A woman in a yellow swimsuit standing by an outdoor shower beside a pool and palm trees
Photograph by Dmitrii Detkov
 
WHAT WE FOUND
A Roman mosaic of a sailing ship crewed by armed figures
The 5 Most Important Years in History
The word “senator” on your ballot goes back to 509 BCE, the year Rome got rid of its last king. Two consuls took his job, one year each, answering to a Senate. Jefferson later shipped Madison crates of books on ancient republics. Madison read them all winter, then went to Philadelphia and wrote most of it down again. Rome is only the oldest of the five. ›
An astronaut on a spacewalk, with the shuttle reflected in the visor and Earth behind
What Happens to Your Brain in Space?
Exercise keeps an astronaut’s muscles and bones in reasonable shape. Nothing keeps the brain. A new study pooled fifteen imaging studies and found it rewires itself when gravity goes. It changes the parts that handle balance, movement and the sense of where your body is. What it does to you. ›
 
MORE GOOD STUFF
A man reading on a balcony above a wide green landscape, a drink on the table beside him
How to Waste a Morning (Properly)
A 10-minute coffee. A walk to nowhere in particular. There is an art to wasting a morning properly, and feeling rather pleased about it. How it’s done. ›
An illustration of two people arguing face to face, lightning bolts between them
What Is the Most Useful Emotion?
Which feeling would do best across a hundred different moments? A wedding, a mugging, a Monday, a diagnosis. This makes a good case for one answer. See if you agree. ›
 
TOP SHELF
A short guide to six things worth knowing before the day you need them. There’s a reason we all say “like” so much. And why whale hunting was absolutely insane.
 
ONE TO FOLLOW
A man in a blue t-shirt and jeans sitting barefoot against a stone wall in the sun
@attiresaint
Vintage watches, old cars, and summer outfits worth stealing. A good eye for the good life.
 
LAST WORD
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”
— RALPH WALDO EMERSON