TIDINGS: Is our worms learning?


Welcome back to Tidings readers. All of the links in this newsletter were shared first by the community of users on Seabird. If you're not yet on Seabird, download the app or sign up on the web for the full experience.

​Are memories transferable — or edible?​

A chronicle of some very strange experiments on worm memory and the contemporary scientists struggling to get worms to learn in the first place.

Quanta | Claire L. Evans

​Most flags used to be ugly​

A case for resisting optimization of flag design and choosing unaesthetic uniqueness over boring simplicity.

Works in Progress | Ned Donovan

​The milkman​

“I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital, and they have been sick, but they recovered [...] But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer." How raw milk became a big business, despite multiple outbreaks and risk of life-threatening disease.

Pro Publica | Annie Waldman

​The last straw​

Not just for peasants: thatched roofs are highly sought after, while in England a feud simmers between advocates for straw versus reed.

The New York Times | Rukmini Callimachi

​‘Soccer’ is a fine term for the beautiful game​

As the World Cup begins, a defense of "soccer" and a brief lesson in its etymology.

The Conversation | Kirk Bowman


​A minimum wage natural experiment has been running for over a decade

What are the employment effects of raising the minimum wage? An economist rounds up recent evidence.

Arin's Substack | Arin Dube

​How Britain became as poor as Mississippi​

Not just Brexit: a look at Britain's self-destructive policies, including a hard turn against immigration.

The Atlantic | Idrees Kahloon

​Andrew Tate's empire of abuse​

A deeply reported investigation into the sickening exploitation of women by manosphere celebrity, misogynist, and Trump ally Andrew Tate.

The New Yorker | Heidi Blake

​Anguished parents, crying doctors​

In Utah, low uptake of vaccines is making measles resurgent, pushing health care providers to the limit and making outbreaks impossible to control.

Wired | Amy Maxmen

​Meet the dementia rebels​

A look at activists working for engagement and fulfilment for those diagnosed with dementia, especially in its early stages.

The Guardian | Anne Karpf

​How I learned to read way, way more​

"I used to read a few books a year. Now I read about one a week. [...] I look back and feel as though I spent several years of my life without showering. How was I getting by at all? Why didn’t anyone say something?"

John Paul Brammer

​The man who reads books for a living​

And a profile of a man whose entire job is reading books to assess their viability for adaptation to the big screen.

Literary Hub | Julien C. Levy

​A world-class omakase in America's most landlocked state​

On the pride and frustrations of making it as a sushi artisan in Omaha, Nebraska.

The New Yorker | Hannah Goldfield

​Arrived early and staying late​

How Oakland became a capital of Yemeni coffeeshops, offering a more convivial experience than the typical austere third wave coffee place.

Oakland Review of Books | Max Ramirez

​Oregon gets its first California condor visit in 122 years​

Finally, in bird and Oregon news... the state gets its first visit from a California condor in more than a century.

OPB | Roman Battaglia

Tidings is edited by Jacob Grier. The links in our newsletter were all shared first on Seabird, our minimalist platform simply designed for recommending worthwhile links. Learn more about us here and join to discover and share articles like these every day. Your recommendations may appear in a future edition of Tidings.

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