Optimus Time.

Dozens of vaccinated staff at San Francisco hospitals developed Covid over the past six weeks. Good news? None have been so sick they need to be hospitalized. / The San Francisco Chronicle

Everything you need to know about how the Delta variant works. / Nature

An overview of last week's more popular coronavirus lies. / The Associated Press

Benjamin Wallace-Wells: People have to make different calculations right now about personal risk. The problem is that the parameters are not yet fully known. / The New Yorker

For many, the belated realization that Covid will be a long war sparks anger and denial. / STAT

China locks down the eastern city of Nanjing in its worst outbreak in months. / The Guardian

US Senators unveil a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. / The Associated Press

All the recent news about aliens and aerial phenomena might perhaps be about lasers and holographs? / The Wall Street Journal

Researchers at Google say they have used Google's quantum computer to demonstrate a "time crystal"—an object whose parts move in a repeating cycle, sustaining change without burning energy. / Quanta Magazine

MIT offers a free "mental Space odyssey" on Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach. / MIT Open Courseware

Related: 1,700 free online courses from top universities. / Open Culture

One lesser-known story at these Tokyo Olympics: men and women are teaming up in a series of mixed-gender events that are making their Olympic debuts. / The New York Times

Matthew Willis: Neither Naomi Osaka nor Simone Biles come close to belonging in the (idiotic) culture war around "our society is soft." / The Racquet

Gabby Thomas, the poster girl for "black girl magic," may become the first-ever Harvard graduate to win a gold medal. / ESPN

The Toronto Blue Jays finally return home after Canada forced them to play 161 regular season and playoff games on the road. / The New York Times

Music experts agree: Sublime may still be popular, but dammit they're not cool. (Then again, nothing is?) / GQ, Vox

Counterpoint: How Lodge makes cast iron pans. / Eater


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Since 1999 (!), your Headlines are sourced and written by Andrew Womack and Rosecrans Baldwin, and arrive in your inbox, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest Headlines at TMN.