Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Nautilus

Once Upon a Gemstone

Precious stones hold the stories of continents, oceans, and cultures.

BBC Travel

The US’ 2,000-Year-Old Mystery Mounds

Constructed by a mysterious civilization that left no written records, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are a testament to indigenous sophistication.

MIT Press Reader

Greening Democracy: The Transformative Power of Nature on Children and Society

Reconnecting children and nature may be the last cause in America that transcends political, religious, racial, and professional barriers.

CityLab

How the Tuberculosis Epidemic Influenced Modernist Architecture

Light, air, and hygiene were not just aesthetic preoccupations of the early Modernists: They were the best treatment for tuberculosis at the time.

Quanta Magazine

The Grand Unified Theory of Rogue Waves

Rogue waves—enigmatic giants of the sea—were thought to be caused by two different mechanisms. But one idea that borrows from the hinterlands of probability theory has the potential to predict them all.

Popular Science

How to Actually Remove Pesticides From Your Fruit

Assuming that you should be worried about them in the first place.

Stylist

Walking Uphill Can Feel Difficult – Here Are 7 Ways to Make It Easier

Heading out on a hike, but worried about how you’re going to handle walking uphill? Here are seven ways to make it easier, according to the experts.

Bustle

A Guide To Red Flags

In dating and in life, they’re not always what you think they should be.

Bicycling

How Much Protein Per Day Do You Need? Experts Answer.

Protein is a major part of cycling performance—particularly when it comes to recovery. Here’s how to figure out your needs.

Knowable Magazine

How Animals Follow Their Nose

It’s not easy to find the source of a swirling scent plume. Scientists are using experiments and simulations to uncover the varied strategies that animals employ.

Dwell

How to Source Vintage and Secondhand Furniture Online

All you need is patience, time, and (of course) to know where to look.

Inverse

Taking a Vacation Is Seriously Good For Your Brain — But Only If You Do It Right

Say it with us: Vacation is good for you.

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

Wednesday, August 6

Eater

The Best Housewarming Gifts (That You’ll Want for Yourself)

If a whole leg of ham is a little too much, there’s always a pickle crock.

SELF

The ‘Contrarian Friend’ Is Real—and They’re Driving Everyone Crazy

When disagreeing with you becomes someone’s entire personality.

The Atlantic

How the Muppets Helped Me Grieve

After my father got sick, his collaborations with Jim Henson kept me afloat.

The New Yorker

Treating Gaza’s Collective Trauma

In Gaza, where displaced children play games called “air strike” and act out death, the lack of mental-health resources has become another emergency.

The Guardian

Frying Solo? 20 Pantry, Fridge and Freezer Essentials for Single Households

Olives, chickpeas and dukkah are a few of the basic ingredients writer and former caterer Elizabeth Quinn keeps on hand. Here she shares quick recipes for eating solo.

The Walrus

Whiteouts, Ice Roads, and Wolverines: What Working at a Diamond Mine in the Far North Is Like

In minus forty, even a twisted ankle can turn deadly if no one knows where to find you.

Quanta Magazine

At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery

After finding the homeschooling life confining, the teen petitioned her way into a graduate class at Berkeley, where she ended up disproving a 40-year-old conjecture.

NPR

What’s the Deal With Electrolyte Drinks — Do You Need Them to Stay Hydrated?

A classic 20-ounce bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade contains nearly one-eighth teaspoons of salt and 80 milligrams of potassium — electrolytes “to help replace what you sweat out,” the product’s ads say.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

AFAR

This One Travel Hack Will Slow Down Your Vacation and Give You Stunning Images

Researchers and National Geographic photographers are teaching people how to take better photos, be more mindful, shift their focus, and enjoy vacations more.

The Cut

Would You Buy This Celebrity’s Painting?

It may be easy to mock celebrities turned artists, but I’m impressed with this kind of prestige soft launch for reinvention.

Fast Company

Traditional Marketing Is Dead (Almost)

The future belongs to performance-first strategies.

