Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Epicurious

Learn Baker’s Percentages and Make Bread Like a Pro

Once you become accustomed to the format, you’ll start to understand how a loaf of bread comes together.

MIT Press Reader

The Mysterious Deep Time Movements of Snails

How do organisms that are so sedentary end up being so incredibly widely dispersed?

Fast Company

Want a Promotion? These 4 Habits Are More Powerful Than Talent

Talent can only take you so far. The reason some people are high performers is because they’ve formed good habits.

Esquire

How to Be a Better Man Right Now

Here, our best guidance on how to look better, feel better, date better, and optimize your life.

The Hustle

Why Americans Stopped Buying Convertibles

We’ve traded the open-air dream for climate-controlled isolation.

Smithsonian Magazine

This Wooden Sculpture Is Twice as Old as Stonehenge and the Pyramids

New findings about the 12,500-year-old Shigir Idol have major implications for the study of prehistory.

GQ

Cardiologists On What You Need to Know About Intermittent Fasting and Heart Health

Experts want you to take scary headlines with a grain of salt.

Architectural Digest

The World’s 13 Most Beautiful Villages You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

From an English hamlet seemingly plucked from a fairy tale to a color-packed town in Colombia, these under-the-radar spots allow you to enjoy the quaint atmosphere without the crowds.

Apartment Therapy

Here’s What It’s Actually Like to Find an Apartment in Paris

“Unfurnished” could also mean no kitchen cabinets.

Literary Hub

14 Curious Telegrams from (and to) Famous Writers

“I can’t look you in the voice.”

The Guardian

The Price of ‘Sugar Free’: Are Sweeteners as Harmless as We Thought?

We know we need to cut down on sugar. But replacing it with artificial compounds isn’t necessarily the answer.

Scientific American

The Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs Created the Amazon Rain Forest

Fossilized pollen and leaves reveal that the meteorite that caused the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs also reshaped South America’s plant communities to yield the planet’s largest rain forest.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Pocket Collections

The Art of Navigating Thorny Office Politics

From bad bosses to gossipy colleagues and, of course, office refrigerator drama.

Today’s Pocket Hits

Sunday, July 27

The Guardian

How Video Games Are Keeping Romance Alive – One Level at a Time

Some are using Final Fantasy and GTA Online as dating sites and long-time lovers are finding comfort and connection through Resident Evil. Could video games be the ultimate relationship tool?

Esquire

What I Didn’t Understand About My Autistic Son, and What I’m Learning Now That He’s an Adult

I have opened my heart and my mind to Sam, and he’s brought both of us to the place we so desperately need to be.

The New Yorker

Mary Had Schizophrenia—Then Suddenly She Didn’t

Some psychiatric patients may actually have treatable autoimmune conditions. But what happens to the newly sane?

Business Insider

Return Fraud Is Running Rampant

Whether it’s sending back broken items or claiming a package never arrived, Americans are committing return fraud at Amazon and other retailers.

NPR

Are High-Protein Snacks Worth the Hype? Here’s How to Assess

Protein has taken over the packaged-snack aisles at the grocery store. But do you need extra protein in your chips and muffins?

SELF

3 Simple Steps to Keep Your Bananas From Rotting Way Too Soon

Expert-approved strategies for extending the life of this potassium-packed—but short-lived—fruit.

Vox

Why Your Energy Bill Is Suddenly So Much More Expensive

And why it’s not getting cheaper any time soon.

The Guardian

The Rise and Fall of the British Cult That Hid in Plain Sight

Philippa Barnes was a child when her family joined the Jesus Fellowship. As an adult, she helped expose the shocking scale of abuse it had perpetrated.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Architectural Digest

16 DIY Headboard Ideas to Creatively Crown Your Bed

Get crafty (and cozy) with our roundup of DIY headboard ideas from designers and homemaking mavens—including tips on how to get the look.

The Conversation

Gene Editing Technology Could Be Used to Save Species on the Brink of Extinction

Earth’s biodiversity is in crisis. An imminent “sixth mass extinction” threatens beloved and important wildlife. It also threatens to reduce the amount of genetic diversity – or variation – within species.

