As the coronavirus swept across the world, it picked up random alterations to its genetic sequence. Like meaningless typos in a script, most of those mutations made no difference in how the virus behaved. But one mutation near the beginning of the pandemic did make a difference, multiple new findings suggest, helping the virus spread…
A Mint Lifesaver After the funeral, I tidied the guest room for my mother, who was moving in temporarily while adjusting to life without my father. I was restless, believing I should have convinced him to see a doctor sooner. When I pulled a cloth along the closet shelf, a shower of mint Lifesavers rained…
Is it time to upgrade your mask? By now most of us have settled on a preferred cloth mask to protect ourselves and others from coronavirus. But new research shows that a few simple upgrades in fabric, filters and fit are likely to provide even more protection. Linsey Marr, professor of civil and environmental engineering…
The New York Times and “This American Life” formed a new partnership this year, and one of my favorite things about it is that we get to bring the show’s vast archive (more than 700 episodes!) to The Times’s audience. For Thanksgiving listening in a year when so many of us are not with our…
Courtesy of Tiffany & Co. Just in time for the holiday season, there’s a new drop of fine jewelry made for the uptown girl living for a downtown world. Tiffany & Co. is typically associated with the Holly Golightly’s of the world, but today marks a new partnership with Dover Street Market, the retailer known…
Like many Americans, the chef Nicole Pederson enjoys stretching out on the couch after the turkey and stuffing have been cleared, closing her eyes and losing consciousness for a short time. But 2012 was when she proved she was no ordinary Thanksgiving napper. She had opened a new restaurant that fall in Evanston, Ill. By…
Normally, the 14-room Tierra Magnifica resort in Nosara, Costa Rica, doesn’t participate in Black Friday sales as it never had trouble filling its few rooms. But this year is different. While Christmas and New Year’s bookings are strong, periods before and after are weak, inspiring the 25-percent-off sale on Nov. 27 through Dec. 6, with…
Headliner CheLi The traditions of the Shanghai table, notably the Hu-style cooking that is said to have originated centuries ago, are in the spotlight here. The menu demonstrates the breadth of Shanghai’s cuisine, beyond just the popular xiao long bao (soup dumplings, which are on the menu). Choices include wine-soaked blue crab, stir-fried chicken gizzards,…
Restaurant ratings traditionally land in November, with the annual release of the latest guides from Michelin and Zagat. Not this year. Both companies have put their 2021 New York guides on hold, and both are pivoting in other directions. “We’ve postponed the New York guide until there’s a recovery,” Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of…
Scientists have debunked the theory that Thanksgiving naps are caused solely by a rush of tryptophan, an amino acid in turkey and other poultry. Most agree that the towering heaps of carbohydrates eaten with the turkey are more likely to induce sleep. But what if we’ve been looking at the question the wrong way? What…