The trouble with being a bulldog (NPR)
by Lauren Sommer
Bulldogs represent a striking example of human’s manipulation of other animals’ genetics for our benefit. But some say it’s cruel to keep breeding animals for characteristics that give them lifelong health problems—and now a Norwegian court agrees.

A serial-killer family in the Wild West (Slate)
by Colin Dickey
In the 1870s, a mysterious family built a homestead in Kansas and set to work murdering fellow settlers. Their story after they were found out reflects the weird lawlessness of the frontier.

How fish talk (The Conversation)
by Audrey Looby, Amalis Riera, Kieran Cox, and Sarah Vela
Fish lack vocal cords, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t communicate with sounds. In fact, hundreds of fish species have developed an astonishing array of noise-making methods, from using their swim bladders as drums to… fish farts.

Life lessons from hyenas and rats (Aeon)
by Sam Haselby
The ancient Indian story of Kalila and Dimna spent centuries spreading across different countries, religions, and languages, delighting readers with a nesting doll of stories in which animals impart lessons for life and leadership.

What went wrong in Hong Kong? (The Atlantic)
by Timothy McLaughlin
After being an apparent model for the world for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong has seen a terrifying surge of deaths. To Americans, the story of how this happened may feel unsettlingly familiar.

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