Exactly how much reading of whole books—especially novels—students should be doing is a contested topic, with no clear research-based answer. Some evidence suggests that elementary and middle school students nationwide may be reading more short texts and excerpts in class than full, longer works.

When astronomers first started finding “odd radio circles,” or ORCs, they were baffled. These faint, ghostly rings of radio light seemed to float in deep space, surrounding galaxies like cosmic smoke rings.