The New York Times — Friday, Aug 16, 2024

Ukraine’s Incursion Into Russia Reveals a Dramatic Shift

The offensive was developed in secret, devised to divert Russian troops away from the front lines in Ukraine and seize territory to use as a bargaining chip.

He Still Thought He Could Win: Inside Biden’s Decision to Drop Out

People close to President Biden say he believes he could have won a second term. But he came to realize that the fight would rip apart the Democratic Party that he had served his whole life.

The Filipinos Living in the Shadow of China’s Military Might

More than 200 civilian settlers on a contested island in the South China Sea find themselves on the frontier of a possible conflict with China.

U.S. Unveils Price Limits for 10 Costly or Common Medications

The Biden administration said it would have saved $6 billion had the new prices been in effect last year.

Ideas & Research: Harvard Magazine September 2024

September-October 2024 cover

HARVARD MAGAZINE (August 15, 2024): The latest Academic Freedom and Free Speech – Contendin means, and meanings…

Academic Freedom and Free Speech

Robert Post explains how they differ—and why it matters, especially now by Lincoln Caplan

Climate Change’s Crippling Costs

The impact on global GDP is likely six times greater than previously estimated. 

In Search of the Social Microbiome

The microbiome may be socially exchanged, modulating both health and metabolism.

The Goodness of Being Together

Why social interactions are as vital as food and water by Erin O’Donnell

Research Preview: Science Magazine – August 16, 2024

Current Issue Cover

Science Magazine – August 15, 2024: The new issue features ‘Transmission Event’ – Digital contact tracing for Covid-19; What kind of asteroid killed the dinosaurs; Access to safe drinking water is far from universal; Lessons from nonhuman primates on speech evolution…

The Economist Magazine – August 17, 2024 Preview

Footloose and fancy degree: How countries compete for talent

The Economist Magazine (August 15, 2024): The latest issue features Footloose and fancy degree: How countries compete for talent

Our presidential-election forecast model

We relaunch our presidential-election model for a transformed race

New nuclear threats

The superpower faces more adversaries, new technologies and less-confident allies

What Ukraine can gain in Kursk

The country’s forces should be careful not to overreach

Does the brain learn like AI?

The challenge for neuroscientists is how to test them

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – August 16, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (August 15, 2024) – The new issue features Has mass tourism gone too far? – Why holiday hotspots have had enough. Plus: America’s Kamala and Tim show

1
Spotlight | On the road: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz re-energise Democrats
The US vice-president and her running mate have hit the ground running in their campaign for the White House. Can they keep the momentum going, asks Lauren Gambino.

2
Technology | The fragile world of underwater internet cables
Deep-sea wires are the veins of the modern world. What if something were to happen to them? Jonathan Yerushalmy investigates.

3
Feature | Beautiful, bruising and complex female friendships
Ahead of her new book examining women’s friendships, the Observer’s Rachel Cooke reflects on two pivotal ones of her own, as well as some notable literary attachments.

4
Opinion | The Olympics showed France’s far right what true patriotism is all about
Despite a febrile political backdrop, the Paris Games reminded a nation of what it means to be proud of one’s country, says French sports writer Philippe Auclair.

5
Culture | The second act of Sam Neill
He is one of the world’s most famous actors, but the New Zealander – whose cancer is thankfully in remission – can still go to Starbucks without anyone recognising him, finds Zoe Williams.

News: US-Israel Weapons Deal, New Gaza Ceasefire Demands, Thailand Crisis

The Globalist Podcast (August 15, 2024): The US has agreed another multi-billion-dollar weapons package for Israel, while demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

Plus: Thailand’s government is sent into crisis after a court ruling, why people are leaving New Zealand in record numbers, an interview with Istanbul’s mayor and Toblerone without Swiss milk.

The New York Times — Thursday, Aug 15, 2024

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In Gaza, Israel’s Military Has Reached the End of the Line, U.S. Officials Say

Israel has severely set back Hamas but will never be able to completely eliminate the group, U.S. officials said.

Deception and a Gamble: How Ukrainian Troops Invaded Russia

Planned in secrecy, the incursion was a bold move to upend the war’s dynamics and put Moscow on the defensive — a gambit that could also leave Ukraine exposed.

How Christian Conservatives Are Planning for the Next Battle, on I.V.F.

Republicans may be backing away from abortion, but these activists have a strategy, with or without Trump.

Unresponsive Brain-Damaged Patients May Have Some Awareness

Many patients thought to be in vegetative or minimally conscious states may be capable of thought, researchers reported.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – August 15, 2024

Volume 632 Issue 8025

Nature Magazine – July 24, 2024: The latest issue features Mobile Stone – Scottish origin for Stonehenge’s altar hints at societal organization in Neolithic Britain…

Cobras and mambas and coral snakes, oh my! DNA shows their origins

A snake family that includes many venomous species arose in Asia, despite fossil evidence pointing to an African origin.

How expert skateboarders use physics on the half-pipe

Athletes can achieve greater speed with just the right ‘pumping’ motion, modelling shows.

Engineered brain parasite ferries useful proteins into neurons

Microbe found in cat poo could be harnessed to deliver large, complex proteins across the blood–brain barrier.

National Geographic Magazine – September 2024

September 2024 Issue

National Geographic Magazine (August 14, 2024) The new issue features ‘The Deep Frontier’ – How cutting-edge technology is expanding what we know about the undersea environment…

How to bring a 75-foot-long dinosaur back to life

A team of scientists and artists transformed a jumble of bones entombed in tons of rock into a towering dinosaur that will leave visitors to L.A.’s Natural History Museum wonderstruck.

What life is like when your brain can’t recognize faces

The common neurological disorder affects roughly 2 percent of the population. Author Sadie Dingfelder shares her perspective navigating the world with it.

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Aug 16, 2024

Times Literary Supplement (August 14, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Guy vs the Spies’ – Robert Cecil’s secret intelligence network; The new Cold War; On annihilation; What anxiety means; G.K. Chesterton’s Notting Hill…