The Weekend Essay
How to Live Forever
The simplest, most foolproof way to extend life is to do so backward, by adding years in reverse.
Swimming with My Daughters
It was so reasonable—why couldn’t we want different things? Two could go into the water and one could stay on the shore. But I didn’t want to leave her there.
The Hidden-Pregnancy Experiment
We are increasingly trading our privacy for a sense of security. Becoming a parent showed me how tempting, and how dangerous, that exchange can be.
How to Eat a Rattlesnake
In my native Oklahoma, snake meat was a masculine trophy, edible proof that you were willing to tangle with death.
The “Epic Row” Over a New Epoch
Scientists, journalists, and artists often say that we live in the Anthropocene, a new age in which humans shape the Earth. Why do some leading geologists reject the term?
Is This Israel’s Forever War?
Foreign-policy analysts whose careers were shaped by the war on terror see troubling parallels.
The Day Ram Dass Died
He taught me to be more curious, present, and self-loving. His final lesson was more surprising.
Life in a Luxury Hotel for New Moms and Babies
My month of rest, relaxation, and regret at a Taiwanese postpartum-care center.
Has Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Improved His Standing in Russia?
As Russians go to the polls, the economy is booming and the public feels hopeful about the future. But the politics of Putinism still depend on the absence of any means to challenge it.