A list of good reads
- The Print has an investigative report on how India’s crackdown on old cars is faltering—featuring graveyards of vehicles and loopholes in policy.
- Still struggling to get a good night’s sleep? Wall Street journal (splainer gift link) identifies the right amount of white noise.
- The Atlantic (splainer gift link) argues for in vitro maturation (IVM), as a less brutal alternative to in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
- Vox looks at the bizarre trend of people using ChatGPT for obituaries and other sensitive messages.
- New York Times (splainer gift link) breaks down how the ‘Manosphere’—the male-dominated podcast sphere that promotes a ‘boys will be boys’ mentality—worked in lockstep with Trump’s win. The key question: are you surprised?
- Aeon makes the case for subspecies—a key component of zoology, but a neglected unit of conservation efforts.
- The Conversation has a cheat sheet on how to strike the perfect balance on stressful news, between staying informed and ‘doomscrolling’.
- Mahika Dhar in Public Books argues that we risk the loss of our personal histories to obsolete tech—when we leave the work of remembering to digital tools like Google Photos or Instagram.
- Barbara Ellen in The Guardian asks whether it's time to stop bashing ‘hapless everywoman’ Bridget Jones—with the fourth film in the series releasing on Valentine’s Day.
- BBC News traces the mystery of why Jane Austen's letters were destroyed by her own sister.
- Sticking with hatke history lessons: Scroll offers a backstory on how Hindi teachers helped strengthen India’s ties with the Caribbean.
- The Cut dives into the strange world of film-based scent collaborations to ask the question: what does a movie smell like?
- Reuters has a cool interactive look at cozy comforting video games, as an antidote to stress and anxiety. Remember to keep your sound on for this one.
- Associated Press has a lovely photo album of bar-headed geese—they’ve been migrating by the tens of thousands to the Pong Lake wetland in Himachal Pradesh.
