Opinion | The Butterfly Net, the Hunt and the Magic of Attention
If you have ever gone bird watching, or looked for wildflowers or mushrooms, or hunted for deer or rabbits, you will know the strange enchantment of searching for nature’s hidden…
Opinion | The Story of the Student Journalist and the Stanford President
When we first went to Dr. Tessier-Lavigne with questions in the fall, a Stanford spokeswoman responded instead, claiming the concerns raised about three of his publications “do not affect the…
‘Oppenheimer’ Fans Are Rediscovering a 40-Year-Old Documentary
One morning in the 1950s, Jon H. Else’s father pointed toward Nevada from their home in Sacramento. “There was this orange glow that suddenly rose up in the sky, and…
An Internet Veteran’s Guide to Not Being Scared of Technology
How could they protect themselves from A.I.? That was the question that Mike Masnick found himself fielding this summer in a WhatsApp chat with about 100 directors, actors and screenwriters.…
A Climate Warning from the Cradle of Civilization
“The marshes are drying,” Mohammed Raed, 19, said as he left them behind, walking his family’s emaciated buffalo toward a neighboring province, where there was still the hope of feeding…
New York City Had a Migrant Crisis. It Hired a Covid Expert to Help.
Lured by the promise of jobs, legal assistance and a more welcoming environment, hundreds of asylum seekers have boarded buses headed north to Albany, in search of a life better…
The Secret History of Gun Rights: How Lawmakers Armed the N.R.A.
Long before the National Rifle Association tightened its grip on Congress, won over the Supreme Court and prescribed more guns as a solution to gun violence — before all that,…
Israeli Court Ruling May Determine Democracy’s Fate
When the Israeli Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it would review a new law designed to curb its power, it set up a complicated choice for itself. Will it directly…
An Evolutionary Debate on the Risks of Childbirth
It’s a question on every new parent’s exhausted mind: Why are babies born so helpless? In 1960, an American anthropologist laid out an influential explanation rooted in human evolution. As…
Russia Takes Its Ukraine Information War Into Video Games
Russian propaganda is spreading into the world’s video games. In Minecraft, the immersive game owned by Microsoft, Russian players re-enacted the battle for Soledar, a city in Ukraine that Russian…
The Legacy Dilemma: What to Do About Privileges for the Privileged?
When Kathleen James-Chakraborty received her acceptance letter to Yale on April 17, 1978, there was little doubt in her mind that a crucial factor helped secure her spot: Her father…
The Complicated Estates of Obsessive Collectors
“More times than I can remember, a spouse or child has said to me, ‘If he wasn’t dead, I’d kill him all over again for leaving me with this mess,’”…
Insie the Party Switch that Blew Up North Carolina Politics
When Tricia Cotham, a former Democratic lawmaker, was considering another run for the North Carolina House of Representatives, she turned to a powerful party leader for advice. Then, when she…
Could the Conflict in Manipur Become an Issue Modi Cannot Ignore?
It’s been business as usual lately for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India — red carpet trips abroad, ribbon-cuttings and political rallies at home. But he’s almost entirely avoided addressing…