Many critics consider Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, published in 1821, to be the first explicit exploration of the creative process and drugs. Since then — well, there have been a few more. Whether it’s booze (writers), heroin (rock stars), or cocaine (anyone with money), we’ve long associated, and romanticized the link between, intoxicants […]

A strong earthquake in Taiwan has killed at least two people and injured more than 200 others, officials say. The powerful 6.4-magnitude tremor struck at 23:50 (15:50 GMT) about 20km (12 miles) off the island’s east coast. Emergency responders have rescued about 150 people from hotels and residential buildings that have partially collapsed in the […]

 A winter storm will dump snow and freezing rain on the U.S. Midwest and the Northeast beginning on Tuesday after it caused several deaths as it snarled highways and spurred the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Chicago’s main airport. The National Weather Service warned commuters in northern Texas, east through southern Illinois and Indiana, […]

The Oscar-nominated short documentary Knife Skills has been acquired by Condé Nast Entertainment. This follows last year’s acquisition when the company acquired the Oscar-nominated short documentary Joe’s Violin, also for The New Yorker’s “The Screening Room” which features award-winning short films. The film, directed by Thomas Lennon (The Blood of Yingzhou District), follows the launch of an haute cuisine restaurant […]

Thirty years after nations banded together to phase out chemicals that destroy stratospheric ozone, the gaping hole in Earth’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation shield above Antarctica is shrinking. But new findings suggest that at midlatitudes, where most people live, the ozone layer in the lower stratosphere is growing more tenuous—for reasons that scientists are struggling to […]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful launch system on Earth, roared into the sky on Tuesday afternoon atop a pillar of smoke. The rocket’s three reusable boosters lifted the vehicle skyward, sending Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster on a journey toward Mars orbit. Musk, SpaceX’s founder, was worried that the experimental 23-story rocket might explode with the force of […]

Former employees at companies such as Google and Facebook are pushing for tech companies to rethink and redesign addictive and intrusive tools under a new organization called Center for Humane Technology. The Center for Humane Technology is partnering with nonprofit Common Sense, which advocates for kids and families in the digital age, on a campaign […]

US stock markets have ended a day of massive fluctuations on a high note, rebounding after recent steep losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 2.3%, while the Nasdaq hit 2.1% and the S&P 500 rose 1.7%. Stocks shuttled between positive and negative territory throughout the day, their activity spanning more than 1,000 points. […]

They reflect one of our most basic human instincts. As infants, learning to talk is one of our first acquired skills, and verbally communicating with others quickly becomes a fundamental part of daily life. But only recently have we started to converse with technology, asking it questions, making requests, and so much more. Since communicating […]

About 30 million Americans, including more than a quarter of adults older than 65, have Type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the body is unable to make and properly use the hormone insulin. This creates high levels of glucose in the blood, which, over time, can lead to heart disease, vision loss, kidney […]