Listen to Jane Goodall's final — and urgent — message
Jane Goodall's voice has always been a kind of north star for me. Throughout her long career, she helped us see all of the beauty in the world. In her final interviews, she did what she always did: told the truth, plainly. "We're not intelligent," she said. "What kind of intelligent species destroys its only home?"
Vox environmental senior correspondent Benji Jones's story is a chance to hear Goodall's last interview. And bonus: While Jane Goodall is celebrated for transforming how we understand animals, my colleague Marina Bolotovkova highlights Goodall's more unsung legacy — using that knowledge to confront the scientific and conservation communities on their own ethical blind spots, from factory farming to animal experimentation.
Can the government regulate harmful therapy? The Supreme Court may say no.
It's hard to read this story without a chill settling in. Our Supreme Court reporter Ian Millhiser lays out a case that sounds more like a hypothetical from a dystopian civics class: Should therapists be immune from regulation because their sessions count as "free speech"? Even when that "speech" involves trying to "cure" LGBTQ identities?
But this is real life, and Ian helpfully breaks down how this court continues to tilt the scales toward the religious right.
Is the cancer surge among younger adults a mirage?
When our senior health correspondent, Dylan Scott, approached me with this story pitch a few days ago, it surprised me — and in a good way. Dylan approaches the recent headlines about rising cancer rates in younger adults (something that, frankly, makes my whole generation wince) and unpacks what a new study looking deeper into these trends actually says.
Yes, diagnoses are up. But, fortunately, the most dangerous, late-stage cancers aren't. In some ways, we're seeing better detection, not more disease. There's important nuance here, so make sure you find the time to read through this clarifying piece.
We shouldn't let kids be friends with ChatGPT
Vox's technology correspondent Adam Clark Estes unpacks OpenAI's latest attempt at "parental controls," rolled out alongside a shiny new app meant to keep users hooked on hyperreal, AI-generated video. The timing feels less like a safety measure and more like PR damage control.
Yes, there are new features. But, as Adam explains, they're flimsy. Teens can just opt out. Parents can't see transcripts. Unfortunately, this is tech doing exactly what it was built to do: racing ahead while institutions lag behind.
And the rollout lands in the shadow of something much heavier: the death of Adam Raine, a teenager who died by suicide after extended conversations with ChatGPT.
Why do bad pasta shapes exist?
We end with a little levity. Or, perhaps, righteous rage, depending on how you feel about bowtie pasta. This piece by culture writer Alex Abad-Santos is ridiculous and perfect. It is not just a takedown of farfalle, which it describes as "a finicky, useless noodle," but a spirited essay on why we put up with mediocrity on our plates — and in life. Pasta salad stans, consider yourselves warned.
