Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

BBC Travel

The Woman Who Walked Around the World

Seeking a deeper connection to the world, Angela Maxwell set off to walk it alone. Six years and 20,000 miles later, she brought that connection home.

Condé Nast Traveler

Can Aviation Ever Be Sustainable?

As a growing number of passengers take to the skies, a viable path towards climate-friendly innovations in air travel is filled with challenges.

The Guardian

‘It Could Feed the World’: Amaranth, a Health Trend 8,000 Years Old That Survived Colonization

Indigenous women in North and Central America are coming together to share ancestral knowledge of amaranth, a plant booming in popularity as a health food.

Greater Good Magazine

Instead of Pulling Out Your Phone, Let Your Mind Wander

When we’re waiting, we often have the urge to distract ourselves—but a new study finds we’d enjoy doing nothing but think.

Fast Company

9 Focus-Forming Habits to Lengthen Your Attention Span

These are small and totally doable actions that, with a little practice, can help you focus and get more done.

Scientific American

What a Body Built to Last 100 Years Would Look Like

We would look a lot different if evolution had designed the human body to work well for a century or more.

MIT Press Reader

How Did Consciousness Evolve? An Illustrated Guide

Two leading voices in evolutionary consciousness science explore the subject through words and images.

CityLab

The Good, Bad, and Ugly Public Transit Seat Covers of the World

An international roundup of bus, train, and subway seat designs, based on CityLab’s rules for a commuter-friendly textile.

MEL Magazine

Are You Really Super Busy, Or Are You Just Super Disorganized?

If that headline feels like a personal attack, you should probably read this.

Slate

Playtime Is Over!

The modern demand to constantly pretend-play with our kids is exhausting. Is there a better way?

The Washington Post

Extreme ‘Clean’ Eating Can Tip Healthy Eaters Into a Danger Zone

Disordered eating of nutritious but very limited diets can be fueled by social media, experts say.

Shondaland

It’s Okay to Be Needy in Romantic Relationships

Having a need for consistent connection with your partner is actually a sign of emotional maturity.

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 24

The Atlantic

Despite flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains, Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar decided to stick to their planned wedding date yesterday, and held the ceremony inside a flooded church in the Philippines.

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?

Aeon

Humanlike?

Interpreting the emotional lives of animals requires a subtler and more nuanced understanding of anthropomorphism.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

Is shampooing once a day too much? Is doing it once a week too little? Experts say it depends on a few factors.

The Hollywood Reporter

The 25 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

From razor-edged satires to dark fairy tales, inspired haunted house riffs and nerve-shredding accounts of supernatural possession, the 2000s have been a goldmine for fright freaks.

The New York Times

The Trouble With Wanting Men

Women are so fed up with men that the phenomenon even has a name: heterofatalism. So what do we do with our desire?

The Guardian

Eleven-Minute Race for Food: How Aid Points in Gaza Became ‘Death Traps’

Hundreds of people have died while seeking food since delivery was taken over by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in May. But Palestinians facing extreme hunger have no choice but to take the risk.

NPR

The Best Games of 2025 So Far, Picked by NPR’s Staff

From indies like Blue Prince to big console exclusives like Donkey Kong Bananza, NPR staff and contributors round up their favorite games of the year so far.

We’re All Being Dragged Into a Giant Invisible Structure, Scientists Say

Our galaxy isn’t being dragged into a supercluster. It’s being dragged into a super-supercluster.

HuffPost

This Unfair Job Interview Question Can Instantly Determine If You’re Hired — and It’s Very Common

Experts offer advice on how to answer this tricky question — and still get the job.

Inverse

Pokémon Friends Is an Adorable New Puzzle Game on Switch, but There’s an Unfortunate Catch

July’s Pokémon Presents didn’t have a ton of new info, but there was a sneaky shadow drop of a cute but troubling new game.

Real Simple

Staging a Home? These 5 Design Trends Could Actually Turn Buyers Off

If you’re looking to make your home more appealing to buyers, avoid these design mistakes.

The New York Times

What if Everything We Know About Sacagawea Is Wrong?

A growing body of evidence suggests she might have survived into old age — which would entirely change the story of America’s most iconic Native forebear.

BBC

Top UN Court Says Countries Can Sue Each Other Over Climate Change

The decision from the world’s highest court has been welcomed by developing nations at most risk from climate change.

Gizmodo

Playful Airline Safety Videos Could Be Making Passengers Less Safe

In a new survey, most participants flunked an airline safety quiz after watching an in-flight safety video.

Parents

12 Bucket-List Waterpark Resorts Every Family Should Visit in the U.S.

No matter your family’s speed, these parks provide the ultimate aquatic enjoyment.

NBC News

Former Gov. Roy Cooper Plans to Enter North Carolina Senate Race

Democrats view Cooper, who has won six statewide elections for attorney general and governor, as a top recruit as they look to flip a Republican-held seat.