“We love our dogs for their individual characters—and yet cloning implies that we also believe their unique, unreproducible selves can, in fact, be reproduced.”
The New Yorker
How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe
“Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.”
Inside the Slimy, Smelly, Secretive World of Glass-Eel Fishing
“Each spring, hundreds of millions of baby eels swarm the waterways of coastal Maine. Soaring global demand incited an era of jackpot payouts and international poaching.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring notable stories from David Pierce, C.J. Chivers, Paige Kaptuch, Michael Adno, and Jessica Winter.
The Delicate Art of Turning Your Parents Into Content
“Gen Z creators are learning the lessons of Scorsese and Akerman: putting mom and dad in your work brings pathos, complexity, and a certain frisson.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending noteworthy reads from Tim Prudente and Stokely Baksh, Rachel Aviv, Abby Tickell, Nick Zarzycki, and Andrea Sachs.
A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?
“Colleagues reportedly called Lucy Letby an ‘angel of death,’ and the prime minister condemned her. But, in the rush to judgment, serious questions about the evidence were ignored.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Highlighting notable reads from Jasper Craven, Lisa Kaltenegger, Adam Iscoe, Lisa Abend, and Paul Schrodt.
The Hidden-Pregnancy Experiment
“We are increasingly trading our privacy for a sense of security. Becoming a parent showed me how tempting, and how dangerous, that exchange can be.”
Why You Can’t Get a Restaurant Reservation
“How bots, mercenaries, and table scalpers have turned the restaurant reservation system inside out.”
