Why did we send Laika to space? The tragedy of the first animal to orbit the earth, explained
In March, I visited the Lowell Observatory — the astronomical research site where Pluto was first discovered —…
US adult obesity rate drops as GLP-1 weight-loss drugs surge
For years, obesity rates in the US have gone in one direction: up. From the first year it…
What did cavemen really eat? The myth of the carnivore diet.
Across the far right, a paranoid prophecy has been taking hold: the belief that globalist elites want to…
Bird flu is back. Will egg prices rise as it infects more and more farms?
It might now be a distant memory, but by the end of last winter, the average cost of…
Does my protein powder have lead in it?
Americans’ love affair with protein powders may slowly be poisoning them with the known neurotoxin lead. That, at…
US farmers are struggling to sell soybeans. Here’s how to think about the trade war.
Americans have a weird relationship with soy, one of the most important and widely cultivated crops in the…
Mirror life could end the world. But maybe it could also help us?
It could revolutionize human health — or it could spell our doom. It really depends on who you…
How America cut deadly city fires in half
My family lives in a heavily-trafficked part of Brooklyn, and most nights you’ll hear the occasional whine of…
Lead batteries are poisoning millions of children. We can stop it.
Remember the Flint, Michigan, water crisis? The public health disaster that, at its peak, poisoned nearly 5 percent…
How people actually use ChatGPT and Claude
The year is 1956. You’re a researcher working at International Business Machines, the world’s leading tabulating machine company,…
Moral scrupulosity: How to be a good person — without ruining your life
Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a unique framework for thinking through your moral…
Social Security retirement age: How to raise it without hurting poor people
The other day, economist Tyler Cowen made an offhand observation that took me aback a bit: that the…