Fungal ties (Catapult)
by Wendy Xu
Fungi are masters of connection, tying ecosystems together. A biologist and a comic illustrator find common ground in fascination with fungal systems, and the ways they can serve as metaphors for human experiences.

Scary western skies (Slate)
by Jane C. Hu
Right now, many places in the western U.S. look like something from a Hollywood apocalypse, with dark skies in the day and landscapes lit up in red and orange. How are the wildfires producing such hellish scenes?

How COVID-19 broke our brains (The Atlantic)
by Ed Yong
From the start of the pandemic, we’ve been looking for one-step cures and hoping for a return to normal. Those ways of thinking are part of what’s made it impossible to get a grip on the virus.

Can we stop spam calls? (The Conversation)
by Sathvik Prasad and Bradley Reaves
It you’re like a lot of people, when your phone rings it’s very likely that it’s a robocall, probably from a fake number. Should you answer, or will that just encourage more calls? And can anything be done to stop this scourge?

Your mask might protect you after all (The New York Times)
by Katherine J. Wu
We wear masks to protect others from COVID-19, but a growing body of research suggests they may be able to help us, too. Cloth that blocks just part of the virus we encounter may help us gain immunity without developing a full symptomatic case of the disease.

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