A Data Visualization Newsletter

The demand for bubble tea — a classic Asian drink that originated in Taiwan — has exploded in the United States over the last few years. Trade data from 2022 shows that tapioca balls in bubble tea are now the US’s biggest food import from Taiwan. The drink’s surging popularity has been fueled by its prevalence on TikTok, as well as the growing influence of Korea’s entertainment industry.

We all know that getting the proper amount of sleep is crucial to our overall health. But so many of us still force our bodies to fight sleep by consuming caffeinated beverages by day, drinking alcohol at night, and exposing ourselves to digital screens and artificial light. New research shows just how damaging it can be to have our daily routines out of sync with our biological cycles.

Atmospheric rivers and cold winter storms have pummeled much of the western United States since December, bringing record-setting rainfall and snowpack levels. But what’s behind this endless barrage of storms? As this article from The Washington Post shows, climatologists have a decent explanation — but one lurking variable here is climate change.

After months of pouring soldiers into eastern Ukraine, Russia doesn’t have much to show for its effort. Its progress essentially amounts to the capture of three small settlements and part of Bakhmut, a well-known city with limited strategic value. Compare that with what Moscow had hoped to achieve through its winter offensive — seizing control of the entire Donbas region — and a breakthrough for Russia seems increasingly unlikely.

For centuries, nobody set out to systematically and accurately map the British isles in their entirety. But then in the early 1800s, the Ordnance Survey — Britain’s national mapping agency — started creating a comprehensive picture of Britain, sheet by sheet. This article from The Economist tells the story of this famed cartographic project, which would take eight decades to complete.