Weekend Reads

Are Viruses the New Frontier for Astrobiology?

Google Removes 'Don't Be Evil' Clause From Its Code of Conduct

When Google was reorganized under a new parent company, Alphabet, in 2015, Alphabet assumed a slightly adjusted version of the motto, “do the right thing.” However, Google retained its original “don’t be evil” language until the past several weeks.

Why you hear “Laurel” or “Yanny” in that viral audio clip, explained

“There’s just enough ambiguity in this fairly low-quality recording that [some] people are hearing it one way and some people are hearing it another,” Brad Story, the associate department head of speech, language, and hearing sciences at Arizona State University, told me.

The incredibly frustrating reason there’s no Lyme disease vaccine

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a vaccine called LYMErix was sold to prevent between 76 and 92 percent of infections. Hundreds of thousands of people got it — until vaccine fear knocked it off the market.

Black men arrested at Starbucks settle with Philadelphia for $1 each and $200K for young entrepreneurs

In first, doctors treat rare genetic disorder with an injection in utero

Players Have Crowned A New Best Board Game — And It May Be Tough To Topple

Why Do Fantasy Novels Have So Much Food?

Five-Day Hurricane Track Forecasts Are More Accurate Today Than Two-Day Forecasts 25 Years Ago

New technology, like high-definition satellites and other distant observing techniques, better computer model guidance, refined hurricane reconnaissance, drone flights and on-the-ground research have led to much better track forecasts in the last quarter-century.

Trump's Legal Threats Backfire

As a skeezy reality-TV star in a third marriage governed by a tight pre-nuptial agreement, Trump could shrug off those reputational risks. As president, he cannot. They show up in polls.