The difficulties of parenting amid the delta variant, how wildfires have affected wines grown in the western United States, and more.

Ben Palmer's reads

The way TV replaced our work commutes. It used to be that commuting home from work was the way many people started their wind down from work, but in the age of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people don't have that commute anymore. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Clint Carter explains how watching TV replaced the commute as the way many people wind down from the workday.

The difficulties of parenting amid the delta variant. Parenting children under 12 is already hard, but doing so amid the spread of the delta variant, which is causing record highs in pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations, in a time when children under the age of 12 aren't yet able to get a Covid-19 vaccine. Writing for the Washington Post, Ariana Eunjung Cha tells the stories of how some parents of younger children are handling being a parent amid the delta variant's spread.

Vivian Le's reads

Wildfire smoke sinks its tendrils into some wines. Since 2017, the western United States has experienced record-breaking wildfires that have dramatically altered the land, homes, and even wines grown in the area. Writing for the Washington Post, Jyoti Madhusoodanan explains how wildfire smoke can lead to tainted grapes—and thus ashy wines—and what growers, winemakers, and researchers are doing to combat the issue.

Scientists want to bring back the woolly mammoth—but should they? Boosted by $15 million in funding, a new company, Colossal, hopes to "genetically resurrect" an extinct species like the woolly mammoth, similar to what was done in the "Jurassic Park" films. Writing for NPR, Scott Neuman examines why the company wants to bring back these extinct creatures—and whether they should at all.