A Time for Relaxation and Self-Emancipation (The Conversation)
by Ana Lucia Araujo
For people enslaved across the Americas, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day offered a brief respite from hard labor, a chance for celebration, and an opportunity to plot escape or rebellion.

Things Fall Apart—Or Do They? (Quanta Magazine)
by Zack Savitsky
Entropy is the fundamental tendency of things to become more disorderly, but it may not be as objective a concept as scientists once claimed. And it could be a key to new tools that turn information into energy.

When Murders Become Folk Heroes (Slate)
by Elliott Gorn
To the dismay of many, alleged murderer Luigi Mangione has become an instant folk hero. That puts him in company with figures from Nat Turner to John Dillinger, whose acts of violence—justified or not—crystalized public feelings about enormous social questions.

Whatever Happened to the Future? (Works in Progress)
by Virginia Postrel
For decades, Americans dreamed about a future of glamour and prosperity, featuring flying cars and underwater cities. But somewhere around the late 1960s, that vision lost its power. Can anything replace it?

The Legacy of Colonial Conservation (Mongabay)
by Ashoka Mukpo
After British hunters and the European ivory market devastated Kenya’s elephants, the colonial government created a conservation system targeting indigenous Africans. Today, conservation systems across Africa still bear the mark of their colonial origins.

Got a hot tip about a well-researched story that belongs on this list? Email us here.