The Most Mysterious Cells in Our Bodies Don’t Belong to Us
You carry literal pieces of your mom—and maybe your grandma, and your siblings, and your aunts and uncles.
Why Evangelicals Turned Their Back on PEPFAR
A religious movement that has so often taken public stands has been unusually quiet since Trump gutted the program to combat AIDS in Africa.
Thirty-Two Short Stories About Death in Prison
These stories don’t mention Jeffrey Epstein, but they are about him.
Trump’s Only-Okay Economy
He hasn’t crashed it, but he hasn’t made it great either. That’s a problem.
When Hulk Hogan Turned Heel
Pro-wrestling—and America?—were never the same.
The Birth-Rate Crisis Isn’t as Bad as You’ve Heard—It’s Worse
Humanity is set to start shrinking several decades ahead of schedule.
That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
The Rise of the ‘Club-Sandwich Generation’
America has more great-grandparents than ever. It also has a new caretaking challenge.
DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
People are discovering the truth about their biological parents with DNA—and learning that incest is far more common than many think.
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. It remains very much in the public eye. On a stormy night on the Baltic Sea, more than 850 people lost their lives when a luxurious ferry sank below the waves. From a mass of material, including official and unofficial reports and survivor testimony, our correspondent has distilled an account of the Estonia’s last moments—part of his continuing coverage for the magazine of anarchy on the high seas.
Christian Kids Deserve Better Than The King of Kings
Adaptations of Biblical stories too often settle for capturing their lessons, not their spirit.
The Making of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle
How the novelist turned the violence and randomness of war into a cosmic joke
RFK Jr.’s Autism Time Machine
The health secretary’s approach to the condition gives the impression that two decades of research simply never happened.
An AI That Couldn’t Care Less About Humans
The quirky show Murderbot suggests that intelligent machines might be interested in something other than humanity.
Why China Isn’t a Bigger Player in the Middle East
Iran and Israel came to blows, and Beijing mostly ducked.
Welcome to the Mafia Presidency
That’s a nice business you’ve got there.
The Whole Country Is Starting to Look Like California
Housing prices are rising fast in red and purple states known for being easy places to build. How can that be?
Why Can’t Americans Sleep?
Insomnia has become a public-health emergency.
A Shift in American Family Values Is Fueling Estrangement
Both parents and adult children often fail to recognize how profoundly the rules of family life have changed over the past half century.
Nobody Cares If Music Is Real Anymore
“Rubber burns, the map fades away / Chasing the ghosts of yesterday.” Sure, fine.