What We’re Reading: Finding Hope in ‘Memory Choirs’

What We’re Reading: Finding Hope in ‘Memory Choirs’

Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at [email protected].

Join the chorus

Back in May, we published a great story by Michaela Haas about the ways that science is proving the value of music as a therapeutic tool. This week, Contributing Editor Geetanjali Krishna shared a story from National Geographic that goes deep on the power of memory choirs for those with dementia.

Geetanjali says:

A fab story about the connection between music and our brains, and the role that social prescribing can play in the treatment of memory and age related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. I reacted emotionally to it because it reminded me of the time my late dad in law, who had early stages of dementia, picked up his old harmonica and remembered tune after tune from his youth.

Digging up dirt

Have you heard of the National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest, a.k.a. the Stanley Cup of Soils? We hadn’t either — until Editorial Director Rebecca Worby shared this Civil Eats story about it. As it turns out, it’s more than just a competition: It “teaches the next generation of soil scientists how to manage the soils used to grow our food and support our agricultural infrastructure.”

Becca says:

This contest, which has been taking place since 1961, really seems to make soil science fun for students while they’re also learning a ton about the field.

What else we’re reading

🎰 How Sin City Is Powered by the Sun — shared by RTBC founder David Byrne from the New York TImes

🦫 Could beavers be the secret to winning the fight against wildfires? — shared by Rebecca Worby from National Geographic

🍼 Quebec provides universal childcare for less than $7 a day. Here’s what the US can learn — shared by David Byrne from the Guardian

In other news…

This week, we launched a special subset of our ongoing Waterline series: a six-month exploration of the vast and complex Mississippi River Basin. Check out the first story here, and be sure to listen to David Byrne’s Mississippi playlist while you read.