Our picksReal data on fake news; Climate change & floating architecture; alien megacities, and more

Some real data on fake news (Steve Kolowich, Chronicle of Higher Education)
Fake news is rampant, and it’s poisoning our politics. Many people are saying this — on the right, on the left, and on whatever remains of the center. But is that truism, itself, fake news? Here’s the truth: Political scientists are only beginning to understand the mechanics of fake news and the havoc it has (or hasn’t) wrought on the American political system. Wounds are fresh, and research is scant.

We haven’t found alien megacities… yet (Matthew R. Francis, Daily Beast)
The mystery formations and data discrepancies of Tabby’s Star turned out to have explanations. But that’s not what’s important about the mystery star.

Pentagon seeks laser-powered bat drones. Really. (Patrick Tucker, Defense One)
A new contest seeks flight systems inspired by Mother Nature and powered by directed-energy beams.

How a South Texas bureaucrat became a multimillionaire amid the rush to build a border fence (Kiah Collier and Julián Aguilar, Texas Tribune; T. Christian Miller, ProPublica)
A decade ago as the federal government rushed to construct 60 miles of barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, it entrusted the chief of a little-known local agency to execute a compromise project. What it didn’t know was that he — and his family — stood to make millions from it.

How climate change could counterintuitively feed winter storms (Chris Mooney, Washington Post)
Last week, President Trump forced us to address the easy question about climate change and winter cold. No — experts loudly responded to a Trump tweet — unusual cold in one region of the globe during winter does not mean the globe as a whole is not warming. The far harder question is how climate change will alter the experience of winter itself. It will — it already has.

Climate change may lead to a rise in floating architecture (Trudie Carter, CNN)
Climate change poses a serious question: how will our cities cope with rising sea levels? Some architects believe that floating buildings offer the answer, and have come up with a wide variety of designs to prove it, from simple prefab homes to entirely amphibious neighborhoods.

Critical computer flaws set up security challenge in Washington (Morgan Chalfant and Ali Breland, The Hill)
Two critical vulnerabilities that affect modern computer processing chips are about to become a huge headache for governments worldwide. The vulnerabilities could allow hackers to pilfer sensitive data from virtually all modern computing devices, ranging from computers to smartphones to cloud infrastructure. Experts believe that they may be the most dangerous computer processor flaws to date.