Costa Rica Study Finds Biodiversity Is Returning to Restored Forests

Listen To This Story

Costa Rica Study Finds Biodiversity Is Returning to Restored Forests (Maria)

The author writes, “Costa Rica’s regenerated forests are showing new signs of life, and researchers say the evidence can be heard. A new study led by researchers from ETH Zurich found that forests restored under Costa Rica’s Payment for Ecosystem Services program now sound far more like protected forests than cattle pastures.”

Memphis Is ‘Under Full-Blown Occupation’ by ICE. Here’s Why You May Not Know That. (DonkeyHotey)

From Mother Jones: “There’s a massive immigration operation in Memphis right now, but you may not have heard about it. It certainly hasn’t gotten as much attention as past surges in Chicago or Minneapolis — even though it’s been going on since September. Hunter Demster, who runs a soup kitchen in the city, has been trying to get the word out. He often drives around with his phone, looking for officers to film as they arrest immigrants. There are more than 2,700 officers stationed in the city as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force; some are from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); others are from other law enforcement agencies and the National Guard. None particularly want to be photographed.”

Every 50 Years, America Falls Apart. Then Celebrates Anyway (Al)

The author writes, “Last week, I moderated a conversation with Robert Parkinson, Michael Auslin, and Jim Rasenberger about their new books on the Declaration of Independence and July 4 at the George Washington Presidential Library. My final question asked them what they wanted to see this year for the 250th semiquincentennial anniversary. But I set it up by listing all the previous commemorations: 1826, 1876, 1926, 1976… Those are generally not considered particularly good years or even particularly good decades for the United States. As I was preparing for the event, I got thinking about this run of dates. What is it about the nation that make our commemorations fall at these tense or difficult times? What have past generations done with those celebrations and what does that say about us?”

California Lawyers Can’t Quit AI — Even as Hallucinated Citations Pile Up (Reader Steve)

From the San Francisco Chronicle: “A lawsuit against Bay Area Rapid Transit by an officer who was fired after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 faced possible dismissal this spring because the officer’s lawyer had fallen ill and missed numerous deadlines. When the lawyer resurfaced, she filed arguments explaining her absence and why it shouldn’t be used against her client — but three of the four cases she cited as precedent, a federal magistrate found, were nonexistent. The fictitious cases, like many others uncovered by courts in recent years, were evidently the product of artificial intelligence, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson said in a ruling.”

As Federal Scientists Faced Turmoil, the Devils Hole Pupfish Reached a Crisis Point (Laura)

The author writes, “The Devils Hole pupfish, a critically-endangered species and an icon of conservation, ekes out a precarious existence in Death Valley National Park. There, in the scorching desert, guarded by fences and video surveillance, this fish swims around in a sunken fishbowl made of rock that’s been its only natural home for millennia. About a year ago, the population abruptly dropped to just 20 fish. Wildlife managers were so alarmed that, for the first time ever, they decided to release some pupfish that they’d been breeding in a huge tank for over a decade as a kind of insurance policy.”

Empty Waymos Invade Atlanta Neighborhood, Circle Cul-De-Sac for Hours With No Passengers (Dana)

From WSB-TV: “Waymo’s self-driving cars can be seen all over Atlanta streets, giving rideshare trips through Uber. But what happens when they’re empty? In one northwest Atlanta neighborhood, the residents say dozens of Waymo cars end up circling their cul-de-sac.”