The AI Mona Lisa Explains Everything
Depending on how you look at it, generative AI is either astonishingly powerful or totally pointless.
Get Phones Out of Schools Now
They impede learning, stunt relationships, and lessen belonging. They should be banned.
Sterilizing Cats, No Surgery Required
A single shot might someday replace spaying as a tool for cat-population control.
‘Hell Welcomes All’
Can hard-core gamers learn to play well with others?
Why Is Everyone Watching TV With the Subtitles On?
It’s not just you.
Moneyball Broke Baseball
But now the whiz kids who nearly ruined the national pastime have returned to save it.
One More Screen for Your Face
Apple has unveiled its vision for a world beyond the iPhone. Are things any different?
The Secret Presidential-Campaign Dress Code
As candidates descend on Iowa and other early-voting states, the “everyman” cosplay picks up.
Welcome to a World Without Endings
Thanks to AI, every painting can now have an expanded border, every minor character a ChatGPT-written spinoff series.
Poland Is Not Ready to Accept a New McCarthyism
On Sunday, half a million Poles marched to defend the country’s democracy against a ruling party that has just granted itself ominous new powers.
A Love That Can Be at Once Platonic and Romantic
In Past Lives, distance and quiet are key to understanding a soaring intimacy.
The Savannah Bananas Take Banana Ball on Tour
Images of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, at home and on tour
The Murder Rate Is Suddenly Falling
The first five months of 2023 have produced an encouraging overall trend for the first time in years.
No One Knows What ‘Race Neutral’ Admissions Looks Like
How should colleges and universities replace affirmative action if the Supreme Court does indeed strike it down?
Get Rid of the Debt Ceiling Once and for All
Regularly putting the entire economy at risk is in no way “fiscally responsible.”
The Coming Humanist Renaissance
We need a cultural and philosophical movement to meet the rise of artificial superintelligence.
Six Books That Feel Like Puzzles
These titles represent an eclectic mix of various styles and moods, but any one of them will be exactly right if you want a brainteaser.
How to Talk to People: What Do We Owe Our Friends?
A culture that prioritizes romance and family relationships can push people to undermine their friendships.
The Arab Spring Is in Its Death Spiral. Does the West Still Care?
Tunisia was the best case, Sudan the last hope, Syria the bloodiest of all: The countries that not long ago sparked optimism for a democratic wave in the Arab world have descended into dictatorship, and Washington shouldn’t ignore them.
Super-Rare Angel Sharks Are Thriving in a Fake Beach Full of Tourists
The Canary Islands have somehow become a major nursery for a critically endangered species.