The surprisingly profound debate over whether fish feel pain
I’ve never quite understood why people thought fish don’t feel pain. But it’s a thing! It’s used to justify brutal science to prove whether or not salmon and other piscine creatures experience things like discomfort or agony. Marina Bolotnikova’s work here forced me to consider (ha!) something much deeper about fish — beyond whether it’s right to eat them. Do fish have fun?
India’s drug industry saved the world once. Can it do it again?
I loooooove saving money. Who doesn’t! Why pay for full-priced Advil when generic ibuprofen is right there? The vast majority of the world’s generics comes from India. But did you know that Indian-made generics also helped mitigate the HIV epidemic in the 2000s? Since then, however, there have been some valid concerns around safety. In a moment when global health is at risk, this piece shines a light through how history can inform the future.
Buy now, pay later is more dangerous than ever
Sometimes, there’s a little voice in my head that’s like, “YES! USE AFTERPAY TO BUY THAT $300 FISH BAG!” But I do not listen to said voice. Mainly because such buy now, pay later schemes are very bad for you. We know this. But given all the inflation and tariffs and AI bubble blah blah blah, maybe now is an especially bad time.
Kids do not want to go to child-free weddings either
I recently went to a kid-free wedding in Mexico City for a family friend. It ruled! It is kind of a divisive choice though. Parents of littles tend to be incensed at the request, for very good reasons ranging from child care costs to feelings of exclusion. Kids themselves, though, feel very, very differently. My boss’s kid was interviewed for this one. Email me if you can guess which kid it is: izzie.ramirez@voxmedia.com. There’s no reward, unfortunately, except for the brief mirth of being right.
🎧 Why owning a house is overrated
I get it. Owning a home is the American dream. I’d love to have a 3-bedroom, 2-bath in Brooklyn. We should all have dreams. What I liked about this piece is that it acknowledges the unglamorous realities of homeownership. Maybe it’s cope. Let me have this for once, though.
