July 18, 2017

Why Republicans couldn’t repeal and replace: The ACA has proven popular in red states, and not everyone is rich. / The New York Times

McConnell wants a repeal-and-delay, which would create chaos—and which the Senate approved and Obama vetoed in 2015. / Vox

“The woman’s eye had become home to a hard, bluish mass of nearly 30 contact lenses held together by mucus.” / The New York Times

US News delays its annual hospital rankings after failing to adjust for patients’ socioeconomics. / STAT

Seoul proposes talks with Pyongyang—breaking with the White House, which wants sanctions and military pressure. / The New York Times

“He drew two distinct channels within the penis, though in fact there is only one. In da Vinci’s depiction, the lower channel carries urine while the upper carries semen and connects with the spinal column and brain.” Scientists didn’t understand where babies came from until 1875. / Atlas Obscura

After surviving ISIS brutality, Iraqi civilians are dying at record rates from US-led bombings. / The Daily Beast

Delhi doesn’t have rush hour anymore, because streets are packed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. / Financial Express

Pro gamer plays Street Fighter by sound and timing alone. (Discontinuous sound effects are his weakness.) / Motherboard

“Require that federal employees, including the president, disclose business liabilities and debts in entities that they control. Currently, they are only required to disclose debts for which they are personally responsible.” Departing Government Ethics director leaves ideas for how the US can fix its many current quandaries. / The New York Times

Riveting story of a diver who survived in an air pocket for two days after being trapped in an underwater cave. / BBC

Distributing SNAP benefits week to week, rather than in monthly sums, cuts shoplifting at Chicago grocers. / The Washington Post

“This is probably one of the single most important innovations that has happened first in China, and at the moment it’s only in China.” In just three years, Chinese cities have switched to ubiquitous smartphone payment systems; the mobile cash market is 50 times greater than in the US. / New York Times

The real bonanza for SETI won’t be finding one Earth-like planet, but a rare, super-habitable system. / Nautilus