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PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
A Scientist’s Four-Decade Quest to Save the Americas’ Biggest Monkeys (Maria)
The author writes, “The emerald-green canopy shifts and rustles as a troop of willowy, golden-gray monkeys slides through a tropical ecosystem more threatened than the Amazon. Karen Strier started studying the biggest monkey in the Americas four decades ago, when there were just 50 of the animals left in this swath of the Atlantic forest, in southeastern Brazil’s Minas Gerais state. Strier immediately fell in love with the northern muriqui, dedicating her life to saving it and launching one of the world’s longest-running primate studies.”
RFK Jr. Claims ‘Vaccine Research’ Likely Responsible for HIV and the Spanish Flu (Sean)
The author writes, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. convened a panel of health misinformation superstars on Tuesday evening for a roundtable discussion that suggested his medical conspiracism will be a key component of his 2024 presidential run. During the unfiltered conversation, he falsely suggested that millions of deaths in the Great Influenza (or ‘Spanish flu’) epidemic of 1918 could be attributed to vaccine experiments.”
Wisconsin Republicans Try to Force Vote on Reappointment of Nonpartisan Election Leader (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Republicans who control the Wisconsin Senate, in a surprise move Wednesday night, proceeded with trying to force a vote on firing the state’s nonpartisan top elections official before the 2024 presidential election. The Senate voted to move ahead at a later date with a public hearing, and ultimately a confirmation vote, on the reappointment of Meagan Wolfe for a second term overseeing elections in the presidential battleground state. Democrats walked out of the Senate chamber before the vote, objecting to bringing the unscheduled resolution to a vote at 9:30 p.m. on a day that was expected to focus on passage of the state budget.”
‘Drought Is on the Verge of Becoming the Next Pandemic’ (Laura)
From The Guardian: “Freshwater shortages, once considered a local issue, are increasingly a global risk. In every annual risk report since 2012, the World Economic Forum has included water crisis as one of the top-five risks to the global economy. Half of the global population — almost 4 billion people — live in areas with severe water scarcity for at least one month of the year, while half a billion people face severe water scarcity all year round.”
Everyone in South Korea Is About to Get One or Two Years Younger (Russ)
From The Wall Street Journal: “The country will ditch its ancient age-counting system. Thirty-somethings drop back to their 20s; middle age is further off. ‘I’m 50, but turning 48 soon.’”
‘Like Milk’: How One Magazine Became a Mainstay of New Jersey’s Chinese Community (Al)
From NPR: “Bundles of free newspapers are stacked by the doors of Chinese supermarkets in New Jersey. Plastered with brightly colored ads, most are backed by powerful institutions, be they religious groups, the spiritual movement Falun Gong or news agencies affiliated with the Chinese government in Beijing. Sino Monthly, a magazine that costs $1.25 per issue, stands out among the Chinese-language press for something else: its independence. It was founded by a local couple in 1991. They’re still at the helm.”
The No-Wash Movement: Would You Wear Underpants for a Week Without Cleaning Them? (Laura)
The author writes, “Do you need to wash your T-shirts after every wear? Probably not. What about your knickers? That depends. But more and more people are eschewing detergent to save time, money and the environment.”
