How the pandemic made the idea of celebrity obsolete
Once the coronavirus pandemic sent the world indoors early this year, it seemed as if everyone packed up their life and moved it online — including celebrities. During a period of festival cancellations and paused film productions, our Hollywood…
By Brianna Holt

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Living alone and craving touch? How to deal with "skin hunger"
By Melissa Pandika
The list of things we’ll never take for granted again post-pandemic is a long one — trips to the café on our way to work, restaurant dining, the gym, and travel, to name a few. For those living solo, it also includes one of our most primal needs:…
Trump has lost but I still cannot chill
By Melissa Pandika
Biden might not have been the candidate of my dreams, but as I scrolled through videos of people celebrating his victory on Saturday, the spring that had remained tightly coiled in my stomach for the past four years nonetheless began to unwind. That…
After this trash fire of a year, is it time to cut off that toxic family member?
By Tracey Anne Duncan
We are living in divisive times. This is both a cliche and massive understatement. Most people have family members who that they disagree with about politics, social justice, or coronavirus safety, and the pressure cooker of the pandemic has really…
What makes someone charismatic? These 5 traits, according to science
By Melissa Pandika
I’ve stumbled across a handful of media stories that describe President Trump as “charismatic” — but as I watched snippets of his campaign speeches in recent months, I wondered, "To whom?" As someone deeply repulsed by Trump, I struggle to find…
You won't even have to leave your couch to see Warner's 2021 blockbusters
By Erica Euse
This year hasn’t been great for a lot of things—especially movies. Some of the most anticipated films of 2020 have been pushed until 2021 because of the pandemic. But, there is some good news, as least for those who like to watch movies in the…
A third mysterious monolith has been torn down by racists chanting "Christ is king"
By Tebany Yune
A metallic monolith in California, similar in shape to others found in Utah and Romania, was vandalized Wednesday night by a group of men who chanted "Christ is king" as they knocked it down. In its place, the men erected a plywood cross and tied…
It looks like the inevitable fight between Donald Trump and Bill Barr is finally here
By Rafi Schwartz
In the vast pantheon of President Trump's many, many political enablers, perhaps none has been quite as effective and significant that Attorney General Bill Barr. Over the course of his nearly two-year stint as the nation's top lawyer (his second…
Why the coronavirus vaccine's minor side effects are actually a good sign
By Matthew Woodruff
In 2021, hundreds of millions of people will be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. The success of that COVID-19 vaccination campaign will heavily depend on public trust that the vaccines are not only effective, but also safe. To build that trust, the…
Somehow the Swiss Alps are still growing, shocking scientists
By Tebany Yune
The Swiss Alps, already quite tall, are growing even taller, according to a new study in Earth-Science Reviews. The discovery flies in the face of previous research, which said the Alps were neither growing nor shrinking, but just kind of staying…
The UN has finally removed weed from its dangerous substances list
By Tracey Anne Duncan
The U.N. voted to reclassify cannabis yesterday, which means that it has been removed from the list of "most dangerous substances." While most of us have probably never thought of weed as a hard drug, cannabis has been classified as such by the U.N.…
Make your home smell like Drake with this $80 candle
By Kara Weisenstein
Celebrity candle culture is out of control. Last year, Gwyneth Paltrow blessed the world with a candle that purportedly smelled like her vagina. Now, Drake apparently thinks his fans need a flammable piece of his aura, too. Just in time for the…
A new study shows some of the most terrifying effects of climate change are already here
By AJ Dellinger
We often think of the worst effects of climate change as things that will have to be dealt with in the future. But the fact of the matter is climate change is happening now, and it's already having an adverse effect on the health of millions around…
John Mulaney was investigated by the Secret Service for a joke on 'SNL'
By Shawn Cooke
Few comedy gigs are high-profile enough to capture the Secret Service’s attention, but John Mulaney’s February Saturday Night Live monologue was suggestive enough to open an investigation. During a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Mulaney…
Trump Jr. possibly leading the NRA is your new nightmare fuel
By Rafi Schwartz
With Donald Trump's administration nearing its inevitably idiotic end, one of the biggest unanswered questions in American politics today is: What next? What will Trump, and the close nexus of his supporters, sycophants, enablers, and loyal…
Does Donald Trump actually understand what QAnon is?
By Rafi Schwartz
President Trump's tenure in office has been riddled with instances of absurd ramblings and cringe-worthy moments of brain failure — so much so that anyone delusional enough to defend the president's "very good brain" risks looking as dumb as Trump…
Biden's health secretary pick could tell us a lot about the future of health care
By Ray Levy-Uyeda
As we finally near the close of the year that just won't end, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team is preparing to jump in head first to the executive branch. The Biden administration will be tackling multiple simultaneous and compounding…
Could BDSM be the antidote to our pandemic-fueled loss of control?
By Tracey Anne Duncan
This past year has been a harsh mistress, indeed. It’s near impossible to feel any sense of control when it seems like some world-altering thing could happen at any moment. At the beginning of the pandemic, some people found a sense of agency by…
Trump's voter fraud fantasy is starting to muck up Republicans' chances elsewhere
By Rafi Schwartz
Sidney Powell, the recently — and very publicly — sacked Trump campaign lawyer who vowed to "release the kraken" that would prove election fraud against the president, is unfortunately at it again, bringing her unique brand of conspiratorial…
Pharrell is launching a fund to support Black and Latinx businesses
By Joseph Lamour
Black and brown Americans have faced an upward battle when trying to start a business. They've historically experienced, among other challenges, getting start-up funding. This snuffs out the possibility of success for a brand before it’s even taken…
The mystery of how insects developed wings has finally been solved
By Tebany Yune
In 1870, a German anatomist named Karl Gegenbaur was the first person to theorize that abdominal gills on water insects like mayflies eventually developed into wings. For the next 150 years, scientists have continued to wonder how insects got their…
Obama is the last person who should be dissing "snappy slogans"
By Rafi Schwartz
It feels as if the press tour for former President Barack Obama's A Promised Land memoir has lasted years, and not the scant few weeks it's actually been. Perhaps that's because each media appearance and newly excerpted selection from the book has…
This coronavirus college bubble looks like the Fyre Festival of higher learning
By Tracey Anne Duncan
The pandemic has been hard on young people trying to get an education. Most universities have moved some or all of their classes online and it’s impacting the entire college experience that is considered an American rite of passage. One demographic…
You'll soon be able to eat lab-grown chicken nuggets in Singapore
By AJ Dellinger
Ethical concerns about factory farming, from the treatment of animals to environmental impact, have launched an entire industry of plant-based meat replacements. And while the Impossible Burger and soy nuggets might be tasty in their own right,…