The reforestation of the world (Pacific Standard)
By Rhett A. Butler
Deforestation is a continuing, serious problem in many places, particularly in tropical areas. But, overall, the world now has more trees than it did in the 1980s.

How the apple was born along the Silk Road (Atlas Obscura)
by Paula Mejia
The Silk Road connected medieval Europe with East Asia, but what happened in between was just as important. Trade along the road shaped crops we eat today, probably including modern apples.

The dissonant history of Little Women (The Atlantic)
by Sophie Gilbert
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been a nostalgic classic for generations of women. It’s also been derided as treacly and antifeminist—sentiments which, it turns out, Alcott kind of agreed with.

The real link between prisons and the economy (Public Books)
by Dan Berger
Yes, capitalism and mass incarceration are connected. No, the main link isn’t private prisons or cheap prison labor. It’s a more complex relationship that involves debt, joblessness, and the U.S. racial caste system.

The case against advertising (The Conversation)
by Ramsi Woodcock
What if advertising—not just Facebook political ads but all advertising—is a threat to the public, and to competitive markets? The government might sue to shut it all down. In fact, it’s started down that road before.

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