Today’s picks
1. Hurricane Isaias shows ‘it only takes one’ to wreak havoc after historically calm Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Isaias, a Category 2 storm, spawned tornadoes, flooding, and extreme rainfall after making landfall, causing destruction despite a historically calm Atlantic hurricane season. The case illustrates that a quiet season overall does not mean low risk: “it only takes one” storm to wreak havoc. It is worth reading as a reminder of how a single extreme weather event can reshape assumptions about seasonal risk.
2. Elon Musk’s foundation is opaque, miserly and self-serving
This article examines Elon Musk’s foundation, arguing that its philanthropy is opaque, miserly, and self-serving. It also notes that the world’s richest man disdains charity, with his money matching his rhetoric. For readers interested in billionaire giving and public accountability, it offers a critical case worth reading.
3. Middle East Dispatch: Flying through the Gulf is complicated
In this Middle East dispatch, Gregg Carlstrom examines how war has complicated aviation in the Gulf. The piece looks at the effects on regional air travel and why flying through the Gulf is no longer straightforward. It is worth reading for insight into how conflict reshapes aviation, routes and the wider region.
4. The mathematical secret behind why rose petals curl
The elegant curl of rose petals may be unique among flowers, and mathematics can help explain how it forms. The article examines the geometry and mechanics behind this distinctive shape. It is worth reading for anyone curious about the hidden connections between natural forms and mathematical principles.
5. I was kidnapped and held hostage for 977 days. Could I forgive my captors?
In 2012, a journalist traveled to Somalia to report on piracy and was kidnapped on his tenth day near Galkayo, then held hostage for two and a half years. He spent much of that time on a sweat-soaked foam mattress in a dusty room, and came to know Mohamed Tahlil as a gentle pirate overseeing guards in his first months. The essay asks whether the mercy that helped him endure was real forgiveness or Stockholm syndrome. It offers a searing firsthand look at forgiveness, trauma, and humanity.
6. AI’s mathematics blitz pushes science into strange new territory
AI is making rapid inroads into mathematics, and the speed and novelty of its advances are reshaping how the subject is researched, pushing science into unfamiliar territory. The implications reach well beyond mathematics: other disciplines should take heed. The piece is worth reading for its account of how machine-driven discovery may unsettle research norms, training and ethics.
By publication
The Economist
- Elon Musk’s foundation is opaque, miserly and self-serving
- Middle East Dispatch: Flying through the Gulf is complicated
- AI’s mathematics blitz pushes science into strange new territory
Scientific American
- Hurricane Isaias shows ‘it only takes one’ to wreak havoc after historically calm Atlantic hurricane season
- The mathematical secret behind why rose petals curl