If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a warm slice of cherry pie this holiday, you should probably thank this bird.  It’s an American kestrel, the smallest falcon in North America, which is roughly the size of a blue jay. And in some parts of Michigan — the nation’s tart cherry capital — this bird helps […]

The world is a much better place than it used to be, especially for young children.  Insecticide-treated mosquito nets and novel treatments have made malaria much less deadly for millions of kids. Many countries now have the tools and techniques they need to nurse even very premature babies back to health. And the stupendous rise […]

In Bogotá’s historic downtown, a modest government building sits in the shadow of a gilded statue of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century liberator who freed much of South America from Spanish rule. Inside, on the fourth floor, a manzana del cuidado, or care block, pulses with a different kind of revolution. On a bright October morning, […]

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is facing renewed scrutiny over an apparent war crime committed in its campaign against alleged drug traffickers. What happened? The US has […]

Last year, California and Washington state banned farming octopuses for their meat, and bills have been introduced in seven other states — plus the US Senate — to do the same. Lawmakers in Chile and Spain are weighing a prohibition on farming them, too.  All this legislative activity, and yet there’s not a single octopus […]