The Power of Street Shrines (The Conversation)
by Gordon Coonfield
In the Kensington neighborhood in North Philadelphia, violence and trauma are disturbingly common. Collectively created public memorials help families and neighbors honor those they’ve lost and use memory to reshape the present.

Beautiful Bugs (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Joe Spring
From a human-scale perspective, common insects tend to appear as little dots of life trying to bite us or get on our food. But up close, they can be astonishingly intricate and colorful. One photographer’s images can teach us about the tiny animals around us—and maybe encourage us to take care of them.

The Seventeenth Century’s Top 100 (Atlas Obscura)
by Indi Bains
In England during Shakespeare’s time, ballads were all the rage. Distributed thanks to the new technology of the printing press, they entertained, shared new ideas, and perhaps even inspired a revolution.

The Women of the Haitian Revolution (BBC)
by Emi Eleode
During the Haitian Revolution, women served in roles including front-line fighters, spies and saboteurs, and spiritual leaders. Their stories were often preserved poorly, but today historians, writers, and artists are bringing them to light.

The Nerve that Makes Emotions (Quanta Magazine)
by R. Douglas Fields
We might think our emotions are made in our brains, but they have everything to do with bodily sensations and responses to stimuli. Bringing our minds and physical experiences together is the job of the vagus nerve.

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