Deepest, Oldest, Largest Whale Graveyard Discovered in the Indian Ocean

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Deepest, Oldest, Largest Whale Graveyard Discovered in the Indian Ocean (Maria)

The author writes, “The oldest, deepest and most extensive whale graveyard yet discovered has been found in the south-eastern Indian Ocean, with fossils dating back more than 5 million years. Whale falls — the term for dead whales that sink to the ocean floor — are not uncommon, but most have been found at depths of less than 2.5 miles. This newly discovered necropolis reaches depths of more than 4 miles, and extends hundreds of miles across the sea floor.”

The Delaney Hall Strike Is Exposing a Massive Thirteenth Amendment Crisis (Dana)

The author writes, “For the past several weeks, hundreds of detainees at Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have been on a labor and hunger strike. Participants in the strike are refusing to perform their work assignments or eat meals in protest of what they describe, in a series of handwritten letters smuggled out of the facility, as ‘unlawful and forced detention’ and ‘inhumane treatment’ that violates their constitutional rights.”

‘We’ve Crossed the Rubicon’: Jewish Lawmakers Face an Explosion of Antisemitism (Reader Jim)

From Axios: “Antisemitism is so resurgent in U.S. politics that some of the worst hate speech you’ve ever heard has become a part of day-to-day life for Jewish politicians. The big picture: Gone are the days of veiled insinuations and dog whistles. The hate is direct, explicit and shockingly casual, two dozen members of Congress and candidates told Axios.”

Private Equity Is Making Firefighting Unaffordable (Siobhán)

From Jacobin: “Twenty cities and municipalities are suing private equity firms whom they allege have cornered the market in fire truck manufacturing, creating artificial scarcity and degrading the quality of emergency services.” 

A Trump Order Asked National Park Visitors To Flag ‘Negative’ Historical Info. They Had Other Ideas (Reader Steve)

From the Associated Press: “The Trump administration last year issued a plea to visitors at U.S. national parks: Report any displays or exhibits saying ‘negative’ things about Americans living in the past or present. But most people who responded instead weighed in to criticize the effort itself, according to an Associated Press analysis of 35,000 public comments submitted in the second half 2025 and recently made public through a lawsuit.”

Making Eyes ‘Photosynthetic’ Could Treat Common Vision Problem (Sean)

The author writes, “Plants live off light, capturing its energy through photosynthesis to make food, but we lack the molecular machinery to do the same. Now, a research team has tricked out lab-grown mouse and human cells with photosynthetic structures — not for nourishment, but to create a treatment for a common, painful condition called dry eye. The group reports … that the strategy not only spurred the cells to produce a molecule that can soothe inflammation, but also reversed dry eye damage when the machinery was introduced into mice.”