roots Illustrations of plant-root systems from 1919 Clive Thompson

happy mutants Dom Flemons, late of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, plays music that makes me very happy Cory Doctorow

fantasy Peter Bebergal's "Appendix N" in a revised, expanded edition Gareth Branwyn

robots This robot is controlled by a living mushroom (video) Allan Rose Hill

music Watch Devo play NPR's Tiny Desk Allan Rose Hill

politics Republicans can't find an angle with Harris, but she's got Trump's number Jason Weisberger

gender The weirdly conservative story of a famous American drag artist from the 1910s Thom Dunn

artificial intelligence Keep A.I. weird! Allan Rose Hill

julian assange Julian Assange released from prison Natalie Dressed

language In defense of the hard C Thom Dunn

gadgets Winamp as a real-life touchscreen stereo system Rob Beschizza

Delightful Creatures Firefighters free cow with head stuck in tree Rob Beschizza

humor Swedish author steals the show with humor and honesty Rusty Blazenhoff

News One of Earth's rarest wildflowers is in the crosshairs of a lithium mining juggernaut Mister Dobo

Funny Humans or cicadas? Forest Preserve staff hilariously act out the 17-year cicada life cycle Jennifer Sandlin

News The man who saved Star Trek has died Yoy Luadha

politics Trump again demands loyalty from Jewish Americans Jason Weisberger

maga Georgia GOP official who cried "stolen election" voted illegally 9 times, and is a felony check forgery convict Mark Frauenfelder

delightful creatures Woman offers a meal to a stray cat — who later returns four times, each with a kitten in her mouth (video) Carla Sinclair