F.D.A. Approves Alzheimer’s Drug Despite Fierce Debate Over Whether It Works

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first new medication for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly two decades, a contentious decision made despite opposition from the agency’s independent advisory committee and some Alzheimer’s experts who said there was not enough evidence that the drug can help patients. The drug, aducanumab, which will go by…

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Saffron Harvested by Female Farmers

The dried threads of autumn crocus, only three per flower, make saffron, the intense, precious seasoning originally native to Eurasia. Now, in Afghanistan, Tahmina Ghaffer, originally from Kabul, has hired women farmers specifically to hand-harvest saffron in the Herat region to sell under the new Moonflowers label. The company donates one percent of its profits…

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Start Your Morning With Ai Weiwei

Since 1992, the Italian coffee company Illy has commissioned artists to decorate special editions of their espresso and cappuccino cups. More than 100 painters, sculptors and even filmmakers have participated. The latest is the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who has splashed the ceramic cups and saucers with color and gilding. The designs were…

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Milk Bar Expands to Ice Cream

Nothing bears the trademark of the pastry chef Christina Tosi more than her cereal milk flavor. Often available as soft-serve at her Milk Bar confectionaries, cereal milk is now an ice cream, available by the pint. Cereal milk is not an alternate vegan ingredient made by pressing and hydrating Froot Loops or the like. It’s…

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