Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Atlas Obscura

How Did the World’s Smallest Flightless Bird Get to Inaccessible Island?

The first scientists to describe the animal thought it might have walked.

The Kitchn

How To Make the Best Macaroni and Cheese on the Stove

Whatever the occasion, a bowl of this mac and cheese will always spell comfort.

Quanta Magazine

The Math That Tells Cells What They Are

During development, cells seem to decode their fate through optimal information processing, which could hint at a more general principle of life.

MIT Press Reader

The Bizarre Cultural History of Saliva

Frank Gonzalez-Crussi, author of “The Body Fantastic,” on the evolving perceptions of spit, from curative agent to expression of disdain.

Fatherly

The Advice These Redditors Received From Their Therapists Is Really The Best

Sit down for a little session — for free.

BBC Travel

‘Kulning’: A Hypnotic Swedish Singing Tradition

Singers of this ancient form of Swedish herd-calling corral farm animals with haunting melodies, drawing in cows, goats, sheep and ducks with each hypnotic note.

CityLab

How to Build a Neurodiverse City

Cities and schools are not typically designed by, or for, people with conditions such as autism.

Nautilus

Don’t Tell Your Friends They’re Lucky

Luck has a lot to do with success. We just don’t want to admit it.

Knowable Magazine

How Shade Coffee Lends Conservation a Hand

When managed in the right way, the farms that provide our morning brew can be a refuge for plant and animal biodiversity.

Popular Science

Time Passes Faster for Smaller, Quicker Animals

Dragonflies experience change more than three-times faster than humans.

The Atlantic

The Invasion of the German Board Games

Their peaceful premises and intricate rule systems are changing the way Americans play—and helping shape an industry in the process.

Afar

How to Take Your Kids out of School and Travel

Teaching your kids with the world as your classroom can take them further than any textbook. This is definitely not “home” schooling.

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, July 30

Vogue

Are Drugstore Shampoos As Good As Their Expensive Counterparts?

Everything you need to know about choosing an affordable shampoo without sacrificing hair health.

NPR

Here Are the 13 Books That Made the Booker Prize Longlist

An epic fable about two young Indian writers. A dark comedy about a loner who gets a job as a chauffeur for the mega-rich.

Vox

The Real Reason We Tip

…and why it needs to change.

The Hustle

The Only State Without a Walgreens Pharmacy

Many independent pharmacies are in turmoil throughout the US. But a unique law has made North Dakota a haven for mom-and-pop operators.

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.

BBC

Record-Breaking Divers Are Pushing Human Limits and Reshaping Scientists’ View of Our Species

Humans have a long history of diving to forage from the seabed and today elite freedivers are reaching greater depths than ever. Some researchers argue humans belong in the sea.

The Hollywood Reporter

Is Gen X Dying Before Our Eyes?

The tragic passing of ‘Cosby Show’ star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 80's wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and heavy-metal icon Ozzy Osbourne bring on a generation’s old familiar feeling: doom.

Mother Jones

The Surgery That Reveals Everything That’s Wrong With Women’s Health Care

From "wandering wombs" to modern biases, the troubling politics of hysterectomies

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Quanta Magazine

Why the Key to a Mathematical Life Is Collaboration

Fan Chung, who has an Erdős number of 1, discusses the importance of connection — both human and mathematical.

Business Insider

Big Tech Keeps Firing Thousands of Employees —and Then Keeps Hiring Thousands More

Meta, Microsoft, and Google are laying off thousands of people. They’re also hiring lots of people — especially to win the AI race.

Nautilus

How to Grow Human Bones

Coral plays a surprising role in modern bone grafts.

SFGate

How a Scruffy, SF-Born CEO Disrupted a $55 Billion Industry

Ben Goodwin is Olipop’s co-founder, CEO and formulator.

Natasha’s Kitchen

Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe

Our homemade Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe makes the perfect crispy, chewy crust using active sourdough starter. It’s also easy to make ahead.

Smithsonian Magazine

These Salacious Artworks Chronicle the History of Adultery, From Biblical Punishments to Royal Mistresses

Artists such as Rembrandt, the Pre-Raphaelites and Georgian caricaturists used their craft to examine the morality and ramifications of adulterous affairs.

Smithsonian Magazine

Amelia Earhart Made History in a Plane She Called Her ‘Little Red Bus.’ Here’s How It Became a Revered Museum Artifact and Hallowed Symbol

As the Smithsonian presents the aviator’s restored Vega in Washington, a special replica of the aircraft quietly re-emerges after decades in obscurity.

Polygon

Donkey Kong Bananza’s Identity Crisis Doesn’t Get in the Way of a Good Time

Despite not knowing what kind of game it wants to be, DK’s Switch 2 adventure is a blast.

Discover

Building Blocks of Life in Deep Space Could Mean Life Extends Further Than Once Thought

Learn more about the prebiotic molecules who’s origins come from deep space.

PS

Why Having a “Sleepover Friend” Is Simply the Best

A friendship expert explains what a sleepover friend is and what makes this type of friendship so special.

Mental Floss

This Stone Fruit Galette Is a Celebration of Summer Produce

Why bake a pie when you can make a rustic, freeform galette?

Vox

How Republicans Are Trying to Redistrict Their Way to a Majority

A Vox reporter explains what’s going on with the GOP’s early redistricting plans.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Maclean’s

Confessions of the Working Poor

I work hard, buy quality clothes and know how to fake my way through dinner-party conversations. But behind the scenes, I’m part of a fast-growing Canadian underclass.

CNBC

While the Fed Kept Its Benchmark Unchanged, Here’s What Happened to Consumer Borrowing Rates

When it meets this week, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its key short-term interest rate at its current target range — where it has stayed for all of 2025.

The New York Times

Study May Undercut Idea That Cash Payments to Poor Families Help Child Development

Rigorous new research appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being, adding a new element to a dispute over expanded government aid.

Vox

How to Make the Hardest Choices of Your Life

From picking a career to picking a spouse, one radical philosophical idea will guide you.

CNBC

Even Many High-Earning Americans Don’t Feel Wealthy. Here’s Why

Many high earners in the U.S. still feel broke. Between lifestyle creep, debt and social pressure, even $200,000 per year doesn’t always buy peace of mind.

NPR

In a First, the Senate Confirms a New CDC Director

Susan Monarez is the first director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to require Senate confirmation. She’s also the first director without a medical degree in more than 70 years.

The Guardian

‘It Would Destroy Me’: Fear of Student Loan Default Haunts US Borrowers

The Trump administration has ended the pandemic-era pause on repayments, leaving many facing colossal debts.

NPR

The Manhattan Gunman Believed He Had CTE. What Does That Mean?

The gunman accused of killing four people in New York City suspected he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a degenerative brain disease often associated with football players.

The Associated Press

If You Don’t Have Diabetes, Do You Really Need a Continuous Glucose Monitor?

A quarter-size device that tracks the rise and fall of sugar in your blood is the latest source of hope — and hype — in the growing buzz around wearable health technology.

The Cut

What If a Child Was Terrified of Food?

The rise of ARFID, a new eating disorder driven not by body image but by fear.

The Guardian

Trust Your Gut and Fail Bravely: Seven Influential Women on the Advice They Would Give Their 30-Year-Old Selves

It’s tempting to imagine what we might have done differently. But, as Diana Nyad says: ‘We earn our wisdom.’

USA TODAY

Trump’s Trade Deal With the EU: What It Means for Your Wallet

The new tariff could increase prices on goods such as cars, furniture and pharmaceuticals. Trump's tariffs are expected to raise prices by 1.8% in the short term, per the Yale Budget Lab.