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The Highlight

A digital magazine unpacking the big ideas changing our present and shaping our future.

The Highlight
How marijuana legalization played itselfHow marijuana legalization played itself
The Highlight

Pricey, legal weed is great news — for the black market.

By Lavanya Ramanathan
The world’s most mysterious psychedelic is already inside your brain
The Highlight

DMT, “the nuclear bomb of the psychedelic family,” explained.

By Oshan Jarow
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Are drug expiration dates meaningless?Are drug expiration dates meaningless?
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That Tylenol’s shelf life is longer than you think.

By Keren Landman, MD
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What in the world is pink cocaine?What in the world is pink cocaine?
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It’s not cocaine, but it can be just about anything else — except a good idea.

By Celia Ford
¿Por qué miles de personas viajan a un país para ver sus aves?
Down to Earth

Una industria inesperada está en auge en Colombia. Esto es lo que la hace tan positiva.

By Benji Jones
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Weed is now America’s daily drug of choice. No one’s sure what that means.Weed is now America’s daily drug of choice. No one’s sure what that means.
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Land of the free, home of the blazed.

By Marin Cogan
“I want a book that will give me hope that things will get better.”
Culture

Books to get you through the next four years.

By Constance Grady
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Nostalgia won’t fix the loneliness epidemicNostalgia won’t fix the loneliness epidemic
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There are practical, everyday ways to get out of your head and into community.

By Allie Volpe
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A hopeful post-apocalyptic novel for right nowA hopeful post-apocalyptic novel for right now
Podcast
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Author Eman Abdelhadi on imagining a better world.

By Jorge Just
Welcome to the December issue of The Highlight
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By Vox Staff
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Family estrangement doesn’t have to be foreverFamily estrangement doesn’t have to be forever
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Reconnecting with someone you’ve cut ties with isn’t easy — but it can be done.

By Fortesa Latifi
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Could carbon capture fix climate change?Could carbon capture fix climate change?
The Highlight

A reader asks whether the latest developments in clean energy technology can help save the planet. We break it down.

By Umair Irfan
Welcome to the Drug Issue of The Highlight
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By Vox Staff
“I’m looking for a fever dream of a book.”
The Highlight

In November’s edition of Ask a Book Critic, novels to scratch the surrealist itch, lesbian necromancers in space, and more.

By Constance Grady
Mixael Laufer on DIY health care
The Highlight

Medicine shouldn’t be so hard to access — so the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective is helping people make their own.

By Jorge Just
What counts as a landslide? Your biggest election questions, answered.
Politics

Split-ticket voting, the Senate, down-ballot issues, and more.

By Eric Levitz and Christian Paz
What you really need to know about divorce and money
The Highlight

How to take charge of your finances, according to two divorce professionals.

By Nicole Dieker Finley
How “Divorce him!” became the internet’s de facto relationship advice
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Most men are walking red flags, according to TikTok.

By Rebecca Jennings
What if we celebrated divorces more like weddings?
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Divorced people deserve gifts and parties too.

By Whizy Kim
Why do divorced guys dress like that? 
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The aggressively, brutally companionless divorced guy aesthetic.

By Alex Abad-Santos
Welcome to the Divorce Issue of The Highlight!
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By Elbert Ventura
Do animals experience love like people do?
Podcast
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Dr. Gregory Berns on his surprising research on the emotional lives of dogs and cows.

By Benji Jones
Ask A Book Critic: I want a murder mystery that happens somewhere pretty
The Highlight

Plus short stories to dip into when life gets busy, and small-town longings.

By Constance Grady
An alternative to antibiotics could work wonders in Africa. It isn’t being used.
The Highlight

Bacteria-eating viruses might be able to fight antibiotic resistance where new treatments are most needed.

By Jess Craig
How hidden fees keep renters trapped
The Highlight

Signing a new lease often comes with high upfront costs that some renters can’t afford. It doesn’t have to be this way.

By Abdallah Fayyad
How an epic bird migration hinges on just one tiny insect
The Highlight

The brine fly is in trouble. It could take the whole ecosystem down with it.

By Daniel Rothberg
The astonishing rise of gray divorce
The Highlight

Why more Americans than ever are splitting up in their 50s and beyond.

By Allie Volpe
This book is changing how cities fight gun violence
Politics

Thomas Abt’s Bleeding Out has become foundational in tackling urban violence across the US.

By Marin Cogan
Why America hates to love chicken nuggets
Food

Kids love to eat them. Parents love to fight about them.

By Anna North
When did sodas, teas, and tonics become medicine?
Even Better

From prebiotic sodas to collagen waters, beverages are trying to do the most. Consumers are drinking it up.

By Keren Landman, MD
A plot of land in Southern California could be a game-changer for the housing crisis
Policy

Factory-built housing, ADUs, and community land trusts — all at once.

By Rachel Cohen Booth
The perfect escape from our online world
Future Perfect

Why the new luxury is flip phones and vinyl LPs

By Zoë Bernard
Can we grow the economy without making more useless junk?
Future Perfect

We buy stuff. We throw it away. There’s a system to stop this toxic cycle.

By Izzie Ramirez
Raising a shy kid? You can help them open up.
Even Better

It’s all about getting them comfortable with the unfamiliar.

By Allie Volpe
America’s spicy, smoky, sweet sauce obsession, explained
The Highlight

From hot honey to buffalo ranch, we really, really, really love to make our dry foods wet.

By Whizy Kim
What are ultra-processed foods and why are they bad for you?
The Highlight

From granola bars to chips, more studies are revealing that UPFs are tied to diseases like cancer and depression.

By Jess Craig
Welcome to the September issue of the Highlight!
The Highlight
By Elbert Ventura
What a practical approach to AI looks like, according to an expert
The Highlight

How Ethan Mollick uses AI to help him write.

By Noam Hassenfeld
Psychedelics and therapy might come apart
The Highlight

After FDA rejection, the industry is reconsidering its approach to approval.

By Oshan Jarow
Turkey’s plan to remove stray dogs is inhumane. There’s a better way.
The Highlight

We don’t need to pit dogs against humans.

By Sam Delgado