crime Senator Rand Paul severely beaten while mowing lawn, unable to return to DC; neighbor arrested Cory Doctorow

trees Your allergies are bad because of tree sexism Thom Dunn

micronations Sealand's caretakers Rob Beschizza

Comics MAD Magazine legend Al Jaffee retires at age 99 Janelle Hessig

Fly through an average mouse brain David Pescovitz

libraries Virtual library tourism: visit 7 of the world's most beautiful libraries Gareth Branwyn

soundscapes Listen to the eerie sounds of near silence in formerly bustling cities Mark Frauenfelder

poetry The oldest written record of "fuck" has been discovered — and it comes from a plague quarantine Thom Dunn

science fiction Max Barry on how science fiction prepares us for the apocalypse Mark Frauenfelder

good vibrations Vibrators weren't always the sleek little machines they are today Carla Sinclair

animals A police dog is running against the goat incumbent mayor of a small Vermont town Thom Dunn

Science How cows use their unique voices to cowmoooonicate David Pescovitz

Japan Coming soon to Japan: a 60-ft walking Gundam robot Mark Frauenfelder

psychedelics FDA expands access to MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD Mark Frauenfelder

Business Newton's Principia Mathematica, George Washington's journal: archivist stole $8m worth of rare books from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library Cory Doctorow

NASA Beautiful NASA satellite image of the mysterious giant man of South Australia David Pescovitz

Games Longtime Fantasy Flight employees get their likenesses added to the company's games John Struan

Jesus Merry Christmas, someone stole Jesus's foreskin Thom Dunn

dinosaurs You can now enjoy a whiff of T. Rex's foul breath David Pescovitz

mobile The Catalan independence movement is being coordinated by an app designed for revolutions Cory Doctorow