Hopes for future hatchlings outside Perth as rare western swamp tortoise returns to southern home. An endangered tortoise that excited wildlife carers by surviving outside its only known habitats in Perth has returned home to its birthplace and site of a relocation trial in Western Australia's South West. [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 4:54 PM PST - 7 comments

At least according to Carter Vail, a musician on YouTube (and probably Tik Tok, but I am old). Let him tell you about the thing all guys do, how to succeed at wizarding school, or how to appreciate marine life. Or you could listen to his really good serious music if you are into that sort of thing, I guess.
posted by pattern juggler at 4:35 PM PST - 9 comments

Explore the beautiful, intricate paths of ships over a year - tracked from America's busiest ports to the open ocean via AIS marine tracking data.
posted by mhoye at 1:04 PM PST - 11 comments

Draw Lines ... Make Music ... Share your Instrument
posted by chavenet at 11:55 AM PST - 12 comments

Euripides Unbound is an account of the recent discovery by archeologist Heba Adly of a papyrus containing 97 lines from Polyidus and Ino, lost plays by Euripides, written by Robert Cioffi who participated in the dig led by Basem Gehad. The fragment was deciphered by classicists Yvona Trnka-Amrhein and John Gibert, who have been interviewed about it by Johanna Hanink on the Lesche Podcast. Bill Allan wrote a short essay about the fragment for the Times Literary Supplement, which led Mary Beard to discuss it on the TLS Podcast.
posted by Kattullus at 11:02 AM PST - 9 comments

"It is not often that one in the process of learning of, or reading, a book develops three different opinions about the book. I have heard of Lea Ypi¡¯s Free after it became an international bestseller. I was even then somewhat intrigued by the topic, an autobiographical story of growing up in Albania at ¡°the end of history¡±, given that Albania was somewhat of a black box (because of the isolationist policies followed by its long-time president Enver Hoxha). Yet since I had a uniform negative view about any personal reminiscences coming out of Eastern Europe, I was almost sure not to read the book? Why such mistrust?" Branko Milanovic with a thoughtful review of Lea Ypi's awardwinning Free: Coming of Age at the End of History.
posted by mittens at 10:51 AM PST - 3 comments

A few short, brisk fantasy stories, published this year, involving peril and rescue. "The Dragon Shepherd" by George S. Walker, in Electric Spec: a young girl challenges complacent dragonslayers. "The Doomsday Book of Labyrinths" by LM Zaerr, in Uncharted Magazine: a tax assessor (who doesn't care to look too closely at his own emotions) needs to figure out why a scared kid is running a shop. "Labyrinths for Wayward Teens", also by Zaerr (and, like "Doomsday Book", ending abruptly), in Electric Spec: an exploited hero-for-hire, paid to rescue thrillseeking customers from magical escape rooms, faces (mostly gratuitous) danger when his own daughter gets trapped.
posted by brainwane at 9:47 AM PST - 8 comments

How to be a butler to the super rich. (archive link here) [more inside]
posted by Kitteh at 8:52 AM PST - 44 comments

All large planets in our Solar System have rings, and it has been suggested that Mars may have had a ring in the past. This raises the question of whether Earth also had a ring in the past.
posted by bq at 8:14 AM PST - 23 comments

Ring of Gyges: A shepherd named Gyges discovers a magical ring that grants him the power of invisibility when he twists the ring on his finger. With this newfound power, Gyges seduces the queen, kills the king, and takes over the kingdom. The Ring of Gyges is a dialogue featured in The Republic by Plato. The story raises a moral question: would people still act justly if they could act unjustly without fear of being caught or punished? [more inside]
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 7:45 AM PST - 76 comments

For the second time ever (the first was in 2020), Scientific American endorses a presidential candidate. For the first time since 1996, the Teamsters union does not. [more inside]
posted by box at 5:56 AM PST - 67 comments

BatCam offers glimpse into secret life of threatened flying fox species. A live-streaming camera is offering insights into a grey-headed flying fox colony in northern New South Wales, aiming to change public perception that the animals are pests, and guide conservation work. [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 3:56 AM PST - 3 comments

Everyone was bereft and unnerved at the loss of this soft-spoken person they had been tending to near constantly for months. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it,¡± Cheatham says. ¡°I was so sad that he died. They were telling me that they were hoping he would get over the spell that he was in.¡± But that day, Flores and Moore also managed to spend $7,017.73 at Ted Baker, $289.85 at Erewhon, $220.50 at Tory Burch, $992.25 at Coach, and $2,477.90 at the Apple Store. They dined at Nobu, too. from The Parasites of Malibu [The Cut; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 12:55 AM PST - 8 comments