The Outline

Laura June

Laura June
Culture Nov 02

Thanksgiving: by the numbers

It’s November and you know what that means. Gorge yourself... on this data about the most American of holidays.

Power Sep 19

The warped reality of Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn

In a recent ‘New York Magazine’ interview, the couple would like you to forget everything you know.

Culture Jul 24

My job is to remember

How will the stories we tell ourselves about who we are change when there’s a lifetime of photographic evidence?

The Future Jan 12

We’re all eating too much meat

And here are some of the numbers to prove it.

Culture Dec 28

So, you made a New Year’s Resolution

Every year, we make promises to ourselves. But how often do we keep them?

Culture Dec 28

New year, new you

Every year, we make promises to ourselves. But how often do we keep them?

Power Dec 07

The data on Trump and Russia

The numbers don't lie.

 
Power Dec 07

Trump’s Russian quagmire by the numbers

Trump and Russia. Russia and Trump. Inside this story, there’s an avalanche of data. What do the numbers say about collusion? What do they say about the people involved?

 
Culture Nov 30

The Outline Index, November 30, 2017

Data is all around us. But what does it really mean? Let’s take stock. Swipe on mobile or scroll on desktop to see what’s what.

The Future Nov 10

YouTube is not child abuse

Some videos are bad for kids, but it’s nothing a parent can’t handle.

Power Oct 19

The performative apologies of very guilty men

When saying “sorry” doesn’t mean anything at all

Power Aug 03

The State Department will start its North Korea travel ban in September

Passports will be declared invalid on the first of the month.

The Future Aug 02

For the first time, researchers have ‘repaired’ genetic disease

Scientists have edited diseased genes in a human embryo.

Power Aug 02

Area man says his mansion kind of stinks

Sold out by a publication dedicated to the game he loves.

Power Aug 02

Trump’s Justice Department will target affirmative action next

They’re looking to sue universities.

Culture Aug 01

Netflix is in a lot of debt

The company has borrowed $20 billion, but a new report says its investors aren’t concerned.

Power Aug 01

Scaramucci set a record for the shortest tenure as White House Comms Director

He’s on a short list.

The Future Jul 31

The Paris Agreement will probably fail

A snowball's chance in hell

The Future Jul 31

Honolulu is the first major U.S. city to ban texting while crossing the street

The city has been plagued by people getting hit in crosswalks.

The Future Jul 30

Travis Kalanick is “plotting a comeback” at Uber

And it’s turning the hunt for a new CEO into a total shitshow.

Culture Jul 28

‘The Emoji Movie’ is a disaster

The critics have spoken... and what they're saying is not good.

The Future Jul 27

Twitter is dying

It’s hard to attract new users to something that isn’t good.

Culture Jul 27

Jury awards Quincy Jones back royalties from the estate of Michael Jackson

Jackson’s estate says it will appeal.

The Future Jul 26

Scientists have edited human genes using CRISPR for the first time in the U.S.

The controversial technique has been called a “WMD threat” by U.S. intelligence.

The Future Jul 26

Trump says Tim Cook promised multiple Apple factories in America

And he says they’ll be “big and beautiful”

The Future Jul 25

Men’s sperm counts are plummeting rapidly, and no one knows why

A new study looked at the fertility of men since 1973 on three continents and saw a dramatic drop.

Power Jul 25

Having a woman on your team ruins your chances for VC funding

And companies with male CEOs still get 97 percent of all money

Culture Jul 20

Here’s what 26 publicists said when asked about BuzzFeed’s story asking publicists about R. Kelly

A meaningless journalistic exercise.

Power Jul 19

The U.S. is a worse place than ever to retire

And it probably won't get better next year, either.

Culture Jul 10

Amelia Earhart's disappearance was probably solved decades ago

But the History Channel can’t help itself.

The Future Jun 28

Facebook’s secret rules for deleting racist comments are messed up

And they protect white men most of all.

Culture Jun 26

The creator of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ on where the show will go next

A conversation with Bruce Miller on a bonus episode of ‘The Red Center’

Power Jun 26

Ivanka Trump gives her father’s presidency an A so far

But she won’t grade his Tweets.

