"All five influenza pandemics we have details about developed more virulent variants before settling down." A history of variants. / The Washington Post

The very important differences between how vaccinated and unvaccinated bodies respond to Covid. / The Atlantic

Now that Covid is endemic, like influenza, life expectancy in the US will take some time to climb back to pre-pandemic levels. / The Washington Post

Six months in, Biden's approval rating is the most stable for any president since the end of World War II. / CNN

If your entire music library exists only on Spotify, you're probably going to lose the whole thing in a decade or two. / The Atlantic

"Pop music and the market are one, shaping and reinforcing one another as major label releases are bought and sold just as coldly as any other commodity." / Vox

Microbes have always been around to clean up human messes. Now we're using them to clean our art. / Discover

"If you live in Austin, it's impossible to hear those stories and not mourn the city a little." Slacker is now 30 years old. / Texas Monthly

Octavia Butler's 1979 author bio is extraordinary. / Literary Hub

Wildlife researchers and officials are pushing for people to stop saying "shark attacks," and instead refer to "bites," "incidents," and "encounters." / The New York Times

A YouTube channel is remastering classic video-game intros and cut scenes into beautiful 4K and 8K versions. / The Verge

"While bullshitting falls under the category of disinformation (the act of intentionally spreading false information), bullshit tends to fall in line with misinformation." / VICE

A website that changes every time you blink. / Glitch

"He drives a Tesla and has a subscription to the New Yorker but admits that he's too busy to read it." Assessing the future—if one exists—for CrossFit. / The New Yorker

Hazy landscapes in paintings by Max Berry. / This Isn't Happiness