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Why is scientific research still stuck in a model that requires that work be published in a small number of journals owned by a small number of companies? “Companies like Elsevier developed in the 1960s and 1970s. They bought academic journals from the non-profits and academic societies that ran them, successfully betting that they could […]

The story behind a car chase that ended in tragedy: “It’s agony. She feels gutted, hope drained, as she waits for a detective to call her back. Miles away, Jodon zooms past cars and weaves through lanes — but Nature doesn’t see a car chase. She sees a man — her brother — deliberately orchestrating […]

In the summer of 2012, renowned Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki posted four papers online claiming that he proved a famous number theory problem. The catch: No mathematician has been able to analyze his work: “Mochizuki had created so many new mathematical tools and brought together so many disparate strands of mathematics that his paper was […]

Can American football succeed in China? “Football in America is closely associated with working-class communities, the ready-made tableau of small towns throughout the South or Midwest where collective esteem rises or falls according to how the local team did. This isn’t always how it works elsewhere. In England, for example, there remain pockets of middle-class […]

An illustrated personal essay on what it feels like to suffer from depression: “The beginning of my depression had been nothing but feelings, so the emotional deadening that followed was a welcome relief. I had always wanted to not give a fuck about anything. I viewed feelings as a weakness — annoying obstacles on my […]

The writer investigates why endangered monk seals are being killed in Hawaii: “‘This place should be crawling with monk seals!’ Robinson said as we got out to explore one bluff. ‘Something’s awfully wrong here. Awfully wrong.’ “Dana Rosendal, the pilot for the family’s helicopter company, was unfazed. We’d covered only a quarter of the island, […]

An excerpt from the new book The Magical Stranger. Rodrick was 12 when his pilot father died in a plane crash: “A colleague once nicknamed me – half mocking – the ‘magical stranger’ because I get people to tell me things. But to me, the magical stranger has always been my father. He was brilliant […]

A writer’s 10-day journey into the life of Gwyneth Paltrow: “While making the meatballs, however, I can tell something is up. No. 1: They are green (they are made of arugula and turkey). No. 2: I can’t put them in tomato sauce because I have eliminated tomatoes from my diet. Instead, I am serving them […]

Picks from Emily Perper, a freelance editor and reporter currently completing a service year in Baltimore with the Episcopal Service Corps. Share your favorite Mother’s Day stories in the comments.