Should we sleep like medieval Europeans? (The Atlantic)
by Derek Thompson
Many people plagued with nighttime wakefulness are comforted to learn that, historically, people often slept in segments, rather than all in one chunk. Is that pattern more “natural”?

The danger of everyday celebrity (The Conversation)
by Jenna Drenten
Tabloid media has long invited us to scrutinize the love lives and personal choices of the rich and famous. Today, trending TikTok topics like “West Elm Caleb” let us do the same with regular people. What does tabloid culture become when all of us are potential subjects?

Relating to plants (Popular Science)
by Jessica Hernandez
What do people mean when they call an invasive species evil? Can two kinds of plants be friends? Bringing Indigenous thought into the classroom can put ideas about “conservation” in a different light.

What kind of life can you afford? (Full Stack Economics)
by Timothy B. Lee
For decades, the prices of televisions and clothes have been dropping, while college tuition and health care have been getting ever-more expensive. What’s going on? And what does it mean for our quality of life?

Want a glass of water? How do you know? (NPR)
by Jon Hamilton
You reach for your water bottle, guzzle down 10 ounces, and feel a sense of relief and refreshment. The signals that told your brain you were thirsty, and then told it you were satisfied are part of an enormously complicated system with nodes all over your body.

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