Why We Still Use Postage Stamps
The enduring necessity (and importance) of a nearly 200-year-old technology
Invisible Forces
The imperceptible ideas and systems that shape our lives
Your Phone Has Nothing on AM Radio
Why Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders are teaming up to save the century-old technology
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A Fake Yellow Line Changed Football Forever
You’ve been watching the Super Bowl in mixed reality for 25 years.
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The Barcode Engineered Its Own Downfall
For decades, the tiny symbol has been the plumbing of global capitalism. It might finally be replaced.
When Did Humans First Start Wearing Clothes?
No one can know exactly, but archaeologists have found a few unexpected clues.
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Science Is Becoming Less Human
AI is accelerating the pace of discovery—but at what cost?
The Simple, Ancient Idea That Can Replace Concrete Walls
The energy intensity of concrete is an intractable climate problem. What about using stone instead?
How We Turned the Tide in the Roach Wars
Forty years ago, scientists did the impossible. Why doesn’t anyone remember?
America Is Getting Lonelier and More Indoorsy. That’s Not a Coincidence.
Our relationship to nature and our relationships with one another are deeply intertwined.
The Science Behind Basketball’s Biggest Debate
Playing in the NBA really is harder now.
M.F.A. vs. GPT
How to push the art of writing out of a computer’s reach
How Handwriting Lost Its Personality
Penmanship was once considered a window to the soul. The digital age has closed it.
The Paradox at the Grocery Store
What people really need is less choice, not more.
Go Ahead, Try to Explain Milk
No one can define it, much less fully replicate it.
American Food Will Never Look Natural Again
Health concerns keep shrinking the roster of approved artificial dyes. But Americans still can’t seem to go cold turkey on ultra-colorful foods.
Too Many Americans Are Missing Out on the Best Kitchen Gadget
The rice cooker has been perfect since 1955.
How Please Stopped Being Polite
The phrase if it please you has been shortened and shortened over time—until it’s become more brusque than courteous.
You Don’t Know How Bad the Pizza Box Is
The delivery icon hasn’t changed in 60 years, and it’s making your food worse.
The Dawn of Artificial Imagination
OpenAI says programs like DALL-E 2 will “democratize” art.
The Decline of Etiquette and the Rise of ‘Boundaries’
For centuries, strict social norms dictated what people could politely talk about. Now we have to figure it out for ourselves.