SELF

6 Things I Learned From Blowing up My Marriage (and Life) in My 30s

Disappointing others is uncomfortable—but it’s not the same as doing something wrong.

Time

Lights Are Brighter Than Ever. Is That Bad for Your Eyes?

If you’re sensitive to bright artificial lights, take these precautions to protect your vision.

Mental Floss

This Backcountry Mug Cake Will Sweeten up Your Next Camping Trip

With a few ingredients and minimal gear, you can enjoy a rich, portable backcountry cake on any camping trip.

BBC

Propaganda or Fair Warning? Taiwanese TV Show Imagines Chinese Invasion

Zero Day Attack wants to raise awareness of China’s threat, but has also been accused of fearmongering.

ESPN

WNBA Power Rankings: Lynx, Liberty Navigate Star Injuries With Reinforcements

Atlanta rides a three-game winning streak up the board while Minnesota and New York navigate without their stars.

HuffPost

This Magic Number Is the Highest Heel Height You Should Wear, According to Podiatrists

“Listen to your feet, because they’re trying to tell you something.”

Money

New Cash App Feature Simplifies Splitting Payments — Even for Those Who Don’t Use the App

Cash App now lets groups split bills using Apple Pay or Google Pay — no app needed.

Business Insider

This Startup Offered Ride-Hailing for Women Years Before Uber and Lyft — and Its Founder Isn’t Shying Away From the Competition

Ride-hailing app HERide has offered rides to women and other groups since 2022. Now, it’s planning to take on Uber and Lyft.

Architectural Digest

15 Essential Interior Design Styles to Know Now

From boho to Japandi, modern to industrial, use this handy guide from AD to find the look that matches your taste.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

The Guardian

Burn Notice: Gen Z and the Terrifying Rise of Extreme Tanning

Nasal sprays, injections and sunbeds – for many people, the yearning for a tan now outweighs the risks. But why?

NBC News

Tips to Help Manage Your Buy Now, Pay Later Loans

While such loans can help you make large purchases without paying interest or undergoing hard inquiries in your credit report, they can also easily be overused.

SELF

5 Injuries ER Doctors See All the Time—and How to Avoid Them

You might be surprised by the seemingly innocuous behaviors that cause them.

ABC News

How Trillions in Government Debt Could Hit Your Wallet, According to Experts

A federal agency ratcheted up its estimate of debt tied to Trump’s spending law.

BBC

The Unusual Brains of Noise-Sensitive People

Though noise sensitivity is often dismissed by doctors, it can have long-term effects on our mental and physical health.

CNBC

Credit Card Debt Reaches $1.21 Trillion — in Line With Last Year’s All-Time High, NY Fed Finds

Credit card balances rose by $27 billion in the second quarter to $1.21 trillion, according to a new report by the New York Fed.

CBS News

RFK Jr. Halts $500 Million for MRNA Vaccine Research

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the federal government is calling off around $500 million worth of vaccine development projects that use mRNA technology.

The Associated Press

The World Nearly Beat Polio. But Fake Records, an Imperfect Vaccine and Missteps Aided Its Comeback.

The World Health Organization has closed in on its bold goal of eradicating polio several times, but the paralytic virus is entrenched in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Fast Company

These Creatives Moved to Europe and Designed a Better Life and Career. Should You?

Thinking of leaving the United States for life abroad? You’re not alone. A record-setting 21% of Americans expressed a desire to emigrate in 2024. While politics might play a role in the uptick, an increasing number of creative professionals are also leaving for career reasons.

Allure

A New Form of Alopecia Is Affecting Menopausal Women

Experts are calling it an “emerging epidemic.”

The Marginalian

How to Be a Happier Creature

Even as the merchants of silicon and code try to render us disembodied intellects caged behind screens, something in our animal body knows where we came from and where we belong.

HuffPost

The ‘Expectation Effect’ Hack Might Be the Secret to Happiness

This one simple but powerful shift can have major benefits. But be mindful of going overboard.