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rd.com | september 2019 1
Features
66
inspiration
The Teacher Who
Changed My Life
Good educators share
their knowledge. Great
ones make the kind of
impression that stays
in students’ heads
and in their hearts.
54
genius special
LAUGH YOURSELF
SMARTER
Thanks to new scan-
ning technology, scien-
tists are discovering
that humor may be the
healthiest thing our
brains can experience.
by adam piore
CONTENTS
78
your home
20 Chores You Can
Stop Doing
An endless list of the
same old household
to-dos costs you time,
money, and sanity.
Here are some you
can just skip.
by jody l. rohlena
86
drama in real life
A War Dog
Comes Home
On the front lines in
Afghanistan, Dyngo was
a hero. But retirement
for the canine veteran
would not come easily.
by rebecca frankel
fromsmithsonian
96
fascinating facts
Stranger Things
Every species has its
peculiarities, but some
creatures are weirder
than others.
by andy simmons
102
family
The Vanishing
Middle Child
They’re thought to be
the empathetic ones,
natural-born media-
tors. What might their
dwindling numbers
mean for the rest of us?
by adam sternbergh
fromnewyork
78