Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

The Conversation

Joy Is Good for Your Body and Your Mind: Three Ways to Feel It More Often

Joy is very different from our other emotions.

Aeon

How Europe Became So Rich

In a time of great powers and empires, just one region of the world experienced extraordinary economic growth. How?

MIT Press Reader

How Did Consciousness Evolve? An Illustrated Guide

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

Bloomberg Businessweek

The Internet Almost Killed Barnes & Noble, Then Saved It

BookTok readers are flocking to physical stores to snag a copy of the latest viral hit—and helping the once-struggling chain turn a corner.

The Atlantic

The Predator That Makes Great White Sharks Flee in Fear

Better to run than to have your liver squeezed out.

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.

Nautilus

The Romantic Venus We Never Knew

Venus used to be as fit for life as Earth.

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.

Mic

Why You Should Get to Know Your “Shadow” Self

Experts explain how confronting your darkest impulses can help you grow as a person.

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.

Bon Appétit

Fall-Apart Caramelized Cabbage

This is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to cook down a whole head of cabbage until it’s falling-apart tender.

Quanta Magazine

Evolution Runs Faster on Short Timescales

Evolution progresses much more quickly over years or centuries than it does over geologic time. Now the oldest viruses on the planet are enabling scientists to calibrate this evolutionary clock.

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 Walrus

Can Office Tools Help Couples Optimize for Domestic Bliss?

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the colour-coded Google Calendar.

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?

Grist

The Surprising Reasons Floods and Other Disasters Are More Deadly at Night

It’s not just that it’s dark and people are asleep. Urban sprawl, confirmation bias, and other factors can play a role in why nocturnal disasters claim more lives.

BBC

How a Fatal Accident Ended Ted Kennedy’s Presidential Hopes

In July 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident where a young aide died. But many questions about the ‘Chappaquiddick incident’ went unanswered.

WIRED

A Head-to-Toe Breakdown of Social Media’s Billion-Dollar Remedies

Bad mood? Puffy face? Immune issues? Across TikTok and Instagram there are scores of influencers ready to sell you some products—without ever sending you to a doctor.

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?

Olive

I’m a Gut Health Dietitian – These Are the Questions People Are Too Embarrassed to Ask Me

From sudden attacks of diarrhoea to problematic wind, our expert answers all the questions you were too embarrassed to ask.

New Lines Magazine

Waiting for Justice in South Africa

Families of those killed and tortured for political reasons under apartheid are searching for the truth about why the perpetrators have gone unpunished.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Atlas Obscura

How to Turn Your Road Trip Into a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Teach your kids to identify astonishing flora along your journey.

Variety

Box Office: ‘Superman’ Surpasses $400 Million Globally, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Nears $650 Million Milestone

“Superman” continues to rule the global box office, powering to $406 million after two weekends of release.

Parents

Everything We Know About ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 So Far

The season 4 cliffhanger left fans of the show with so many questions. Will the final season of ‘Stranger Things’ reveal the answers? Here’s what we know so far.

GQ

How ’Too Much’ Star Will Sharpe Reinvented the Romcom Heartthrob

In Lena Dunham’s buzzy new Netflix series, the actor spins the love interest into something much more idiosyncratic—emotional baggage and all.

The Hollywood Reporter

How ‘The Gilded Age’ Newcomer Jordan Donica Charmed His Way Into the Role of Winning Peggy’s Heart

And not even Phylicia Rashad can stop him.

Popular Mechanics

Scientists Found a Black Hole That Shouldn’t Exist. Now Physics Has a Problem.

At 225 solar masses, this gargantuan merger of two black holes challenges our thinking on these famously elusive objects.

Big Think

What We’ve Learned After 35 Years of NASA’s Hubble

When the Hubble Space Telescope first launched in 1990, there was so much we didn’t know. Here’s how far we’ve come.

Fast Company

Why the ‘Holidaze’ Is Actually a Good Thing

Often summer ushers in a slump in productivity. However, there’s no reason to panic. Here’s a tool kit for using summers to reset and gear up.

Inverse

You Can Now Watch Most of the Mission: Impossible Saga on Netflix

The last few Mission: Impossible movies have both benefited and suffered from conformity, and now’s your chance to revisit its wilder days.

The New Yorker

In an Age of Climate Change, How Do We Cope with Floods?

The deaths in the Texas Hill Country are a tragic testament to the force of a raging river. Flood-stricken Vermont has a radical plan to counter the threat it faces.

Kiplinger

The Surprising Truth About Loneliness and Longevity

We’ve all heard about the epidemic of loneliness that can shorten lives and make retirement miserable. But there’s more to the story.

Knowable Magazine

Super-Resolution Microscopes Showcase the Inner Lives of Cells

Advanced light microscopy techniques have come into their own — and are giving scientists a new understanding of human biology and what goes wrong in disease.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Time

10 Questions to Help You Plan for the End of Life

Talking about death is often life-affirming.

BBC

Mineral v. Chemical Sunscreen: Which One Should You Be Using?

Some people are trading chemical sunscreens in favour of mineral versions because of fears over toxicity, pollution and effectiveness. Is there actually any difference?

NPR

A Creek With Atomic Waste From WWII Is Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

A new study in JAMA shows how proximity to Coldwater Creek, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project was improperly stored, affected cancer rates over the decades.

CBS News

COVID-19 Cases Are Rising in These States Amid Summer Wave, CDC Data Shows

The data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also showed a significant increase in COVID-related emergency room visits for young children.

CNBC

Student Loan Bills Could Double for Some Borrowers As Biden-Era Relief Expires

Many student loan borrowers could see their monthly bills more than double now that the Biden-era SAVE plan is defunct.

Stylist

Managers, Here’s How to Have an Effective 1-to-1, According to Career Experts

How to help your team members get the most from your meetings.

The Walrus

Before You Share That Health Tip, Read This

Misinformation is everywhere. And yes, some of it has probably gotten to you.

CNBC

What a Trump, Powell Faceoff Means for Your Money

Tensions are escalating between the White House and the Federal Reserve, with consumers caught in the middle.

Fast Company

I’m a Two-Time Tech Founder. but Restaurants Are Where I Learned to Lead

The surprising lessons the conveyor belt sushi business taught me. Sudden equipment failures. Supply chain surprises. Retaining staff as the goalposts move in real time. These aren’t challenges I’ve faced as a tech founder—but I have faced them running restaurants.

The Week

How Can You Get the Maximum Social Security Retirement Benefit?

For many, Social Security benefits are a key part of their retirement plan. So it makes sense that you would want to get the most possible from this monthly source of income.

Money.com

Why You Probably Need Flood Insurance — Even if You Don't Live Near Water

Over the Fourth of July weekend, parts of central Texas were devastated by flash floods after the region was hit with the equivalent of four months' worth of rain in just a few hours. At least 134 people were killed, and more than 100 are still missing as of press time.

Yahoo

What Is ‘Revenge Saving,’ and Should You Hop on the Trend?

“Revenge saving” emphasizes making up for poor financial habits by being aggressively frugal or restrictive with your current spending.