Power Jun 23

Most Americans believe in stricter gun control

But also nearly half of them own guns, too.

Culture Jun 20

Playboy wants to tell you what feminism is

Cooper Hefner mansplains women’s rights.

Power Jun 20

Guns are the third-leading cause of death in U.S. kids

And since 2007, there's been a sharp increase in teen suicide by firearm.

Culture Jun 14

The Red Center: Episode #8

How does it end?

 
Power Jun 13

Almost half of crowd-sourced fundraising cash goes to healthcare

Because our system is so fucked up.

The Future Jun 09

FDA approves generic version of anti-HIV drug

Truvada is used both in prevention and treatment.

Power Jun 09

This painkiller is so abused, the FDA asked the company to stop making it

It's the first time the agency has ever tried to pull an opioid because of abuse.

Culture Jun 07

The Red Center: Episode #7

Who needs to chill?

Culture May 31

The Red Center: Episode #6

Who’s shaving whom?

Culture May 24

The Red Center: Episode #5

How does a gun work?

Culture May 17

The Red Center: Episode #4

Does anyone like Gilead?

Culture May 10

The Red Center: Episode #3

Who’s cucking whom?

Culture May 03

The Red Center: Episode #2

Is a hot dog a cult?

Culture Apr 26

The Red Center: Episode #1

What is a feminist, anyway?

Culture Mar 23

Nature is poison

Why our sudden thirst for the “natural” is dangerous

Culture Mar 21

Six Triops: the worst present imaginable

You think you want this. You don’t want this.

The Future Mar 21

Teenage girls can and should have over-the-counter birth control pills

Adult women, too!

Culture Mar 20

Big Little Lies and bad little men

Women who have it all still can’t live.

Culture Mar 18

Why is Pedialyte shilling to Spring Breakers?

The baby flu remedy is suddenly this season's hottest hangover helper

The Future Mar 17

What if you could eat chicken without killing a chicken?

And can lab-grown meat and poultry actually fix the planet?

Culture Mar 16

YouTube has a fake Peppa Pig problem

Brands are not our friends. But sometimes, they can be our allies.

Culture Mar 08

What will a library do with Lou Reed’s archives?

And what is all that paper for these days, anyway?

Culture Mar 07

Mothers don’t strike

Being a parent isn’t a job, but in America, it sure feels like one.

The Future Mar 01

Twitter finally cracks the egg

Letting users mute “egg” accounts could have a big impact on safety.

Culture Mar 01

Tired teenage boys are much more likely to commit crimes as adults

It contributes to anti-social feelings, too.

Culture Feb 28

Naked is normal... unless it’s a vagina

A new direction for Playboy leads us somewhere weird.

The Future Feb 27

Rising ocean temperatures could set off a chain reaction that threatens our food supply

New research indicates big, bad changes are coming.

Power Feb 22

There were more than 6,000 oil and gas spills from fracking in just four states

A new report found that up to 16 percent of fracking wells rupture and spill each year.

Power Feb 22

“Natural” teething tablets might be killing babies, but the FDA can’t stop it

And why has it taken the government so long to act in the first place?

Culture Feb 22

The executed witches of Salem are finally getting a memorial

Plans for a memorial at the execution site first emerged in 1892.

Power Feb 21

Republicans want to make it legal to kill hibernating bears

They just voted to overturn a federal law that protects them in Alaska

Power Feb 19

Let’s not kid ourselves: Sexual harassment is rampant in Silicon Valley

A former Uber employee’s tale should be an anomaly in the tech industry. Unfortunately it’s the norm.

The Future Feb 18

Air pollution and premature births have an unnatural connection

Another good reason to care about the environment

Culture Feb 17

PewDieLie: YouTube’s darling says the media is out to get him

But really, they’ve had plenty of nice things to say.

The Future Feb 17

The brain bank needs more brains

PTSD and depression studies require gray matter, and lots of it.

Culture Feb 16

Washington Supreme Court: Florist who refused to sell flowers to gay couple guilty of discrimination

The decision was unanimous.

Power Feb 16

Do you want to answer the president’s nightmare quiz about the media?

He’s got questions. He’s also got answers. Don’t choose the wrong answers.

