “Accuracy! We must be accurate!”

“Good, good,” said Yarnold, “What else??”

Once again there was a murmuring, before somebody shouted, “Credibility! We must be credible!”

“Here, here,” we all shouted in agreement.

“OK, OK,” said Yarnold. “So … If a good newspaper has to be accurate … and a good newspaper has to be credible … Can a newspaper hope to be accurate and credible if the readers in its circulation area are comprised of 35 percent white people, 25 percent Hispanic people, 25 percent Black people, and 15 percent Asian people, while 85 percent of the newsroom is staffed with white people???????”

That’s when I said, “Whoa …”

I never looked at diversity in the newsroom, or any workplace, the same way again.

Look, all people are created equal in America, but not all people are treated equally. This has everything to do with gender, sexual orientation, the color of their skin and/or what station they started at in life.

Systematic and institutional racism abounds, and still holds far too many people down. If the majority of this reprehensible Supreme Court would rather ignore this undeniable fact, they can go straight to hell.

If a hardcore racist who sees “fine people on both sides” of a KKK rally wants to use that obscene ruling to inflict as much pain on people as possible, then he can most assuredly join them there.

How can we claim to be a credible, caring country, if we won’t do everything in our power to lift all of our citizens up to make sure everybody has a chance to shine and contribute to the American Experiment?

How can we claim that we are addressing this seismic issue accurately and get the results all of us deserve, if we can’t even have the decency and awareness to admit there is a problem in the first place?

If we are prepared to surrender this moral high ground, and what is most certainly good and right to the racist, authoritarian tyrants who are stepping on our necks without a fight, we will most assuredly join them in the low places they hide.

There will be no coming back from this, my friends, and it will be beyond horrid.


D. Earl Stephens is the author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes. You can find all his work here, and follow him on Bluesky here.