China’s Seafaring History (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Sean Kingsley
China has a history of maritime trade extending to West Africa, the Mediterranean, and much of Asia that goes back to the first millennium. Newly recovered shipwrecks are painting an increasingly clear picture of what that looked like over the centuries.

The Resistance Politics of Danza Azteca (Sapiens)
by Syd González
In the sixteenth century, danza Azteca represented Mexica resistance to Spanish colonization. In the twentieth, it arrived in California as part of the Chicano moment. Today, some dancers are still finding political meaning in the tradition, standing up for immigrants and queer and trans people.

COVID-19 Vaccines Fight Cancer (The Conversation)
by Adam Grippin and Christiano Marconi
Researchers studying people using immunotherapies to fight late-stage melanoma and lung cancer have discovered something remarkable: Getting one of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 dramatically improves the therapy’s results.

How Can You Tell If You’re Asleep? (Quanta Magazine)
by Yasemin Saplakoglu
Scientists have long studied sleep by looking at brain waves that occur during different stages of unconsciousness. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that the line between sleep and wakefulness can be extremely blurry.

The Schuyler Sisters’ Own Stories (Slate)
by Elizabeth Stone
Fans of the Hamilton musical are familiar with Eliza and Angelica Schuyler. A new biography locates the women’s place not only in Alexander Hamilton’s story but also in the American Revolution and the foundation of the new country.

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