Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Mental Floss

24 Fascinating Facts About the Solar System

Here are 24 out-of-this-world facts about the corner of space that’s home to Earth.

Popular Science

To Set the Record Straight: Nothing Can Break the Speed of Light

Objects may not be as fast as they appear with this universal illusion.

MIT Press Reader

Scientists Are Finally Taking Altered States of Consciousness Seriously

If we want to understand our consciousness, we must not be afraid to break new ground.

Quartz

Tea If by Sea, Cha If by Land: Why the World Only Has Two Words for Tea

”Tea” if by sea, ”cha” if by land.

The Hustle

The Worst Sales Promotion in History

In 1992, an electronics company offered free international flights with a £100 purchase. Today, it’s cited as the worst promotion in history.

Outside

How to Keep Your Cool, No Matter What

There’s not much that will make you panic after ten years of dogsledding in the wilderness. And there are lots of ways to feel equally calm in all kinds of outdoor emergencies.

Knowable Magazine

Nature, Nurture and Randomness

More than genes and upbringing determine animal personalities: There’s a good dose of chance in the mix, too.

Atlas Obscura

The Wartime Spies Who Used Knitting as an Espionage Tool

Grandma was just making a sweater. Or was she?

BBC News

Was I Wrong to Fall for a Cheating Cat?

What should you do, asks Anisa Subedar, when a persistent pussycat in the neighbourhood decides to adopt you?

The Kitchn

Five 3-Ingredient Sheet Pan Gnocchi Dinners

Crispy, no-mess perfection.

Bloomberg Businessweek

The Startup That Stepped In When the Baby Formula Supply Chain Broke

Bobbie has built a cultlike following among online parents—one TikTok post and can of organic formula at a time.

CityLab

Discovering That Strangers Aren’t All That Strange

Taking a class with a diverse group of Londoners helped me see the city and my neighbors in an altogether different light.

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

Thursday, July 31

Vogue

A Writer at Juliet’s Desk, Answering the World’s Love Letters

Shakespeare’s protagonist has long received letters from lovesick strangers around the globe. This writer traveled to Verona to help reply to them.

Punch

Are Kava and Kratom Drinks Addictive?

In detox centers and online support communities, it’s called “the little blue devil.” But its real name is less insidious: “Feel Free” is a drink sold in tiny blue bottles in gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops to people 21 years or older.

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.

PBS

In the Gray World of GLP-1 Supplements Online, Health Experts Urge Caution

TikTok beauty influencer Kaycee Ogle is regularly contacted by brands who want her to promote their products. But one email she received in June was different, and made her curious.

Quanta Magazine

What Can a Cell Remember?

A small but enthusiastic group of neuroscientists is exhuming overlooked experiments and performing new ones to explore whether cells record past experiences — fundamentally challenging what memory is.

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

The Walrus

Millennials Are Becoming Caregivers Whether They’re Ready or Not

Still under 40, many are responsible for aging parents while raising kids and managing debt

The Baffler

Winging It

For those trying to overcome their fears of flying, it’s been . . . a challenging time to say the least.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Saveur

What’s Really Causing Your Bad Breath?

From the mouth down to the gut, here’s what science has to say about bad breath—and how to treat it from the inside out.

Parents

5 Expert Tips for Making Reading Time the Best Part of Your Child’s Day

After a summer filled with outdoor play, screen time, and relaxed routines, getting kids back into the habit of reading can be a challenge.

The New Yorker

Notes on Bed Rest

I spent months limiting my movement, to protect a high-risk pregnancy. How did it change me?

Condé Nast Traveler

To Eat Like a Local in Tokyo, Look for B-Kyū Gurume Restaurants

Tokyo’s Michelin-starred restaurants may dominate the conversation, but the city’s quickfire comfort food is tasty and affordable.

Smithsonian Magazine

New Zealand’s Massive Green Parrots Have Narrowly Avoided Extinction. But Many of Their Parasites Did Not Survive

A study examining fossilized droppings reveals the kākāpō has faced a decline in the diversity of its parasites—and that might not be a good thing

Popular Mechanics

A Tiny 29-Pound Electric Motor Just Beat Everyone in Power Density

Yasa, a small British engineering company, built an over-730-horsepower beast that weighs just under 30 pounds.

Time

How to Excel at Small Talk When You Have Social Anxiety

Script yourself some go-to phrases ahead of time.

PS

Recovery Might Be the Reason You’re Not Reaching Your Fitness Goals

Keep reading for a deep-dive on how sleep impacts your fitness abilities and how you can get back on track to peak performance.

The Atlantic

The Dangerous Logic of CTE Self-Diagnosis

The Midtown Manhattan shooter speculated that the condition was a cause of his mental illness. But drawing that line is premature—and risky.

Vox

The Testosterone Theory of Politics

The hormone might be the key to understanding this moment in America.

Kiplinger

How Do You Know You Are Ready for a Gray Divorce? 15 Yes-or-No Questions

As people 50 and older get more gray divorces, many splits are initiated by women who want a new path. Answer these 15 questions to see if you might need to think about how you should move forward.

Reuters

Medicaid Access and Trump Tax Cuts Dominate Early 2026 US Midterm Ads

Democrats are focusing their message around access to healthcare. Republicans are countering that the tax provisions will put more money in voters’ pockets.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

CNBC

Back-to-School Shopping Is More Expensive This Year — Here’s the Breakdown

This year, parents will pay more for back-to-school essentials such as pens, pencils and backpacks.

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.

CNN

‘Ozempic Face’ May Be Driving a Cosmetic Surgery Boom

“You can only refill a deflated balloon so much, and often surgical intervention is necessary.”

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.