Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.

Hey, did you read:

• That new discoveries show that we had far more prehistoric ancestors from different backgrounds than previously thought, and that hundreds of thousands of years ago, “Everybody was bonking everybody else.” —Mick Dumke

• Astronaut Chris Hadfield on the parallels and contrasts between the way human beings treat spacecraft and the way they treat the planet Earth? —Tal Rosenberg

• About the stunning number of chronic truants in Chicago? —Steve Bogira

• Shades of Triangle Shirtwaist: That factory fires, which according to recent figures occur more than weekly, pose another serious threat to Bangladeshi garment workers? —Kate Schmidt

• That there’s still a Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and it’s ramping up to fight the legalization of marijuana? —Tony Adler

• About the best literary feuds of 2013? —Aimee Levitt

• That Ray Davies is a closet Studs Terkel fan? —J.R. Jones

• That it’s been a difficult year for the Insane Clown Posse? —Leor Galil