Links for you. Science:

Who’s the Parasite Now? This Newly Discovered ‘Fairy Lantern’ Flower.
Gordius wulingensis
‘Magical’ galaxy frogs disappear after reports of photographers destroying their habitats
COMPARATIVE METAGENOMIC ASSESSMENT OF SHORT- AND LONG-READ SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES REVEALS UNKNOWN MICROBIAL INFORMATION IN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLE
Sea urchin species on brink of extinction after marine pandemicc
She Studied the Health Effects of Wildfires. Marina Vance had an E.P.A. grant to help homeowners counter the impact of wildfire smoke, until the agency deemed the research “no longer consistent” with its priorities.

Other:

Howie Klein (February 20, 1948–December 24, 2025)–years ago, I wrote about Klein here; he was a real mensch).
Money Doesn’t Buy Elections. It Does Something Worse.
The Covid Pro-Infection Lobby and Its Relentless Campaign Against Public Health
Trump: The FBI Informant Who Did Not Bark
The NYT Recruiting Brochure for New College. A failing Ron DeSantis higher ed experiment gets a boost
What ‘data center alley’ portends for America’s AI-powered future
Mamdani Hits Back At Musk Over Criticism Of FDNY Chief Pick
The Narco-Terrorist Elite: Why is Marco Rubio so hell-bent on making Iran-Contra again?
Trump is talking about Greenland again
Billionaires Are a National Disaster
What country stars really think about that AI-generated country ‘hit’
For young transgender runner, racing wasn’t the hardest thing
Boomers Are Passing Down Fortunes — And Way, Way Too Much Stuff
Billion-Dollar Data Centers Are Taking Over the World. The battle for AI dominance has left a large footprint—and it’s only getting bigger and more expensive.
31-year-old scoops ice cream on the side for $16.50/hour to make ends meet in this job market: ‘There is zero shame in it’
Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Viral Video of Biblical Song Angers DHS
Americans Hate AI. Which Party Will Benefit?
Mickey Lee, 35, of ‘Big Brother’ Season 27 Dies After ‘Series of Cardiac Arrests’ From Flu Complications
Trump’s Bruises Spread in Blow to Leavitt’s ‘Hand Shake’ Claim
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
A Happy 2025 By-Product: Revulsion at the Rich
ICE shift in tactics leads to soaring number of at-large arrests, data shows
When ICE sends its people, they’re not sending their best
Vice President J.D. Vance said, to great applause: “The only thing that has truly served as an anchor of the United States of America is that we have been, and by the grace of God we always will be, a Christian nation.”
What America might look like with zero immigration
The wondrous, short-lived dream of the MVP1 toilet
Remarkably Incurious
Writing Music in an Age of Streaming AI Slop
Baltimore drove down gun deaths. Now Trump has slashed funding for that work.
Philadelphia lacked bus-tracking signs. ‘Bus Stop Banksy’ stepped in.