Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Smithsonian Magazine

This Wooden Sculpture Is Twice as Old as Stonehenge and the Pyramids

New findings about the 12,500-year-old Shigir Idol have major implications for the study of prehistory.

Knowable Magazine

How Heat Pumps of the 1800s Are Becoming the Technology of the Future

Innovative thinking has done away with problems that long dogged the electric devices — and both scientists and environmentalists are excited about the possibilities.

Quanta Magazine

Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness

Oil droplets guided by “pilot waves” have failed to reproduce the results of the quantum double-slit experiment, crushing a century-old dream that there exists a single, concrete reality.

Epicurious

Learn Baker’s Percentages and Make Bread Like a Pro

Once you become accustomed to the format, you’ll start to understand how a loaf of bread comes together.

Bon Appétit

Extra-Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

Come for the fluff, stay for the brown butter–cinnamon sugar filling.

The Atlantic

How “One Hundred Years of Solitude” Became a Classic

When Gabriel García Márquez’s most famous novel was first published, it faced a difficult publishing climate and baffled reviews.

Mental Floss

12 Artifacts Brought Up From the ‘Titanic’

More than 5,500 artifacts have been brought up since the first salvage trip to the ‘Titanic’ wreckage in 1987.

MEL Magazine

Slayer, Striker, Shooter and the Rise of the Extreme Baby Boy Name

Parents tend to be more conservative about naming baby boys. But when they do get creative, they turn them into throat-ripping action heroes.

GQ

Cardiologists On What You Need to Know About Intermittent Fasting and Heart Health

Experts want you to take scary headlines with a grain of salt.

Atlas Obscura

How the 18th-Century Gay Bar Survived and Thrived in a Deadly Environment

Welcome to the molly house.

Fast Company

Want a Promotion? These 4 Habits Are More Powerful Than Talent

Talent can only take you so far. The reason some people are high performers is because they’ve formed good habits.

Esquire

How to Be a Better Man Right Now

Here, our best guidance on how to look better, feel better, date better, and optimize your life.

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

Saturday, July 26

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?

Vox

Why Your Energy Bill Is Suddenly So Much More Expensive

And why it’s not getting cheaper any time soon.

NBC News

The Deadliest Extreme Weather Event Is Not What You Think It Is

Nationally, extreme heat causes more deaths each year than any other weather event, including floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

The Guardian

Why Are Thailand and Cambodia Engaged in a Border Conflict?

Territory mapped during France’s colonial rule is behind clash that has exposed tensions between the countries.

Slate

The Rise of the One-Day Overseas Vacation

In the age of remote work, Instagram reels, and shrinking PTO, the one-day international trip is becoming both absurd and strangely relatable.

Esquire

What I Didn’t Understand About My Autistic Son, and What I’m Learning Now That He’s an Adult

I have opened my heart and my mind to Sam, and he’s brought both of us to the place we so desperately need to be.

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?

The Associated Press

Photos Show a Filipino Couple Walking Down a Flooded Aisle on Their Wedding Day

Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

NBC News

Summer Covid Cases Are Rising Across the U.S. — Is It Time for a Vaccine?

The uptick in cases, caused by a variant of the virus nicknamed “razor blade throat,” comes as many Americans have likely gone a year or longer without a Covid shot.

Inc. Magazine

Rising Workplace Aggression Is Driving Healthcare Job Turnover

A new study finds the growing number of threats at work prompted 45 percent of healthcare employees to say they’re likely to quit within a year.

Inc. Magazine

How HR Uses AI to Stay Human

A postcard from tomorrow’s workplace: how leaders balance technology and human connection.

Popular Mechanics

An Entire Hidden Layer of Reality May Be Lurking Just Below the Standard Model of Physics

The discovery of the Higgs boson hasn’t led to an explosion of new physics as many predicted. Now, some scientists think that hidden physics may be hiding beyond LHC’s view.

