A list of good reads
- The Quint has an interactive read on how Russian accounts are distracting fact-checkers from doing their job.
- Nature has an interesting deep dive on the mysterious biology of smell—and how AI is helping to solve it.
- New Yorker has an excellent essay on why generative AI will never quite make art or write fiction like humans.
- TechCrunch explains why we have to stop picking up the phone—to avoid becoming victims of fraud.
- Ramchandra Guha in The Telegraph profiles the ‘wisest Indian’ sociologist André Béteille—why you should read him asap.
- Brian Klaas in The Garden of Forking Paths looks at the power of ‘supercitizens’—the ever-ready do-gooders around us.
- Psyche dives into the science of neuroarchitecture—and how buildings we occupy are affecting our brain
- New York Times (splainer gift link) reports on women throwing birthday parties for their frozen eggs.
- Shephali Bhatt in Economic Times looks at hip-hop stars from Kerala—and how Malayalam rappers create a remarkable sound that is both familiar and inventive.
- The Guardian has a lovely essay on the enduring appeal of film noir—be it a Japanese heist, a Bollywood musical, or a play in London’s East End.
- Jacqui Palumbo in CNN has a very good piece on the pressure to dress ‘age-appropriately’—and its connection to body dysmorphia.
- Speaking of fashion, The Cut decodes the return of the bloomer—a 19th century undergarment that’s making a comeback as a stylish outdoor pair of shorts.
- The Fence has a fascinating throwback piece on the now-shuttered Memsahib—a UK-based Indian restaurant best known for its cheeky ads in the 1980s. (h/t subscriber Anita Rao Kashi)