Google Just Ruined One of Its Most Important Tools
Google Earth was a boon for researchers—and then came the deepfakes.
Kayla Wolf / AP 
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Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Sebastian Gollnow / Picture Alliance / Getty The Two Great Threats to Truth
Moral relativism and fanaticism may seem to have nothing in common, but they lead to the same result.
Getty / The Washington Post / Contributor Nature’s Most Extraordinary Stories
The natural world’s marvels are revealed when you look a little closer.
© Estate of David Hockney. Edition of 75. Photograph by Richard Schmidt. 
Abdel Majiid Bizouat / AFP / Getty Schengen’s Greatest Failure
The Ceuta crisis is undermining an agreement designed to foster “solidarity.”
Jacquelyn Martin / AP The Incoherence of the Iran Hawks
If bombing has limited, reversible effects, then it will have to continue indefinitely.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Erin Blewett / AFP / Getty; Hubert Fanthomme / Paris Match / Getty. Something Weird Is Happening in Math
Last week, Jacob Tsimerman won a top math prize. The same day, he announced a surprising career shift.
Brian Chorski / Kintzing / Connected Archives I Love My Emotionally Stunted Friendships
My relationships with other men are centered on shared activities. Why do some people see that as a problem?
Hassan Ghaedi / Anadolu / Getty A Tragedy in Iran Might Persuade Hegseth to Change Course
The Pentagon is rethinking how it wages war after the Iran school strike.
The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs
Policies that gave addicts clean needles and places to use drugs were intended to reduce harm. They created a “zombie apocalypse.”
Cassidy Araiza Why Everything Is Getting Louder
The tech industry is producing a rising din. Our bodies can’t adapt. (From 2019)
Paul Spella / The Atlantic The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends
The intensity of feelings generated by friendship in childhood and adolescence is by design. (From 2020)
Library of Congress The New Talking Machines
A noted architect and writer commends Thomas Edison for his progress in developing the phonograph and predicts great things for its future. (From 1889)
Associated Press Pitchers and Catchers
“Good fielding and pitching, without hitting, or vice versa, is like Ben Franklin’s half a pair of scissors — ineffectual. Twenty-game winners or .400 hitters do not ensure victory.” (From 1941)
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Julia Kokernak for The Atlantic radio atlantic•Episode 200The Town That Wants a Data Center Next Door
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