The 19th

Telehealth Abortion Access Could Be Challenged Nationwide in New Lawsuit

A Texas man is suing a California doctor over his girlfriend’s alleged abortion across state lines — the latest in a string of cases meant to test the laws that have helped people get care.

Smithsonian Magazine

These Odd Bony Structures Were Hiding Beneath the Skin of Far More Lizards Than Thought, Researchers Find

Called osteoderms, the chain mail-like plates may have helped some species adapt to Australia’s harsh environment.

SELF

The Very Best Cycling Shoes, According to Coaches and Racers

Sole, meet cycle.

Outside

After the Biggest Doping Bust in Years, What’s Next?

Now that the fastest marathoner in history, Ruth Chepngetich, has been caught, is it time to give up and let athletes dope?

NYLON

This 16-Year-Old Prada Collection Has Never Been More Relevant

Rita Ora wore a Prada Spring/Summer 2009 black silk dress, the latest in a string of archival celebrity pulls from the same collection.

Context

Gold Wars in Peru Town Leave Amazon Nature Defenders Vulnerable

Illegal gold mining in one of Peru’s most ecologically significant areas has unleashed environmental destruction and gang violence.

Kiplinger

Is Your Money in the Wrong Place? Why More Savers Are Shifting Money Away From Big Banks

Traditional savings accounts aren’t cutting it — here’s where the money is going instead.

Vanity Fair

How Sofia Carson Became Netflix’s First Bona Fide Movie Star

A decade ago, she had never stepped onto a feature-film set. Today, the Disney Channel alum sits atop a streaming empire, headlining some of Netflix’s most popular titles—and setting expectations high for her new project, ‘My Oxford Year.’

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

NPR

Doctors Urge FDA to Remove Black Box Warning on Hormone Therapy for Menopause

The FDA may remove the warning labels on hormone replacement therapies used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Doctors say the warning is scaring people who could benefit from these treatments.

Axios

Venmo the Treasury to Help Pay Uncle Sam’s Debt? You Can, If You Really Want

Of all the things you might use Venmo for — buying drinks, splitting a check with friends, repaying a loan — there’s a good chance you’ve never had “sending the government a gift to help pay the public debt” on your list.

Allure

Why Are People Fighting About At-Home Gel Nail Kits on TikTok?

A closer look at both sides of the “OPI nail drama.”

The Cut

‘Are My Student Loans About to Become Unaffordable?’

You could do nothing—or you could sign up for a new repayment plan. Here are your options.

The Atlantic

The Problem With Rewards Credit Cards

Their fees are getting higher—and their benefits are sometimes wildly complicated to redeem.

NPR

What Borrowers Should Know About Student Loan Changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill

If you’re a federal student loan borrower or about to become one, your head may be spinning.

Harvard Business Review

Make the Most of Your Vacation When You Can’t Fully Unplug

While advice abounds on the importance of fully unplugging during your hard-earned time off — and for good reason! — what should you do if you’re in a situation where you can’t be fully offline?

NPR

You Can’t Outrun a Bad Diet. Food Not Lack of Exercise Fuels Obesity, Study Finds

One explanation for the rise in obesity in industrialized countries is that people burn fewer calories than people in countries where obesity is rare. A major study finds that’s not the case.

The Associated Press

For Some Employees, Education Benefits Such As Tuition Assistance Prove Life-Changing

As higher education costs have grown to heights many U.S. residents find unattainable or illogical, some adults are looking to their employers for help.

NBC News

Did Your Doctor’s Office Charge You a ‘Facility Fee’? Here’s What to Know.

Facility fees, often associated with inpatient hospital stays, are becoming more common for outpatient doctors’ appointments.

Axios

Social Security Recipients Set to Face an $18,000 Benefit Cut in Just Seven Years

Retirees are facing the prospect of substantial Social Security cuts in just seven years, sooner than projected, due to the “big, beautiful bill,” per an analysis out Thursday from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

CNN

Don’t Get Overwhelmed by 10,000 Steps. Here’s How Many You May Really Need

Don’t worry, you can get health benefits just by moving a little more than you already are, new research has found.