The Texan dream of going it alone was never real
The power was still out in my Dallas housing complex early last Tuesday, so I grabbed the survival hatchet from my emergency bag to chop up a couple of fallen…
The scientist who’s been right about Covid-19 vaccines predicts what’s next
When Hilda Bastian and I first caught up over Skype to talk about Covid-19 vaccines last autumn, she showed me the boxes and unfinished rooms in her new home in…
The vaccine race against the coronavirus variants, explained
The world is now locked in an arms race with Covid-19, as multiple effective vaccines are being deployed (at staggeringly different rates) around the world. At the same time, new…
Why Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot Covid-19 vaccine is a game changer
One big reason to be excited about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine for Covid-19, which was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration over the weekend for emergency use…
Even if you’re vaccinated, indoor dining is still complicated
When many Americans talk about returning to “normal life” after the pandemic, they might mean going back to the office, resuming in-person school or child care, or preparing for the…
The book that changed how I think about thinking
I’ve learned more about how to think and reason well from Julia Galef than from almost anyone. Galef, a writer, researcher, and podcaster, is obsessive about improving her own reasoning…
The logic of Biden’s new July 4 vaccination goal
President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled a new Covid-19 vaccine goal: 70 percent of US adults getting at least one shot by July 4. With this, the Biden administration expects…
How the world missed more than half of all Covid-19 deaths
The world may have undercounted Covid-19 deaths by a staggering margin, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of…
The falling Chinese space rocket is a policy failure
There’s a scene in The West Wing’s second season in which one of the protagonists is told a Chinese satellite is falling to Earth, but no one knew exactly when…
Why India needs oxygen more urgently than vaccines
While here in the US some are tentatively removing their masks and resuming small outdoor gatherings, others around the world are searching for air. In India, people need oxygen, and…
Got the vaccine? Experts say you can relax about your Covid-19 risk now. Really.
White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said he will not go into restaurants or movie theaters, even though he’s vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccinated…
The case for sleeping in separate beds
About four years ago, my wife and I moved into a house just outside DC. It was our first house and it happened to have an extra bedroom, which was…