77 Facts That Blew Our Minds in 2024
Chewing gum, space capsules, and minivans are just a few of the things we see differently after a year of reporting.
Coffee’s Grip on America
Inflation hardly hampered Americans’ love of buying the beverage.
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.
An Astonishing Level of Dehumanization
There is no defense of those who celebrated the murder of Brian Thompson.
The Insurrectionists Next Door
Ashli Babbitt’s mother and the wife of a notorious January 6 rioter are at the center of a new mythology on the right. They are also my neighbors.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me 30 Years Ago
Life is not measured by a moment. Focus on getting the big things right.
Why an Early Start Is the ‘Quintessence of Life’
Not sleeping late could be the best resolution you ever keep.
Parents, Put Down Your Phone Cameras
In trying to capture so much of our kids’ lives, we risk missing out.
Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever
Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas
The Age of Social Media Is Ending
It never should have begun.
Doctors Thought They Knew What a Genetic Disease Is. They Were Wrong.
Mutations that happen throughout a person’s life may contribute to disease more than we realized.
The MAGA Honeymoon Is Over
Silicon Valley and the nativist right worked together to elect Trump. Now the infighting has begun.
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
How Tortillas Lost Their Magic
Most American tortillas taste like cardboard. Chefs, restaurants, and companies are trying to restore the corny glory.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
A Diet Writer’s Regrets
No one has ever known so much about healthy eating and been less successful at following her own advice.
What the Left Refused to Understand About Women’s Sports
Female athletes said competing against trans women was an injustice.
Photos of the Week: Flaming Barrels, Flour Battles, Debutante Kisses
A Christmas carnival in Nigeria, New Year’s Eve fireworks around the world, a Polar Bear Plunge in New York, a photogenic archway in California, and much more
Vivek Ramaswamy Is Uninvited From My Sleepover
The Trump-supporting entrepreneur misapprehends the sources of American success.
What Made Jimmy Carter Such a Strange President
Reassessing the infamous “malaise” speech
/media/img/mt/2025/01/parents/original.gif)
/media/img/mt/2024/12/24_12_9_Genomes_Final/original.gif)