Discover the best of the web

Today’s essential reads

thousands-of-giant-tortoises-anchor-a-thriving-ecosystem-on-aldabra-a-remote-atoll-in-the-indian-ocean-180986362?is_pocket=1

Try the “30-Day Rule” Money-Saving Hack to Stop Impulse Buys

TikTok’s “30-day rule” helps prevent overspending on impulse purchases. Here’s what experts have to say.

Do Realistic AI Avatars Invoke the Uncanny Valley?

Learn more about how people perceive AI avatars on social media and how they could impact science communication.

Why Most Ancient Civilizations Had No Word for the Color Blue

In an old Zen story, two monks argue over whether a flag is waving or whether it’s the wind that waves. Their teacher strikes them both dumb, saying, “It is your mind that moves.

Elaine Pagels Sifts Through History in Search of Jesus

In “Miracles and Wonder,” the author explores what motivated people to record the details that define the life of Jesus. So there it is — settled.

Fascinating stories

The Conqueror Who Longed for Melons

Many Indian dishes can be traced back, indirectly, to a 16th-century, food-obsessed ruler named Babur.

‘Homegrowns Are Next’: Trump Hopes to Deport and Jail U.S. Citizens Abroad

President Trump says his administration is actively exploring a proposal to detain U.S. citizens and send them to prisons in El Salvador. Speaking Monday, minutes before a press briefing alongside El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, Trump could be heard embracing the concept.

What You Should Know Before Buying Refurbished Gadgets

You can save money and give products a second life.

Why Parents Are Suffering From ‘Sunshine Guilt’ and How to Cope

What is ‘sunshine guilt?’ Experts explain the term and share strategies to cope with these negative feelings.

8 Psychological Tricks of Restaurant Menus

How restaurants use their menus to influence what you’re having for dinner.

Discover More Topics

Eight Landscaping Features That Can Lower the Summer Heat in Your Yard

You can’t air condition the outdoors—but you can lower the temperature with some thoughtful landscaping decisions. If you hesitate to throw a cookout in your outdoor space because you feel like you’re on a grill when you’re out there, consider implementin

Meet the Researchers Testing the “Armageddon” Approach to Asteroid Defense

A nuclear explosion might eventually be Earth’s only way to protect itself from a dangerous asteroid. But preparing for that without launching nukes into space means getting creative.

One of the Most Effective Programs to Reduce Child Hunger Is Caught in DOGE Limbo

Jeremy Everett, who piloted the initiative at Baylor University, is working hard to make sure kids get fed this summer. The clock is ticking.

6 Ways to Train Your Brain to Literally Get Smarter

The brain is a muscle, here’s how to give it a workout.

NBA Playoff Picks: Our Predictions for Every First-Round Series

In each of the past two NBA playoffs, at least two lower seeds have won a first-round series, including four in 2023. With depth and parity creeping into the NBA competitive paradigm, is the league in store for more unpredictability?

Sweden’s Hottest Show? Nonstop Live Coverage of the Epic Moose Migration

Millions are tuning in to the hottest show captivating Sweden: It's reality, it's live, and after hours of slow shots of calming nature, the stars arrive — Sweden's beloved moose on their spring migration.

Environmental Groups Sue the Trump Administration to Restore Web Tools Critical for Gauging Climate and Pollution Impacts

The removal of websites designed to help disadvantaged communities will hurt those communities the most, lawyers argue.

My Parents Got Sick. It Changed How I Thought About My Marriage

All the pain of that year taught me something: the true nature of intimacy.

Inside Democrats’ Scramble to Travel to El Salvador

Democrats are rushing to organize trips to El Salvador as President Trump refuses to comply with a Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of a Maryland resident who was erroneously deported to the country.

Hollywood At Risk of Becoming the “Next Detroit Auto.” L.A. Production Insiders Voice Alarm

The specter of Los Angeles becoming another Detroit, a city built on a specific industry that became a shell of its former self when that business moved out, loomed over a compelling film and TV industry town hall that tackled not only the calamitous drop in production in Hollywood and California, b