Peel out
A new report finds “credible sexual harassment allegations against 162 sitting [US] state officials, in 424 incidents between 2013 and 2026.” / Mother Jones
See also: The US Constitution says it’s Congress’s job to police its members, yet time and again current leaders refuse to do anything that might diminish their margin. / The Washington Post [$]
How NASA’s Orion managed to send high-definition images back to Earth: Instead of relying solely on traditional radio waves, they used optical laser communications. / Ars Technica
More than 34 million people along the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at “very high” or “high” risk of flooding, according to one of the most comprehensive studies on floods. / The Associated Press
The Strait of Hormuz closure means aluminum is suffering “probably the largest single supply shock a base metals market has suffered in the post-2000 era.” / Reuters
Since 2003, disease—and now tariffs and a historic freeze—have caused Florida’s once-mighty orange industry to decline by more than 95%. / Slate
See also: With hundreds of new varieties developed every year, America’s bioengineered potato industry is booming, and it’s all about the chips. / The Associated Press
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New evidence reveals cemeteries as thriving centers of biodiversity for insects and other wildlife—possibly due in part to the lack of human activity. / Grist
Unearthly, vibrant sculptures of marine life, by Lisa Stevens. / Colossal
People’s reverence for certain artworks can border on treating the objects like people, except what does it mean when the art refuses to reciprocate? / Hyperallergic
“In the act of becoming automatons, we bring ourselves that much closer to the thing we really fear: being left alone, without any of the care or materials we need to survive.” / A Working Library
For well over a century, empathy has played a larger role in shaping how humans approach the world, and it would be disastrous for that to end. / The Hedgehog Review
“If our enemies have no oversight then why should we?” Palantir’s manifesto, translated for humans. / The Verge [$]
Members of a North Korean hacking group who, according to one expert, “don't have the skills to write code” are now able to do significant damage thanks to AI. / WIRED
“Don’t blame books for being too expensive. Everything else is more expensive, and that’s why you can’t afford books.” / Miller’s Book Review
Cormac McCarthy’s Lotus Esprit S4 is up for auction by his brother, who says the late author was known to tear across Texas on 100 mph-plus road trips. / InsideHook
See also: A profile of opera singer, mountain climber, and race car driver Dmitri Nabokov, who was also his father’s best translator and collaborator. / The Morning News
Unrelated: McLaren has signed its youngest driver yet—an 11-year-old—to its development program. / BBC Sport
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