Culture Feb 16

Hey, do you have any idea what lipstick Dakota Johnson is wearing in Fifty Shades Darker?

Where does the spon begin and the con end?

Power Feb 16

Robert DeNiro will pay you $100,000 to make science not exist

The actor and Robert Kennedy Jr. are offering money to anyone who can refute decades of research.

The Future Feb 15

This woman’s cells are the foundation of modern medicine. Now her family wants payment.

Johns Hopkins University took a small piece of Henrietta Lacks in 1950.

Power Feb 14

Trump’s stupidity about autism is dangerous

Here, enjoy an uncomfortable word salad about a critical topic.

Culture Feb 14

Anti-abortion government man rudely suggests that fetuses are parasites

They’re not, really.

Culture Feb 13

People only like selfies of themselves

A new survey finds that people love taking selfies, but they don’t really care for yours.

Culture Feb 10

Enough chemicals to make one billion ecstasy pills were seized in the Netherlands

Police says it's their largest seizure ever.

Culture Feb 09

When children shoot themselves or someone else, who is to blame?

A mostly American phenomenon that we seem unwilling to address

Culture Feb 07

E-cigarettes are better for you than regular ones, but they can lead to... smoking

New research should make those trying to quit feel a lot better about vaping.

Power Feb 07

Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are the same thing. 1/3 of Americans don’t know that.

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?

Power Feb 07

Almost all Americans are pro-vaccine, so why is Trump catering to quacks?

A new poll finds that nearly 90 percent think the benefits outweigh the risks.

Power Feb 06

Trump thinks all negative polls are “fake news”

He’s clearly unhappy with his numbers these days.

Power Feb 03

The length of your fingers can predict how much money you’ll make

And it’s determined before birth.

Culture Feb 02

Fast food packaging might be just as bad for you as the food

New research found dozens of toxic chemicals that can leach into the food.

Power Feb 01

Another drug company is price gouging

This time, it’s over Evzio, a drug for opioid addiction.

Power Jan 27

There’s an easier way to steal an election

It’s called “voting.”

Culture Jan 26

Gold Standard: Queen Helene face masks

These are the best face masks on the planet Earth.

Power Jan 24

Tom Price, Trump’s pick for Department of Health and Human Services, is not an anti-vaxxer

He says the science suggests vaccines don’t cause autism.

Power Jan 24

Is Donald Trump actually a baby?

Reports from Trump’s inner circle make him sound less like a leader and more like a child.

Power Jan 23

The CDC canceled next month’s big climate change summit with no explanation

Take a guess why...

Power Jan 22

Kellyanne Conway isn’t here to clear anything up for you

Her role in Trump’s White House actually seems to be muddying the waters.

Culture Jan 19

What not to do at the Holocaust Memorial

Yolocaust makes art out of shaming Holocaust Memorial visitors’ selfies.

Power Jan 19

Our evolving understanding of poverty’s effect on the brain

Much research suggests that being poor decreases our brain’s ability to function.

The Future Jan 18

Abortion numbers hit a historic low

Mostly because of increased access to birth control

The Future Jan 18

Most of the world’s primates are threatened with imminent extinction

New research contains little good news.

Culture Jan 17

Google image search results for “teen” are pretty fucked up

It assumes you want something... very specific

Culture Jan 17

Why does everyone in Hollywood want me to smoke?

The fact that they’re prop cigarettes doesn’t help me much.

Power Jan 12

CVS is selling a super cheap EpiPen alternative, but will people buy it?

Even minute differences can matter in an emergency, right?

Culture Jan 11

Gold Standard: the Bic Cristal pen

This is the best pen on planet Earth.

Power Jan 10

Robert Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump don’t know anything about vaccines

You know what won’t “Make American Great Again”? A measles epidemic.

The Future Jan 06

Scientists identify a new organ in our bodies

Life is truly a mystery.

Power Jan 06

The United States dropped a lot of bombs last year

More than in 2015

Power Jan 05

Repealing Obamacare is going to be really expensive, guys

According to a new report...

The Future Jan 05

Fewer people are dying of cancer than ever before

The number of deaths peaked in 1991.

