On New Year’s Day 2020, I was zipping up my fleece to head outside when the phone in the kitchen rang. I picked it up to find a reporter on the line. “Dr. Fauci,” he said, “there’s something strange going on in Central China. I’m hearing that a bunch of people have some kind of pneumonia. I’m wondering, have you heard anything?” I thought he was probably referring to influenza, or maybe a return of SARS, which in 2002 and 2003 had infected about 8,000 people and killed more than 750.

This article was originally published by Quanta Magazine.
Researchers recently reported the discovery of a natural protein, named Balon, that can bring a cell’s production of new proteins to a screeching halt. Balon was found in bacteria that hibernate in Arctic permafrost, but it also seems to be made by many other organisms and may be an overlooked mechanism for dormancy throughout the tree of life.
For most life forms, the ability to shut oneself off is essential to staying alive.

On Thitu, a tiny dot of coral reef and palm trees in the South China Sea about 300 miles off the coast of the Philippines, the inaugural Mrs. Kalayaan Pageant was the event of the night, the week, and quite possibly the month. When I was there in May, the entire island’s population, some 250 people, seemed to have gathered around a nautical-themed stage to see who would win the sash and crown. You might think that a local beauty contest would not involve geopolitics. You would be wrong.

In one of the hardest scenes to watch in Game of Thrones, a young girl is murdered by her own father. Late in Season 5, Stannis Baratheon (played by Stephen Dillane) burns alive his only child, Shireen (Kerry Ingram), in a misguided attempt to help his army advance. She screams for mercy over and over, while he watches in stony silence.
Long before the HBO drama’s disappointing final season, Shireen’s death tested my resolve to continue the show—but only for a moment.

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Welcome back to The Daily’s Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what’s keeping them entertained. Today’s special guest is Evan McMurry, the senior editor on our audience team.

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
Hot dogs. The Fourth of July. An opportunely timed Netflix special. Joey Chestnut’s sponsorship dustup is an all-American tale.
First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:
Wildfire smoke is a public-health emergency.
Hussein Ibish: For Hamas, everything is going according to plan.

In an alternate universe, I run a sprawling cabal. Its goal, according to the contrarian newsletters, crank blogs, and breathless podcasts where the fantasy plays out—is to silence right-wing populists on behalf of the deep state.
Each morning, Google Alerts arrive in my inbox detailing the adventures of a fictional character bearing my name. Last month she starred in an article about “A Global Censorship Prison Built by the Women of the CIA.

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
Back in 2017, Kelly Conaboy had it out for the neck pillow: “This half-ovate, toilet-seat cover-esque object reigns as King of Travel Accessories, while failing miserably at its intended sole use,” she wrote.

This article was originally published by Hakai Magazine.
Stingray 12 is surprisingly calm for an animal that’s getting squeegeed. The ray, roughly the size of a dinner plate, is submerged in the sand of a tank about the size of a chest freezer; even the golden eyes on top of her head are buried in the sediment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed subdued when India’s election results were declared on June 4. His Bharatiya Janata Party still had the most seats in Parliament; however, with 63 fewer than in the previous election, it had failed to secure a majority, meaning it will have to work with others in order to govern. This was not the triumphant spectacle that Modi and many of his Hindu-nationalist supporters had anticipated; rarely had a victory felt more like defeat.