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Shelf Life

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From This Collection

Shelf Life

Could a building extend your lifespan?

by Emily Anthes
Jun 24, 2020
An excerpt from "The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape our Behavior, Health and Happiness."
The exterior of the concept design home "Reversible Destiny Lofts MITAKA: In Memory of Helen Keller" in Tokyo, Japan.
Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
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How a forgotten 1965 law paved the way for today's battles over immigration

by Jia Lynn Yang
Jun 23, 2020
Author Jia Lynn Yang describes how a law meant to maintain the country's white racial majority led to more diversity.
The sun sets behind the Statue of Liberty, an iconic symbol of welcome.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images
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How Japan's superfans taught the world to love pop culture

by Matt Alt
Jun 17, 2020
Author Matt Alt describes how Japan's pop culture, and its superfans, shaped sensibilities the world over.
A shop in New York celebrates Hello Kitty's 45th birthday in 2019. Japanese pop culture is known far and wide.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Soap saves countless lives every year. Here's how it was invented

by Andie Corban
May 25, 2020
Cody Cassidy, author of "Who Ate the First Oyster?" said the inventor of soap had no idea about its life-saving potential.
More soap use can save lives, the World Health Organization says.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
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When America learned that screens could teach

by David Kamp
May 13, 2020
Fifty years ago, an experimental television program called "Sesame Street" hit the airwaves and changed America.
In the late 1960s and 70s, experimental television programs including Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Schoolhouse Rock proved that television could educate.
Children's Television Workshop/Courtesy of Getty Images
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Underestimated and underrepresented in an industry that wasn't built for you

by Arlan Hamilton
May 5, 2020
Arlan Hamilton's new book gives readers a look at her journey from food stamps to being on th ecover of "Fast Company."
Arlan Hamilton, author of "It's About Damn Time" and founder of Backstage Capital.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for REVOLT
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What it's like to navigate the first year of motherhood without a stable home

by Lauren Sandler
Apr 28, 2020
Data can tell us who is on welfare, but not what it's like to to live in the system.
A woman feeds a baby at a Thanksgiving meal hosted by the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond, California, in 2015.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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How much is a human life worth?

by Howard Steven Friedman
Apr 23, 2020
Civil courts, for-profit companies and regulators regularly put price tags on human lives. But how?
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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Tracing the history of the census, at a time when 2020 operations are suspended

by David Brancaccio and Candace Manriquez Wrenn
Apr 3, 2020
The 2020 census was planning to deploy up to 500,000 census takers to follow up with households that didn't respond online or by mail.
The U.S. Census Bureau announced that it has suspended census field operations for now over concerns of the census workers and their public interactions amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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The legacy of the crossword puzzle in times of crisis

by Kai Ryssdal and Bennett Purser
Mar 24, 2020
Through wars, recessions and possibly even today’s pandemic, crossword puzzles serve as an escape from hard times.
KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images
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