Rooted

What if, rather than mere props in the background of our lives, trees embody the history of all life on Earth?

The Twilight of the Iranian Revolution

For decades, Ayatollah Khamenei has professed enmity with America. Now his regime is threatened from within the country.

What I Want to Know of Kindness

On masculinity, grief, and learning from suffering.

Infected by Ideas

For writers from Daniel Defoe to Susan Sontag, plagues offer a window on to a rapidly changing world.

America’s Patchwork Pandemic Is Fraying Even Further

The coronavirus is coursing through different parts of the U.S. in different ways, making the crisis harder to predict, control, or understand.

How Coronavirus Spreads through the Air

What we know so far.

Why We Shouldn't All Move to Montana After the Pandemic

Or, instead, you could read Wagon Days.

Are There Laws of History?

Historians believe that the past is irreducibly complex and the future wildly unpredictable. Scientists disagree. Who’s right?

Legendary Paris Bookshop

 Reveals reading habits of illustrious clientele.

Kafka, Kafka Everywhere

Surveillance capitalism, acts of resistance, and the censorship of art—all on the rise.

How the Face Mask Became the World's Most Coveted Commodity

The global scramble for this vital item has exposed the harsh realities of international politics and the limits of the free market.