The New Yorker

The Fate of Earth

Humanity’s survival seems more uncertain than ever. But what happens when we look at ourselves through other creatures’ eyes? Elizabeth Kolbert investigates.

China’s Mistress-Dispellers

How the economic boom and deep gender inequality have created a new industry.

Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them

The relative plausibility of impossible beings tells you a lot about how the mind works.

Cancer’s Invasion Equation

We can detect tumors earlier than ever before. Can we predict whether they’re going to be dangerous?

When Things Go Missing

Kathryn Schulz reflects on the sensation of loss, from the misplacement of her wallet to the death of her father.

The Sorrow and the Shame of the Accidental Killer

How do you live after unintentionally causing a death?

Baby Doe

Jill Lepore on Baby Doe, Jennifer Gallison, the Department of Children and Families, and the child-protection movement.

The Detectives Who Never Forget a Face

Patrick Radden Keefe on CCTV cameras and a possible revolution in law enforcement.

The List

Sarah Stillman on the sex-offender registry, and what happens when juveniles are accused of misconduct.

Imagining a Cashless World

Nathan Heller explores the way that Sweden is phasing out paper money, and examines a potentially cashless future.

The Big Uneasy

Nathan Heller on trigger warnings, allyship, intersectionality, and student unrest at Oberlin and elsewhere.

How the First Gravitational Waves Were Found

Nicola Twilley reports on the discovery of gravitational waves, ripples in space and time that may change our understanding of the universe.

The Mistrust of Science

Atul Gawande on what it means to be a scientist in a time of increasing mistrust toward the scientific community.

Unnatural Selection

Elizabeth Kolbert talks to Ruth Gates and William Powell about new research to “assist” evolution in order to produce hardier coral and tougher trees.

Cover Story

Elif Batuman on how wearing a head scarf changed her experience of home.

How We Learn Fairness

Maria Konnikova writes about the concept of fairness, and specifically about studies exploring advantageous-inequality aversion.

Why Are Babies So Dumb If Humans Are So Smart?

Maria Konnikova on new research into human intelligence and evolution.

Feel Me

Adam Gopnik on haptics, and the discoveries of scientists like Dustin Tyler, David Ginty, Xinzhong Dong, and Katherine J. Kuchenbecker.

The Drug of Choice for the Age of Kale

Ariel Levy on the popularity of the ancient Amazonian hallucinogenic brew in Brooklyn and Silicon Valley.

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

Maria Konnikova on research that suggests innate abilities, rather than deliberate practice, are the primary factor in academic and athletic success.