Tiny Worlds, Bike Helmets, and a Unique Sign Language

The World in a Water Drop (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Jennie Rothenberg Gritz
The most common kind of animal in the world is one we rarely consider, tiny invertebrates that live everywhere from wet mosses to deep ocean trenches. Photographer and marine biologist Angel Fitor creates windows into their lives.

The Trouble with Bike Helmets (Slate)
by Marion Renault
Many cyclists cringe when they see a fellow rider without a helmet. But headgear is of little use in many dangerous cycling situations. How did it become riders’ primary line of defense?

How a Unique Sign Language Survives (Atlas Obscura)
by Blair Mastbaum
Hundreds of years ago, Deaf people in a walled Jewish section of an Algerian town developed a sign language unique to their community. Today, that community is dispersed around the world, but the language survives.

The Battlefield and the Stadium (Nursing Clio)
by Sarah Handley-Cousins
Since its beginnings, American football has been compared with war as a formative experience for young men. It also has parallels in its potential to traumatize, and to bring men together in mutual support and love.

Why Do We Meme Edgar Allan Poe? (The Conversation)
by Scott Peeples
We know Edgar Allan Poe not just for his stories but for his image as a brooding social outcast. For well over a century, he’s been a celebrated literary icon who somehow managed to remain a perpetual underdog.

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