Best of 2024: The Stories You Missed

In November 2018, the town of Paradise was devastated by the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history. Five years after they first visited Paradise in the wake of that apocalypse, J. Matt went back to take the measure of the town’s rebirth, and to consider what the Camp Fire continues to mean for those living in the WUI (wildland-urban interface). There’s much to mourn here, but there’s also hope for how we might fare in the face of ever-increasing wildfire risk—and the solace we might find in one another.

Inside The Appeal’s 9-month investigation.

New research transports us back to the shadowy firelight of ancient caves, imagining the minds and feelings of the artists

Laura Killingbeck was searching for meaning in her life. She decided to take her bike to Alaska and start pedaling. The journey helped her discover the power of her body.

Should large language models write sermons and prayers?

The Pacific coast’s only native oyster is making a comeback, but it still needs a little help from its friends.

Making space for environmental conservation in our densest concrete jungles.

The complex inequities that queer people face throughout their lives are following them to the nursing home.

Five generations of a family's love, told through a bicycle.