Search 50 years of archives

Independent, Reader-Supported Publishing

Current Issue
March 2025
The Sun InterviewBy Mark LevitonHive MindLars Chittka on the Surprising Brainpower of Bees

Chittka: For me, understanding the minds of bees and other animals inspires a new respect for nature. Many conservation efforts—and there are a lot of people trying to rescue what’s left of the natural world—are motivated by the utility of these animals. This is especially the case with bees and insects. Many people are aware that bees are in trouble and that we ought to do something to help them, because they pollinate our crops. Many fruits and vegetables depend on bees’ pollination services: for example, melons, tomatoes, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, zucchini, pumpkins, cherries, cucumbers, squash, apples, and citrus fruits.
But that approach can’t work overall. If you’re really trying to protect nature, then it’s a complete package with many species, including annoying ones like wasps. So in addition to the utility argument, we must recognize that many of the animals around us are likely sentient—and thus quite possibly capable of experiencing the deterioration of their habitats. This creates a responsibility for us to do something about it.
Readers WriteBy Our ReadersChores
On a solo backpacking trip, in a desert military base, at a church revival

In This Issue
Archives
February 2025
January 2025
December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
Browse 50 years of Archives

Search
Renew Subscribe
Personal. Political.
Provocative. Ad-free.
Subscribe and Save up to 45%
Renew your subscription
GIVE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION
SUBSCRIBE
GIVE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION

Independent, Reader-
Supported Publishing

Subscribe and Save up to 45%

Renew your subscription SUBSCRIBE

GIVE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION

Search 50 years of archives

Romantic Love

Browse Topics

Romantic Love

Poetry

Selected Poems

By Elizabeth AlbrechtJuly 1977

Essays, Memoirs & True Stories

Shadow Dancing

We open our hearts at different rates. Often we are afraid of touching the parts of ourselves that we still don’t love or accept, where the lifetimes of pain lay buried.

By Leaf DiamantJuly 1977

Poetry