3.24.2023

📬 First time reading? Sign up here.

Ukraine Eyes Counteroffensive

Ukrainian officials said yesterday they believe Russian forces have lost momentum in the contested city of Bakhmut, signaling Ukraine may mount a counteroffensive along eastern battlefronts as the region moves out of the winter season. Some on-the-ground reports supported claims that Russian efforts, particularly those led by the Wagner mercenary group, may be fatiguing. 

Analysts have described the battle for Bakhmut as more symbolic than strategic—the city had a prewar population of just 70,000, but the six-month fight has been one of the conflict's longest and bloodiest. It sits in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk oblast, one of four claimed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as sovereign Russian territory in September. As of early March, reports suggested Wagner forces had captured the eastern half of the city, though the group has complained of a lack of support and supplies from the Kremlin. 

See a current map of occupied territory here. 

Crypto Fugitive Arrested

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Kwon Do-Hyung, also known as Do Kwon, was reportedly arrested yesterday by officials in Montenegro as he attempted to travel through the capital city of Podgorica's airport with falsified documents. His detention comes almost one year after the company he cofounded, Terraform Labs, collapsed, leading to the loss of billions of dollars in digital currency markets last year. 

Among other products, Kwon's company created a currency managed by an algorithm such that it maintained a one-to-one conversion with the US dollar (what are stablecoins?). Last May, a number of large withdrawals of the coin sparked the equivalent of a bank run, leading to many investors attempting to reclaim and exchange the coin simultaneously. An estimated $45B of value in the coin was wiped out in one week, beginning months of upheaval across the cryptocurrency industry.

See a deep dive on the collapse of Terra coins here.

P. Aeruginosa

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed two additional deaths linked to bacteria traced back to contaminated eye drops, bringing the total number of deaths to three, with several more severely injured. At least 68 cases have been identified across 16 states, including eight cases of vision loss and four cases of enucleation—or surgical removal of an eyeball. 

A rare strain of highly drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, VIM-GES-CRPA, has previously not been identified in the US and can be found in various environments, including water, soil and human waste. It likely contaminated the eye drops through environmental agents during handling. 

The eyedrops recalled include two brands from Global Pharma Healthcare, an India-based manufacturer. While most patients had exposure to the eye drops, some did not, suggesting person-to-person transmission is possible. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego have identified a potential treatment for the bacteria, but no patients have yet received it.

Science & Technology

Business & Markets

Politics & World Affairs

In-Depth

> Cruise Ship Invasion

Hakai | Andrew Engelson. Inexpensive Alaskan cruise vacations are a popular way to explore the northern reaches of the US—and they come at a cost to the environment. (Read)

> The Making of Tom Wambsgans

Ringer | Alan Siegel. As the final season of HBO hit "Succession" debuts Sunday, dive into the history of the show's quirky underdog who rose from insecure son-in-law to a powerful player in the Roy family. (Read)

> Murder in Maple Shade

Strangeland | Staff. (Podcast) A father returns to his suburban New Jersey home to find his wife and 6-year-old son brutally killed. After six years, there are still no answers. (Listen)

> Life as a Leafcutter Ant

TED-Ed | Charles Wallace. A queen leafcutter ant harvests fungus before hunkering down to give birth to a new colony, where she'll tend to her fungal garden, the colony's source of food. (Watch)

Ranking America's best zoos.

"Not the prettiest"—meet the 2023 Mollusk of the Year.

Photographer captures shots of a falcon battling a pelican.

Spring break has fully recovered from the pandemic. 

Crash the rescue cat is the next Cadbury Bunny.

Engineers unveil 3D-printed cheesecake.

Waste time bopping blobs to classical music (best on desktop).

New startup focuses on long-distance kissing.

Clickbait: Break out of jail, get pancakes.

Historybook: World famous magician Harry Houdini born (1874); Author Jules Verne dies (1905); Dorothy Height, civil and women’s rights activist, born (1912); Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs aground, eventually spills 11 million gallons of oil (1989).