What’s up with this vicious otter gang? (Live Science)
by Ben Turner
A small group of otters in Alaska has been attacking humans and dogs. That’s unusual behavior for their species, but scientists think they know why the adorable mammals broke bad.
The long history of mockery and the South (Slate)
by Rebecca Onion
For many white southerners, the stereotype of less-vaccinated red states as ignorant and uneducated echoes longstanding slights against the region by mocking outsiders. That’s just part of a complicated history.
Nuclear fusion? Really? (The New Yorker)
by Rivka Galchen
Efforts to get energy from nuclear fusion have failed so many times that the whole project can feel like a pipe dream. But maybe this time is different. If it is, it would change everything.
How gender researchers do chores (The Atlantic)
by Joe Pinsker
At work, these sociologists study gender roles. The rest of the time, they face the same issues around the division of unpaid labor as any other partner in a heterosexual couple. What can they teach the rest of us?
A wetlands disaster, take two (CalMatters)
by Rachel Becker
Three decades ago, conservationists restored marshlands devastated by development and contamination. Then came the latest oil spill.
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Editor’s note: This article originally pictured a sea otter. The photo has been updated.