Wetlands: Wild Birds Of The Ganges River In India

BBC Earth (June 1, 2023) – The Ganges River fills to capacity during monsoon season, flooding the wetlands that surrounds its banks. Not only do these wetlands foster an ideal habitat for wild birds, but they also create perfect the conditions for cultivating rice with their mineral-rich soil.

Ganges River, Hindi Ganga, great river of the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent. Although officially as well as popularly called the Ganga in Hindi and in other Indian languages, internationally it is known by its conventional name, the Ganges. From time immemorial it has been the holy river of Hinduism. For most of its course it is a wide and sluggish stream, flowing through one of the most fertile and densely populated regions in the world.

Classical Music: Top New Releases For June 2023

Brilliant Classics (June 1, 2023): A release of new classical music variating from the greatest composers of all time to the lesser known but still excellent composers.

Research: The Scientist Magazine – Summer 2023

The Scientist Magazine (June 1, 2023) – The Summer Issue features bacteria cooperating to benefit the collective, but cheaters can rig the system and biofilms are home to millions of microbes, but disrupting their interactions could produce more effective antibiotics.

Cooperation and Cheating

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Bacteria cooperate to benefit the collective, but cheaters can rig the system. How is the balance maintained?


People often recognize social behaviors in complex organisms such as insects, nonhuman primates, and humans. But Megan Frederickson, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Toronto, is interested in a different, microscopic social community: bacteria. “Cooperation is everywhere,” she said. “Cells cooperate in multicellular organisms; individuals cooperate in societies; and different species cooperate… Why would it not be the case that microbes cooperate with each other?” 

New Insight into Brain Inflammation Inspires New Hope for Epilepsy Treatment 

Clinicians and researchers teamed up to investigate how inappropriate proinflammatory mechanisms contribute to the pathogenesis of drug-refractory epilepsy.

3D image of a neuron cell network with a red glow representing inflammation.

Doctors treat epilepsy with anticonvulsants to control seizures, but some patients do not respond to these first-line therapies. For patients with drug-refractory epilepsy (DRE) whose seizures persist after treatment with two or more anticonvulsants, clinicians must surgically remove part of the brain tissue to cure the disease.

Travel: Walking Tour Of Sabbione, Switzerland

The Traveler Films (June 1, 2023) – Sabbione is a captivating village located in the Val Bavona, one of the wildest valleys in the Swiss Alps. Bordering Ticino, it has remained frozen in the 16th century. The valley is only inhabited in summertime and has opted to remain true to its rustic roots, even shunning electricity.

Renowned for its resemblance to a magical Hobbit village and surrounded by stunning natural landscapes, this hidden gem boasts charming rocky and stone houses, winding streets, an ancient church, cascading waterfalls, and towering mountains. Every corner exudes a whimsical atmosphere, enchanting visitors with its fairy-tale-like beauty.

News: Ron DeSantis 2024 Campaign Launch, Poland Democracy, Qatar-Taliban

The Globalist Podcast, Thursday, June 1, 2023: Veteran political strategist Norm Sterzenbach unpacks Ron DeSantis’s 2024 launch.

Plus: fears that Polish democracy is under threat, secret talks between Qatar and the Taliban, and award-winning author Leila Slimani talks about her latest novel. 

The New York Times – Thursday, June 1, 2023

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House Passes Debt Limit Bill in Bipartisan Vote to Avert Default

“Everybody has a right to their own opinion,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy said ahead of the vote. “But on history, I’d want to be here with this bill today.”

An overwhelming bipartisan coalition pushed through the compromise struck by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden, even as lawmakers in both parties signaled displeasure with the plan.

A Poisonous Cold War Legacy That Defies a Solution

B Plant, the Hanford Site’s earliest plutonium processing facility in Washington State.

A $528 billion plan to clean up 54 million gallons of radioactive bomb-making waste may never be achieved. Government negotiators are looking for a compromise.

In Iowa, DeSantis Signals the Start of a Slugfest With Trump

After absorbing months of attacks from the former president, the Florida governor is beginning to fire back — but carefully.

After Erdogan’s Attacks, Fear Spreads Among L.G.B.T.Q. People in Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vilified gay people during his re-election campaign, calling them a threat to society and rallying conservatives against them. It has left people feeling threatened, and alone.

Documentary: ‘Your Brain – Who’s In Control’ (NOVA)

NOVA PBS Official (May 31, 2023) – Are you in control, or is your brain controlling you? Dive into the latest research on the subconscious with neuroscientist Heather Berlin. Sleepwalking, anesthesia, game theory, and more reveal surprising insights in this eye-opening journey to discover what’s really driving the decisions you make.

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 03:22 Sleepwalking and the Brain 08:36 Anesthesia and the Brain 14:18 Results of Split Brain Surgery 22:23 Emotions and the Brain 30:01 How Does Trauma Affect the Brain? 35:39 How Much Control Do We Have of Our Brain? 45:44 Creativity and the Brain 50:17 Conclusion