New Longreads Essays and Features

35 and 1

A brother lost, a son born, and the strange arithmetic of love.

Vigilantes at Dawn

A forgotten deportation, a family archive, and the cost of belonging.

The Endless Self

Exploring animal life beyond the limits of human understanding.

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Recent Editors’ Picks

Why Conservationists Are Making Rhinos Radioactive

Matthew Ponsford | MIT Technology Review | February 24, 2026 | 2,663 words

“Rapid DNA tests, x-ray fluorescence guns, and other technologies are being deployed in the fight against wildlife trafficking.”

The Man Who Stole Infinity

Joseph Howlett | Quanta Magazine | Feburary 25, 2026 | 5,793 words

“In an 1874 paper, Georg Cantor proved that there are different sizes of infinity and changed math forever. A trove of newly unearthed letters shows that it was also an…

Lords of the Ring

Joshua Hunt | Harper’s Magazine | February 18, 2026 | 6,165 words

“The cultural politics of sumo wrestling.”

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Weekly Top 5

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Recommending stories by Gaby Del Valle, Sheila Heti, Chris Pomorski, Louise Bokkenheuser, and Lida Zeitlin-Wu.

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Showcasing stories from Eve Fairbanks, Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Rochelle L. Johnson, Joseph Winters and Tik Root, and Miles Ellingham.

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Learn to Love Your Search Results Again.

Introducing the Longreads Story Recommender.

More Longreads Essays and Features

By All Measures

Our problems are too vast, our distance from them too great. How do we navigate our derangement of scale?

Anatomy of Absolute Power

The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monster—it just depends on who you ask.

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