According to the NOAA, there was "no discernible" change in carbon emissions during the pandemic. / USA Today

A sinking ship near Sri Lanka carried 78 metric tons of plastic pellets that now pose unimaginable environmental consequences. / NPR

The Justice Dept. has recovered $2.3 million of the ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline, somehow gaining access to the hackers' bitcoin wallet. / Reuters

See also: What happens to your crypto when you die? / The Hustle

The FBI created an encrypted device company with Australian law enforcement that has infiltrated organized crime in more than 100 countries—and has resulted in more than 800 arrests. / NBC News

Related? Unrelated? The FBI wants USA Today to disclose information on who viewed a certain article in a 35-minute timespan. / The Verge

"Mr. Manchin's unique ability to survive in West Virginia is the last vestige of the state's once-reliable New Deal Democratic tradition." / The New York Times

A Senate report on the Jan. 6 insurrection has identified failures spanning intelligence, police, and military that led to the attack. / Associated Press

"This is just what Trump tried in 2020, and it led to a coup attempt in January 2021. It will be worse in January 2025." On Sept. 11 and Jan. 6. / Thinking about...

For the workers who pick your online grocery order in stores, the job can push the limits of what humans are capable of doing. / The New York Times

For the past 15 years, price increases for brand-name prescription drugs have consistently outpaced inflation. / AARP

Here are the brands celebrating Pride on social media despite their histories of actively harming the LGBTQ community. / VICE

"Somehow, we've had to wait until 2021 for publishers to release something from a major Black voice in barbecue." / WIRED

With samples from 60 cities' mass transit systems, scientists have identified urban microbiomes showing no two cities are alike. / ScienceAlert

Intricate cityscapes where a small detail shows something dangerous is afoot, in paintings by Thomas Deaton. / Booooooom

The Astros' dismal 2020 seemed to confirm suspicions they only won by cheating—the team's return to form complicates all that. / FiveThirtyEight

A tour of the "Darth Vader House" that has mystified Houstonians for the past 30 years. / Texas Monthly

"Our views...are not the same as they were 50 years ago, and will be different again in another 50 years." Remove all the statues. / The Guardian

Photos of London's bricked-over windows, by Andy Billman. / This Isn't Happiness