Some tips on how to interpret the coming flood of data about the Omicron Covid-19 variant. / STAT

A survey of Omicron's best- and worst-Case scenarios. If it ends up causing milder symptoms than Delta, "there's a real upside." / The Atlantic

Related: An atomic simulation of a coronavirus nestled in a tiny airborne drop of water. / The New York Times

A new report finds the EU captures migrants before they can reach its shores and sends them to Libyan detention centers run by militias. / The New Yorker

Profile of a New York physician who commutes 800 miles across four states to perform abortions. / The Washington Post

Iowa senator Chuck Grassley blocks a request to proceed on gun control legislation following the Michigan school shooting this week. / The Guardian

Not everyone in North Dakota is excited to receive a controversial statue of Theodore Roosevelt. / Hyperallergic

It's December and it hasn't snowed in Denver yet. That's an event that's never before been recorded. / CNN

See also: "Venus could have been a paradise but turned into a hellscape." / Vox

In 2020, the amount of anthropogenic mass—human-made stuff—exceeded the weight of all global living biomass. / Visualizing Capitalist

Amazon encapsulates many of the problems and ironies of the climate crisis—like how it's helping scientists study how to dim the sun. / Gizmodo

Some tips on how to plan for friends and relatives handling all your online stuff when you're no longer around. / The Verge

Psychics and astrologers are popular on Instagram, thus scammers are impersonating them. / The Los Angeles Times

Morticians let loose at their annual gathering in Nashville. / Mic