🌡️ An alarming sea sponge study

It’s Tuesday, February 6 — people are talking about Biden’s primary win in South Carolina, the climate implications of a sea sponge study, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🗳️ Biden wins South Carolina

Is Biden’s primary win in SC a sign of strength, or does it mask deeper campaign issues?

🗳️ WSJ: Biden scored a decisive victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary. His team hopes the win sparks momentum for his 2024 campaign.

🗳️ A Guardian wasn't convinced: Biden's SC win was a gimme. Deeper issues, like his age and policy, loom large in the general election.

🗳️ Hot Air agrees: Biden's SC win is hollow. He's still stuck with low approval ratings and a lack of enthusiasm among Democratic voters.

🗳️ On the other hand, Bloomberg was more optimistic: Biden's landslide victory in South Carolina signals strong Black voter support.

🌡️ An alarming sea sponge study

Are sea sponges sounding the climate alarm? A new study suggests we've hit critical warming levels, but skeptics urge caution.

🌡️ A study on sea sponges claims that Earth's warming may have already hit the 1.5C mark, ABC News reports. But there's quite a lot of controversy in the scientific community — are we toast, or what?

🌡️ Live Science questions the sea sponge study's claim. The main issue is when to set the pre-industrial warming level — until the 20th century, ocean temperature measurements were sporadic and unreliable.

🌡️ And The Guardian says it's risky to generalize global temperatures from one species in the Caribbean — but it's still meaningful. It's possible that we've underestimated the Earth’s warming.

🌡️ The Conversation thinks it's for real — yes, it's hard to pin down the pre-industrial period given sketchy ocean temperature measurements, but studying sea sponges is actually a really accurate alternative. The study is legit.

🌡️ Financial Times says the study is useful, but it doesn't automatically mean the whole earth is warming at that rate. It's just one species from one region.

Quick hits

🏛️ Archaeologists in Central London found an ancient wooden Roman burial bed. (CNN)

🎂 Edie Ceccarelli, the second oldest person alive, celebrated her 116th birthday. (The Guardian)

⚫ Wildfires in Chile's Valparaíso region have killed at least 120 people, and destroyed thousands of homes. (BBC)

⚫ Country singer Toby Keith died at age 62 after battling stomach cancer. He had twenty #1 Billboard hits, including "Should’ve Been a Cowboy". (AP News)

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