"Wearing radiation monitors, safety goggles, and seven layers of gloves, they practice shaping new warhead plutonium cores—by hand." How America maintains its aging nuclear weapons. / AP

America's relationship with air conditioning went from fascination to addiction in the 20th century—from here on out, life may no longer be possible without it. / The Washington Post [+]

See also: One big winner in a warming world is poison ivy, which is growing faster and bigger, and becoming more toxic. / NPR

"We cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever before." / Vox

A well-preserved, 2,100-year-old small leather shoe found in Austria may be evidence that children lived or worked—or both—in the region's salt mines. / Newsweek

See also: Archaeologists think they've found the remains of the oldest known wooden structure built by humans, and have dated it to 476,000 years old. / IFL Science

"The argument over capital punishment isn't really about prevention or deterrence...but about retribution. One shouldn't sneer at this powerful natural impulse." / Areo

When a photo of a model's battered feet goes viral, some rushed to defend the fashion industry, claiming fakery or distortion—"both of those insinuations are codswallop." / In the Flash

In Japan, a disconnected phone booth in a hilltop garden has become a destination for people working through grief. / Atlas Obscura

Bob Ross's first on-air painting, A Walk in the Woods, is up for sale at nearly $10 million. / Smithsonian Magazine

See also: From 2019, a video roundup of the best Bob Ross pep talks. / Hyperallergic

"The same icons, mouse, fonts, and graphics that make the machine easy to use may well turn off the brain's creative-writing abilities." When the Mac "ruined" writing. / Newart

A collection of book front- and end-papers from 1890 to 1930. / Flickr