Dopamine hits different
Since the start of the summer, nearly 500 people have been arrested in France on suspicion of starting wildfires. / The Guardian
Drought is declared in three-quarters of England and all of Wales. / NPR
A new study finds that swapping even a two-year-old gas car for an electric vehicle leads to a lifetime emissions savings of roughly 50 percent. / Canary Media
An interactive tool tracks crops and animal products over 50-plus years of production. / Github
Rivers are found to be inherently mathematical, “naturally reconfiguring themselves to minimize total energy expenditure.” / Quanta Magazine
Thanks to the White House’s dismantling of foreign aid, 2025 is expected to be the first year this century where child deaths will increase. / The Associated Press
Unrelated: Africa has been historically underpopulated, and its recent population growth is actually “an extremely belated process of demographic normalization.” / The Financial Times
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In this week’s dubious trend reporting, famous women seem to have discovered bankers, while non-famous women have discovered hobbies. / The Wall Street Journal [$], The New York Times [$]
The owner of an internet-famous hamster—known for running six miles a night—hopes people don’t start impulsively buying pets. / Vox [$]
“Dopamine sites” are websites that recreate the online shopping experience without any actual transactions. / rest of world
See also: A collection of drug dealers’ baggies. / Flashbak
Foreigners are often familiar with the Japanese word “itadakimasu,” but they’ve “quietly relocated” its purpose. / The Tokyo Hermit
What it’s like to use Claude to build a family tree. “The most moving find had nothing to do with blood.” / Craig Mod