The world watched in dismay as Brazil’s National Museum went up in flames over the weekend. Eighteen million artifacts are likely destroyed. Anthropologist Chip Colwell cautions that the Rio de Janeiro museum was not unique in the risks it faced. Whether made up of art, natural history specimens or other artifacts, “collections are never permanently safe,” he writes. “They require focused investments and proactive stewardship to ensure their survival” – something those who hold the pursestrings don’t necessarily appreciate, even closer to home.

Venezuela is in economic collapse – and, over the past few years, about 7 percent of its population has fled the country. The majority have stayed in South America and say they someday plan to move back. Rebecca Hanson of the University of Florida describes the scale of this migrant crisis, which has sparked conflict in neighboring countries.

Fifty years ago this Friday, Led Zeppelin performed together for the first time in Denmark. Today they’re considered rock ‘n’ roll royalty, but the band’s spectacular rise was punctured by the many musicians who filed lawsuits claiming the band poached their riffs and lyrics. Had Led Zeppelin engaged in the benign “musical borrowing” that was a part of the era’s folk ethos? Or was something more sinister at play? To American University’s Aram Sinnreich, this is the dark paradox at the heart of the band’s legacy.