“We hastily dispose of dead whales, ignoring the ecological significance of their carcasses.”
Nautilus
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Lab of Her Own
“Sheltered in her bedroom during World War II, Rita Levi-Montalcini discovered how the nervous system is wired.
Posted inNonfiction, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Ciara O’Rourke, Haley Britzky, Alissa Walker, Julie Sedivy, and Arika Okrent.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Strange Persistence of First Languages
“Spurred by my father’s death, I returned to the Czech Republic hoping to reconnect to him. In doing so, I also reconnected with my native tongue, and with parts of my identity that I had long ignored.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
If Aliens Exist, Here’s How We’ll Find Them
“We are near the end of Darwinian evolution, but technological evolution of intelligent beings is just beginning.”
Posted inculture, Food, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Science & Nature
Some Like It Hot
The history of the chili pepper is entwined with the history of Chinese Communism and the fiery temperament of the Sichuanese people, but why?
Posted inFeatured, Nonfiction, Quotes
Will Podcasts and Video Journalism Make Our Syntax Less Rich?
The days of the long, sinuous, multi-clause sentence might be numbered.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Rise and Fall of the English Sentence
Writing has made our syntax richer and more complex — and also increasingly distinct from spoken language.
Posted inNonfiction, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from John Woodrow Cox, Danielle McNally, Matt Richtel and Andrew Jacobs, Michelle Dean, and John Knight.
Posted inFeatured, Nonfiction, Quotes
Changing of the Guard, Bee-Style
When a queen bee dies, both her subjects and her beekeeper need to process the loss.