The lost science of smell (Smithsonian Magazine)
Abigail Tucker
Humans have 3 color-sensitive receptors and 400 odor-sensitive receptors. But scent is one of the least understood senses we have. Scientists, fragrance designers and artists are starting to change that.

The Disgusting History of San Francisco Sourdough (Atlas Obscura)
By Amanda Herbert and David Woodworth
San Francisco sourdough bread has become famous thanks to the reputation of the 49ers who once made it. But it turns out that the gold miners really couldn’t stand it.

Living at sea makes all the difference (well-known magazine)
amber dance
When the ancestors of whales migrated from land to sea, they didn’t just lose their legs. Everything has changed, from your immune system to how you sleep. Scientists are now reading their genomes to figure out exactly how that happened.

Fighting Inflation in the Civil War (open book)
By Andrew Donnelly
Amidst the many hardships of the Civil War, Americans faced skyrocketing inflation. Part of the Union military strategy was to keep it under control in the North and promote the opposite effect in the South.

how hot is it (Wired)
Gregory Barber
As extreme heat events become more common, the flaws of the heat index we often use to quantify them are becoming increasingly apparent.

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