Reading archive 2025-04-23

Is green really ‘green’? The mind-bending science of color.: Science and philosophy explain why color is objectively real, even when people see the same shade differently.

How D.C.’s dangerous new prosecutor is making the city less safe: Ed Martin’s predecessors say his dismantling of the office will alienate jurors, reduce convictions. - "A former U.S. attorney said: 'You’re going to see an uptick in crime because jurors, judges and D.C. residents will think the U.S. attorney’s office has a political agenda, and they’re going to be that much more skeptical.' A former prosecutor whom Martin fired added: 'Juries in the District of Columbia are educated and they follow the news. They are going to hold Martin’s extremism against us in the jury room.'"

D.C. grandmother, missing for two days, found slain in dumpster: Donnella Bryan was a dental assistant who enjoyed a life rich with books, music and loved ones, her family says.

The fall of a violent D.C. gang that used federal loans to buy drugs in bulk: Prosecutors said the Kennedy Street Crew’s purported leader smuggled drugs on planes and used pandemic relief loans through the Small Business Association to buy bulk narcotics.

She killed two children with her van. She will spend at most 4 months in jail.: Olga Lugo Jiminez, 52, had just dropped children off at a Maryland school when she hit two students and a parent in a crosswalk.

Supreme Court seems likely to let religious families opt out of LGBTQ storybooks: The lawsuit over public school story time with titles like “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” and “Love, Violet” is one of three major religious rights cases on the high court’s docket.

What we know (and don’t know) about autism, according to science: Autism cases are increasing globally, but its causes are difficult to specify. - "The consensus after 30 years of research is that “if you are autistic, you were born with it,” said David Amaral, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California at Davis and editor in chief of the scientific journal Autism Research. 

"Genetics plays a large role. Autism is also 80 to 90 percent heritable, research shows. 

"Environmental factors can also influence prenatal brain development. 

"When someone is pregnant, chronic inflammation, such as in response to a serious infection or because of health conditions such as obesity and diabetes, could affect fetal brain development and autism risk, and is an area of active research around what is known as the maternal immune activation hypothesis.

...

"There may also be other factors contributing to a real increase in autism prevalence, though it is difficult to know how much. For instance, there are more older parents; more preterm babies are surviving; and autoimmune diseases are on the rise, which are all risk factors for autism."

Which cities have the most trees? See how yours stacks up.: Why some U.S. cities are so much greener than others.

White House Considers Slashing China Tariffs to De-Escalate Trade War: Levies could be cut by more than half in some cases although Trump hasn’t yet made final decision

America Underestimates the Difficulty of Bringing Manufacturing Back [ed. note: clarifying, grim]

The ‘owl man’ is busy at Boston Logan airport: Norman Smith has trapped and released more than 900 Arctic raptors for the safety of the birds and the planes.