This story originally appeared on Undark and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.Given that she infects ant colonies with deadly pathogens and then studies how they respond, one might say that Nathalie Stroeymeyt, a senior lecturer in the school of biological sciences at the University of Bristol in the U.K., specializes in miniature pandemics.…
I’ve never been sure when the dog days of summer are, but where I live it’s scorching. It sure feels like dog days. My dogs refuse to come out of the shade, does that count? Still, fall will come. Eventually. Right now we have some good deals on outdoor gear so you can stock up…
It’s been over a week since hackers crippled Garmin with a ransomware attack, and five days since its services started flickering back to life. The company still hasn’t fully recovered, as syncing issues and delays continue to haunt corners of the Garmin Connect platform. Two things, though, are clear: It could have been worse for…
It’s safe to say a lot of us are missing our partners, friends, and family right now. With the pandemic requiring folks to stay six feet apart from others and at home as much as possible, the people you normally meet up with for weekly drinks or monthly get-togethers are suddenly only available through a…
YouTube drama is a barbed thing. The first trap is taking it too seriously. The second is not taking it seriously enough. Yesterday, YouTuber Calvin “LeafyIsHere” Vail posted a video attempting to eviscerate celebrity Twitch streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys. A notorious YouTuber who falls under the “drama” category, Vail posts videos with titles like “The…
On July 15, a Discord user with the handle Kirk#5270 made an enticing proposition. “I work for Twitter,” they said, according to court documents released Friday. “I can claim any name, let me know if you’re trying to work.” It was the beginning of what would, a few hours later, turn into the biggest known…
Teens love TikTok, but the Trump administration fears it. Earlier this week, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin confirmed that the social app was subject to a national security review into whether it could be a conduit for interference by China. Friday, Bloomberg reported that Trump will “sign an order” directing TikTok’s Chinese owner Bytedance to sell…
In prize fighting, there is a less-than-glorious path to victory known as “steal the round.” Your opponent may pummel you at the start of three minutes of boxing—or even for the first two minutes and 50 seconds—but in the waning moments of the round you come on strong in front of the ringside judges so…
Skip Article Header. Skip to: Start of Article. Photograph: Beate Sonnenberg/Getty ImagesScience fiction author Arkady Martine holds a PhD in Byzantine history, which she puts to good use in her first novel A Memory Called Empire. The story is inspired by the historical figure Petros Getadarj, who surrendered part of Armenia to the Byzantines. “I…
So the Marlins had teammates with Covid—and played the Phillies anyway? Naturally the depleted Floridians beat the Phils. (I guess you can tell I’m from Philadelphia.) Oh, and a heads-up that, as promised, this newsletter soon will be available only to subscribers—which means that, starting in September, you won’t be reading this on the web.…