“A reflection on how the poets Richard Siken and Anne Carson responded to losing their language.”
biology
Baby-Making on Mars
“In the depths of the Cold War, scientists from the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. joined forces to answer a still-urgent question: Can mammals reproduce in space?”
The Real Da Vinci Code
“Scholars on a quixotic quest to identify Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA achieve a milestone.”
Evolution and Guinea Pig Toes
“How one animal’s oddity inspired Sewall Wright to take on one of Darwin’s big ideas.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories by Brenna Ehrlich, Yiyun Li, Claire L. Evans, Nicholas Casey, and Kent Russell.
Life Lessons from a Coastal Wolf Pack
“In Alaska, a biologist and her family learn how quickly these iconic predators can change the menu—and bend the rules.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories by Willa Köerner, Robyn Ross, Ariel Sabar, Julian Lucas, and Dan Moore.
From Silicon to Slime
“Claire L. Evans on imagination as a form of computation, and the endless entanglement of our biological reality.”
Ant Geopolitics
“Over the past four centuries quadrillions of ants have created a strange and turbulent global society that shadows our own.”
