Today’s picks
1. Stalled on the front lines, Russia hits Ukrainian harder
A visual tracker shows how the war in Ukraine is changing shape: Russian ground advances along the front have stalled, while long-range strikes on Ukrainian targets have intensified. The shift points to attrition and remote pressure rather than rapid territorial gain, with civilians and infrastructure bearing much of the cost. The charts make the change legible at a glance, which is why the piece rewards a closer read.
2. The world’s biggest cities are sinking. Is yours one of them?
A sweeping new survey finds that major cities worldwide are sinking by as much as several inches a year. The piece identifies affected places and explains why subsidence matters for flooding, infrastructure, and urban planning. It is worth reading to see whether your city is on the list and what the findings imply.
3. ‘Paleo lighting’ can fix your brain’s clock after daylight savings
When daylight saving time ends and clocks fall back, people get a chance to reset sleep timing. The article examines how “paleo lighting” may use light cues to help correct the brain’s circadian clock. It is worth reading for anyone interested in sleep, light exposure, and daily health.
4. The War Room newsletter: The best warplanes in history
In this War Room newsletter, senior editor Richard Cockett straps in to examine the greatest warplanes of all time. The piece offers an editor’s guided tour of iconic aircraft, blending technical detail with historical context. It is worth reading for anyone interested in military aviation and the evolution of airpower.
5. ‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bomb – podcast
On 14 January, army and navy teams faced two simultaneous emergencies: a wartime bomb on a Plymouth building site and another lodged in a dredger at Exmouth. That afternoon, the clock began ticking. This podcast explores how such second world war devices are made safe, and why the high-stakes decisions, specialist teamwork and risks to whole streets make it worth listening.
By publication
The Economist
- Stalled on the front lines, Russia hits Ukrainian harder
- The War Room newsletter: The best warplanes in history
Scientific American
- The world’s biggest cities are sinking. Is yours one of them?
- ‘Paleo lighting’ can fix your brain’s clock after daylight savings