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Illustration by Pedro Gomes When she wasn’t brandishing it despondently, Mom inspected the cordless phone, twisting it against her sternum as if she were performing hara-kiri. Dad was consoling her: “They haven’t disconnected it yet, it’s just out of batteries.” “Would you cut it out with the dramatics? It was only a waste of money.” I had spent the last half-hour trying to justify what was a reasonable and necessary action: I had canceled their Telecom plan. For years I had been aiming to get rid of the landline at my parents’ place, and now that I had succeeded, I...

Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities. The new material is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form one-dimensional, spaghetti-like chains. Until now, scientists had believed it was impossible to induce polymers to form 2D sheets. Such a material could be used as a lightweight, durable coating for car parts or cell phones, or as a building material for bridges or other structures, says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs...

Soft Pretzel Recipe Today’s easy Soft Pretzel Recipe is aptly named, because it occupies a soft spot in my heart. This is a shortcut version of the shopping mall favorite that’s fun (and 100% doable) at home. Pin this recipe on Pinterest to save for later Pin It!0 Walking around the local shopping mall was *the* activity of my middle school days. No trip was complete without a stop at Auntie Anne’s. The buttery scent of those soft pretzels still tantalizes me every time I pass by one at an airport or food court. As I’ve grown older, knowing the...

Mardi Gras this year is March 1, but King Cake season starts long before that! Traditionally, the desert is made for Epiphany and is appropriately eaten at any point between Epiphany and Mardi Gras. So, I thought I’d go ahead and share my sourdough king cake recipe so you can make it for the rest of the month! As a kid, we always got a big box of beads from my grandmother in New Orleans. So, Mardi Gras was a big deal for me even though I didn’t grow up in NOLA myself. My grandmother would tell us stories of...

A special time. Another autumn, another winter, an approaching spring. Other problems in society, new concerns that have been kept idle until now, emerge like worms from holes. The pandemic future seems slightly drunk, a blurred image without clear contours. The year 2020 was a year I didn’t expect, one that swept away many plans, revealed weaknesses in certainty, and increased demands for improvisation and action. I’m not complaining, because for my nature, a certain amount of social chaos is a breeding ground where I thrive. During the lockdown in Europe, I got to spend many months in the famous...