On Monday, after weeks of nervous anticipation and growing expectations, it finally appeared possible — though not quite guaranteed — that the brutal two-year war in Gaza is over. Hamas freed the 20 living Israeli hostages it was still holding from the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, in exchange for Israel releasing around 1,700 Palestinian prisoners. […]

Zombies, it turns out, are real — and science journalist Mindy Weisberger can give you plenty of examples of them. She’s read up on the fungi that take over flies’ bodies, partially digesting them from the inside out before forcing them to climb up blades of grass, so that fungal spores can explode out from […]

Political violence isn’t new in America. But the reaction to it today feels different. After the killing of Charlie Kirk, the country didn’t rally around a message of restraint. Instead, key leaders treated it as ammunition. That shift, combined with a rise in tit-for-tat attacks and a politicized security apparatus, points to a more dangerous […]

Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a unique framework for thinking through your moral dilemmas. It’s based on value pluralism — the idea that each of us has multiple values that are equally valid but that often conflict with each other. To submit a question, fill out this anonymous form. Here’s this week’s question from a […]

If you ever find yourself in Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan, turn down Vesey Street toward North End Avenue. You’ll arrive at something unusual: a collection of stones, soil and moss, artfully arranged to look over the Hudson River.  It’s the Irish Hunger Memorial, a piece of public artwork that commemorates the devastating Irish […]