The weird history of breathing machines (Aeon)
by Sarah Ruth Bates
As you take a breath, you can picture the oxygen entering your expanding lungs and fueling your body. But not that long ago, people had no idea what oxygen was, how breathing worked, or how to help when lungs shut down.

Our fiery new world (Yale 360)
by Ed Struzik
From burning arctic tundra to fire tornados, the world is facing fire dangers we’ve never seen. We’re only beginning to get a sense of how strongly fire will shape our future, and what tools we’ll need to respond.

Possible aliens, and Venus’s other mysteries (Space.com)
by Nola Taylor Redd
Could there be life on Earth’s less fortunate twin? New findings are tantalizing. But whether or not they pay off, there’s a lot worth studying on a planet where familiar systems have reached a very different result.

The birth of “polite society” at the concert hall (Vox)
by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
Until the late 1700s, it was normal for audiences at classical music concerts to yell, clap, and cheer in the middle of a symphony. Beethoven helped change all that, ushering in an exclusive elite culture.

The abuse of migrants is a horrifyingly familiar story (The Washington Post)
by Jessica Ordaz
The allegation that women in ICE detention have received unwanted hysterectomies echoes a long history of government eugenics, racism, and violence toward migrants.

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