No. 103, Oct. 24, 2019

Hello Revelator readers,

Do you know what's in your tap water? An online database released this week offers you an inside look — and what you find may surprise you, even if you don't live in a city like Flint or Newark. We talked with Environmental Working Group senior scientist Tasha Stoiber about the database, what it reveals, and what communities can do to protect themselves.

Could a uniquely British flea be the next casualty of what's been called the "great insect dying?" Yes, writes scientist Mackenzie Kwak in our latest essay — which also offers some great perspective on why it's important to protect even uncharismatic species like a lowly flea.

We've all heard about antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Well, humans aren't the only ones at risk: They're now affecting marine mammals, too. Yikes.

Subscriber bonus: The Wild 5

Let's go a little deeper. Here are five additional stories that we're watching this week.

1. Exxon Mobil is in court on charges that it defrauded the public and its shareholders by misrepresenting how carbon regulations would affect its bottom line.

2. The Trump administration claims that its newly announced water plan in California won't harm endangered salmon, but its own biologists disagree.

3. Climate change is causing a troubling trend among sea turtles: Most new hatchlings are female, and in some places, males could disappear in a few decades.

4. A scary new report from the Government Accountability Office found that federal workers on public lands were threatened or assaulted 360 times in the past five years as anti-government sentiment rises.

5. Scientists say there are some very timely lessons we can learn from the day, 66 million years ago, when an asteroid slammed into the Earth.

In case you missed it:

Find out why climate change really gets this researcher's goat.

What should we cover next?

Our stories rely on insight from experts and readers around the world, so we always welcome your ideas and inside scoops. We're also always open to expert commentary and op-eds from people working in conservation-related issues. Got something to say? Drop us a line anytime.

Coming up:

Do you ever worry about the environmental impact of flying? I sure do — and I just took my first flight this year. I'll talk about that tomorrow.

And coming next week, Tara Lohan takes you on a long river journey filled with drones, fish ears and "mind-blowing science."

We have a whole lot more in the works after that, so look for our latest links in next week's newsletter — or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the headlines as they go live. We also share other news there, too, so please join us and keep the discussion going.

As always, thank you for reading.