Change of guard: The perfect World Cup for our strange era
The international tournament offered a version of the world in which the global south is more present and more powerful
The ankylosaur’s tail-club wasn’t only swinging at T Rex
Most of the ankylosaur’s body was encased in bony plates that jutted out into jagged points, and some lugged around a sledgehammer-like tail club...
Puzzling entry: They’re taking jigsaws to infinity and beyond
Rosenkrantz loves fungi, lichens and coral because, she said, “they’re pretty strange, compared to us.” From the top, the hexagonal polypore looks...
Call of Revolution: Can the Iranians topple the Ayatollah?
The rigidity of Iran’s hard-liners is driven not only by ideological conviction, but also by a keen understanding of the interplay between the rulers...
Brains, Brawn, or Both: What drove the creation of modern dog breeds?
Breeds that were created for similar roles — whether rounding up sheep or flushing birds into the air — tend to cluster into distinct genetic...
Stretching Out: What Twitter does to our sense of time
This lesson from offline spaces can be applied to digital habits, especially the ones that shape our experience of time. Which digital rhythms are we...
Status quo: How a good book became the ‘richest’ of holiday gifts
In a collection of “Epigrams,” the first-century poet Martial published a (very extensive) list of suggestions for “The Presents Made to Guests at...
Molten marvel: Mauna Loa’s eruption gives a rare glimpse into Earth
Late at night on Sunday, the seismometers around the summit of the volcano started showing more activity.
