Vivian Le's reads

What Beethoven's DNA reveals about his final years. Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most famous composers in history, also lived a life riddled with maladies, ranging from hearing loss to GI issues to liver disease. Now, using DNA from preserved locks of Beethoven's hair, scientists are working to uncover the potential genetic causes of his physical ailments. Writing for NPR's "Shots," Ari Daniel describes the trials and tribulations of the genetic project, as well as the insights they give into Beethoven's health in his last few years.

Why you definitely can't land a plane in an emergency. In a worst-case scenario, do you think you could safely take control of a plane and land it? According to a recent YouGov survey, almost a third of Americans said they were either "somewhat "or "very" confident that they could safely land a plane in an emergency. Writing for the Washington Post, Andrea Sachs explains why some people have this "baseless bravado" about their potential ability and why it's better to leave the flying to experts instead.

Allie Rudin's reads

What happens to your immune system when you get a tattoo? While the practice of tattooing has been around for thousands of years, some mysteries remain. Primary among them: how do tattoos endure our immune systems at all to leave an imprint? While immune cells are primed to identify and destroy foreign material, the tattoo ink pushed into skin is stubbornly resistant to degradation — leaving pigments laced among skin cells and lodged into debris-devouring macrophages. Katherine J. Wu explains for The Atlantic what tattoos can teach us about our immune systems, and how they may affect immune response.

Coffee lovers gain 1,000 steps a day but sleep less, study finds. New research on coffee intake turned up mixed results for those who enjoy a hot cup of joe. On the positive side, study participants moved much more on the days that they drank coffee, taking an average of 1,000 extra daily steps. However, they also slept an average of 36 minutes less on the coffee-drinking days and showed an increase in a type of benign heart palpitations called premature ventricular contractions. Writing for the Washington Post's "Eating Lab," Anahad O'Connor explores the often-conflicting research around coffee consumption and what to know if you're reconsidering your coffee habits.