The specter of eugenics in the Britney Spears case (The New York Times)
by Jan Hoffman
Britney Spears’s allegation that she was prevented from going off birth control to have a baby echoes a terrible history and raises questions about what the law still allows.

Karate’s complicated relationship with Japan (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Tony Perrottet
The fact that karate will make its debut at this year’s Olympics in Japan may seem particularly fitting. But the martial art is no ancient Japanese tradition. In fact, it owes part of its success to an early twentieth-century reputation for not being very Japanese at all.

When wrong numbers go right (The Conversation)
by Timothy D. Baird, Emily Woodhouse, and J. Terrence McCabe
To some Maasai men in East Africa, a misdial is not an annoyance but an opportunity that could lead to business deals or even lasting friendship.

Beyond burnout (Vox)
by Julia Belluz
Even before the pandemic, many doctors struggled with mental health problems. But licensing rules and hospital culture can make it very difficult for them to get help.

How crows count to zero (Live Science)
by Nicoletta Lanese
It took human mathematicians a long time to figure out the concept of zero as a number. But new research suggests that crows get it.

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