Quanta Magazine

Quantum Scientists Have Built a New Math of Cryptography

In theory, quantum physics can bypass the hard mathematical problems at the root of modern encryption. A new proof shows how.

MIT Technology Review

The Deadly Saga of the Controversial Gene Therapy Elevidys

The drug, which was designed to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, has been linked to the deaths of two teenage boys.

Inc. Magazine

Rising Workplace Aggression Is Driving Healthcare Job Turnover

A new study finds the growing number of threats at work prompted 45 percent of healthcare employees to say they’re likely to quit within a year.

Inverse

20 Years Ago, a Cult Classic Open World Game Transformed a Beloved Sci-Fi Genre

‘Destroy All Humans’ brought an inventive take on the alien invasion, and it still remains one of the definitive comedic takes on the genre in games.

POLITICO Europe

Inside the Wild World of Britain’s Private Spies

Lucrative, freewheeling — and largely unregulated — private intelligence and security firms are booming in the land of James Bond and John le Carré.

Nature

Meet the Early Career Scientists Planning to Leave the United States

Decreased funding, reduced opportunities and growing uncertainty has made life tough for international postdocs living in the US.

Axios

What to Know About Civil Commitment, Trump’s New Policy for Homelessness

Critics say the policy historically disproportionately targets minorities and LGBTQ people.

Kiplinger

Even Stars Need Health Care: What Venus Williams’ Story Tells Us About Retirement Planning

Don’t let health insurance costs force you back into the game. Start planning now to ensure your early retirement is forever.

Time

The Story Behind Folktales and the Arctic Refuge Where Teens Escape the Anxieties of Modern Life

A new documentary travels to a folk school in Arctic Norway where teens spend more time with Huskies than on their phones.

Context

Gold Wars in Peru Town Leave Amazon Nature Defenders Vulnerable

Illegal gold mining in one of Peru’s most ecologically significant areas has unleashed environmental destruction and gang violence.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Kiplinger

Are You an Auto Theft Target? Discover the Clues

Thieves seized over 850,000 cars last year. See which models, states and behaviors draw the eyes of opportunists.

NPR

Home Sales Are Down. So Why Are Prices at an All-Time High?

Those with equity in a home can trade up more easily, while many first-time homebuyers are still stuck on the sidelines.

Fast Company

How to Go From Quiet to Commanding

An executive coach offers introverts five tips for sounding more confident. You’re smart, capable, and consistently deliver results. But in meetings, your voice disappears.

NPR

Doctors Urge FDA to Remove Black Box Warning on Hormone Therapy for Menopause

The FDA may remove the warning labels on hormone replacement therapies used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Doctors say the warning is scaring people who could benefit from these treatments.

The Guardian

‘Old People Are Capable of More’: Meet the Female Weightlifters in Their 70s and 80s

Forget the stereotype of the frail old woman who needs help carrying groceries – fitness mavens like Joan MacDonald show you can strength train at any age.

USA TODAY

Estate Sales Are Booming. Thank Gen Z

Environmentally-conscious young people are heading to estate sales for low cost, well-made products.

USA TODAY

Young People Always Worry About Social Security. Older People Are Joining Them.

Americans are worrying more about Social Security, and the Trump administration may be partly to blame.  In an AARP survey released July 22, only 36% of Americans voiced confidence in the future of the retirement trust fund, down from 43% in 2020.

Time

What to Say to Someone With Cancer 

Some well-meaning phrases don’t always go over well.

The Week

How Will the New Tax Deductions on Auto Loans Work?

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a tax deduction on auto loan interest — but eligibility for the tax break is limited.

HuffPost

These 8 Common Habits Could Increase Your Risk of Dementia

These common daily behaviors can impact your cognitive health – and take a toll on your overall health, too.

The Associated Press

For Some Employees, Education Benefits Such As Tuition Assistance Prove Life-Changing

As higher education costs have grown to heights many U.S. residents find unattainable or illogical, some adults are looking to their employers for help.

The Cut

‘Are My Student Loans About to Become Unaffordable?’

You could do nothing—or you could sign up for a new repayment plan. Here are your options.