Currently Creasing: Week of September 2

Photograph of Hanif Abdurraqib ℅ Kate Sweeney for The Nation

Here’s what our team has for you to bookmark & read this week

1. The Message of Measles: As public-health officials confront the largest outbreak in the U.S. in decades, they’ve been fighting as much against dangerous ideas as they have against the disease.

2. Do Plants Have Something to Say? One scientist is definitely listening.

3. The Mysterious Vaping Illness That’s ‘Becoming an Epidemic’: A surge of severe lung ailments has baffled doctors and public health experts.

4. Wide-Awake at 3 A.M.? Don’t Just Look at Your Phone: Try these six simple tactics to help you fall back to sleep and stay there.

5. Duped In The Deli Aisle? 'No Nitrates Added' Labels Are Often Misleading: Consumer groups are urging the USDA to change labeling rules for processed meats. They argue that "uncured" and "no nitrates added" labels may falsely lead people to believe these meats are healthier.

6. Fossil DNA Reveals New Twists in Modern Human Origins: Modern humans and more ancient hominins interbred many times throughout Eurasia and Africa, and the genetic flow went both ways.

7. The necessary vulnerability of celebrating your birthday as an adult: Some of us simply hate being the center of attention. Others crumble under the stress. Often, the celebrations can just be kind of a let down.

8. How to Help Your Child Study: Regardless of a child’s age or challenges, parents can encourage sound homework routines for a successful start to the school year.

---

Thought of the Week

“Few things are more dangerous than a man /
who is capable of dividing himself into several men,
each of them with a unique river of desire /
on their tongues.”

— Hanif Abdurraqib, "It’s Not Like Nikola Tesla Knew All of Those People Were Going to Die."