Power Jan 04

Most Americans don’t want Roe v. Wade overturned

Research also suggests there is growing support for abortion rights.

Power Jan 03

If you send an email to France on the weekend, does anybody read it?

A new law makes it unlikely.

Power Jan 03

Dinosaur eggs took a lot longer to hatch than we thought

And this factor probably contributed to their extinction.

The Future Jan 03

Mattel’s new baby monitor reads to your kid at bedtime

So you can go back to pretending you don't have kids

Power Jan 02

Will women in the US ever get over-the-counter birth control pills?

And why don’t we have them already?

The Future Jan 02

France begins opt-out organ donation

Studies show that more than 90 percent of people donate in opt-out nations

Culture Dec 31

Too bad if you’re into regular cauliflower

Experts say purple cauliflower is the power vegetable for 2017.

Culture Dec 31

Scientists finally know why champagne is delicious

And now the world will know too.

Power Dec 30

Nearly half of states will increase their minimum wages in 2017

But not by nearly enough.

Power Dec 29

The polio vaccine shortage threatens worldwide campaign to end the disease

The campaign to end it is already 17 years behind

Power Dec 29

Obama creates two new national monuments

Bears Ears National Monument and Gold Butte National Monument cover more than 1.65 million acres.

The Future Dec 28

Scientists can now detect 17 diseases by smell

Cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and more all have distinct "breathprints."

Power Dec 28

The US sold more weapons than any other country in 2015

...Congrats?

The Future Dec 28

Depression is on the rise in adolescents

A new report also finds that the number who seek treatment is flat.

Power Dec 26

High school should start later

Research backs up what all teens know: school starts way too early.

The Future Dec 26

There's a lot of plastic being dumped into the Great Lakes

A new estimate based on census data is not encouraging

Culture Dec 26

The project to revive abandoned Wikipedia pages has been abandoned

Do you want to bring it back?

The Future Dec 26

Using the internet in class can mean lower test scores

According to a new study of college-age students

Power Dec 26

College football brings billions to host cities

A new report focuses on the economic impact of bowl games

Culture Dec 24

Do you want to know about ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’?

A Christmas classic that is both the best... and the worst

Culture Dec 23

Millennials said they'll spend more on holiday gifts this year than last

According to a new survey.

The Future Dec 23

There is a vaccine for ebola that works extremely well

A trial started in Guinea in 2015 finds it is 100 percent effective.

Power Dec 22

People are rushing to sign up for Obamacare

Especially in states that Trump won

Culture Dec 20

Don’t eat your placenta

This recent fad has no basis in science.

Power Dec 19

Forty-eight dead in Russia after drinking methanol

The common practice of drinking household products for cheap alcohol can be deadly.

Power Dec 19

Female doctors are less likely to kill you

Male doctors are, statistically, more deadly to their patients.

The Future Dec 16

Britain approves procedure to make babies from three parents

Opening the door to genetically modified newborns

Culture Dec 16

Gifts for Very Serious People

The kinds of things your grandma might already own

Culture Dec 16

Gifts for a serious person

A very serious gift guide for very serious people

Culture Dec 15

New report finds no evidence food allergies are on the rise

You’re probably not allergic to that.

The Future Dec 14

There are more opioid-addicted newborns than ever

They increased five-fold in 12 years.

The Future Dec 14

The asteroid is always coming

But it never arrives...

Power Dec 14

Your food processor was almost certainly recalled

That thing where you thought metal shards might shoot into your food? Yeah, that.

Power Dec 14

Our longest-serving woman in Congress is retiring

When she started, women weren't allowed to wear pants to work.

Culture Dec 10

Ann M. Martin on feminism in The Baby-Sitters Club

Inspiring young girls in business for three decades

Culture Dec 09

A place on the internet where people will help you

Quitting smoking is hard, but lurking on a forum can ease the pain.

The Future Dec 06

Farm animals have developed resistance to last-resort drugs

And researchers aren't sure how it happened.

Power Dec 01

Trump’s victory is encouraging anti-vaxxers

And there's no vaccine for fake news

Culture Nov 23

Target and CVS sell you fake aloe because no one is checking

Want to know what’s in the stuff you buy? Demand a stronger FDA.