Is Moderate Drinking Okay?
“Every drink takes five minutes off your life.” Maybe the thought scares you. Personally, I find comfort in it.
That’s Not How Constitutional Amendments Work
The president’s declaration that the Equal Rights Amendment is “the law of the land” doesn’t make it so.
Eight Perfect Episodes of TV
Picks from Girls, The X-Files, SpongeBob, and more
The Internet Is TikTok Now
Even LinkedIn copied it.
The Secretary of Hard Problems
Bill Burns has played an unusual role for a CIA director.
How Americans Drink
Perspectives on moderate alcohol consumption have flip-flopped over the decades.
What Are the Puzzles of Severance About?
In Season 2, the show’s abstract and surreal elements make more sense.
Democracy Is Not Over
Americans who care about democracy have every right to feel appalled and frightened. But then they have work to do.
What Happens When a Plastic City Burns
Most modern couches are basically blocks of gasoline.
What David Lynch Knew About the Weather
The filmmaker’s COVID-era L.A. forecasts found the eerie in the everyday.
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
The New Rasputins
Anti-science mysticism is enabling autocracy around the globe.
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place two decades ago. 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.
‘I Won’t Touch Instagram’
TikTok users are searching for a new home. Are there any good ones left?
Aspiring Parents Have a New DNA Test to Obsess Over
An emerging field of genetics promises to let parents choose the “healthiest” baby.
Invisible Habits Are Driving Your Life
The science of habits reveals that they can be hidden to us and unresponsive to our desires.
Technology Makes Us More Human
When techno-optimists use ChatGPT, they see Star Trek: a future in which opportunities for personal fulfillment are as large as the universe itself.
The End of the DEI Era
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, a newly emboldened anti-DEI bloc has gained powerful allies.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
Don’t Give Up on the Truth
Striking out against injustice is always right; it always matters.