This story was originally published in The Highlight, Vox’s member-exclusive magazine. To get access to member-exclusive stories every month, become a Vox Member today. When the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus published Systema Naturae in 1735, he set out to classify every living thing on Earth — inventing the naming system we still use today and personally describing […]

The most unique thing about human beings is this: We are creatures who long to matter. That’s according to Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, the philosopher and author of a new book called The Mattering Instinct. If you’ve ever wondered why we humans are so singularly obsessed with discovering the meaning of life, this book — and […]

One of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world, Noma, opened a pop-up in Los Angeles on March 11. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion for Noma head chef and co-founder René Redzepi and the staff, who relocated from Copenhagen, Denmark, for the sold-out 16-week stint. But Noma LA’s opening has been mired […]

One of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world, Noma, opened a pop-up in Los Angeles on March 11. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion for Noma head chef and co-founder René Redzepi and the staff, who relocated from Copenhagen, Denmark, for the sold-out 16-week stint. But Noma LA’s opening has been mired […]

On February 9, 1970, Johnny Carson did something that would be unthinkable for a late night host today, or really anyone on TV: He gave a full hour of The Tonight Show to a Stanford professor. But Paul Ehrlich, the author along with his wife Anne of the blockbuster book The Population Bomb, was charismatic, […]