The Leaf that Wouldn’t Fall: A Tender Illustrated Parable about the Measure and Meaning of Love

“Telling someone to love literature because reading is good for society is like telling someone to believe in God because religion is good for society”

Today in Supreme Court History: January 14, 1780

Is Australian Attorney and Activist Randa Abdel-Fattah an "Extremist Terrorist Sympathizer"?

One night in 1973, three Jackson Pollock paintings were stolen. The case continues to reverberate in surprising ways

Minnesota Not So Nice

Famous for telling writers to embrace their “shitty first drafts,” Bird by Bird is one of the most popular writing guides of all time. Is it any good?

Trump vs. Free Markets

Zen and the Art of Persuasive Writing, Word Choice

Sci-Fi Cloaking Technology Takes a Step Closer to Reality With Synthetic Skin Like an Octopus

In 1894 a German archaeologist discovered the poetry of Bilitis, a Greek contemporary of Sappho’s. There was just one problem

Love Around the Corner

The Trouble with Love

Will Iran Fall?

Earthrise Before Footprints: Review of Robert Kurson’s “Rocket Men”

The last great Broadway season was 1957-1958, when the hall of famers of yore put on epic performances

Aphoristic Intelligence Beats Artificial Intelligence

How Does He Know When You've Been Bad or Good?

Five things to know about NSF’s new rules on merit review

Henry James embraced Fletcherism, which called for chewing every bite of food 100 times. The result was a nervous breakdown

12 of the Best Interviews Scientific American Did In 2025