Annals of Obsession

Culture

As climate change, disease, and political instability loom, the cricket farmers Adam Brody and Jude Tallichet, of Brooklyn and Queens, respectively, find comfort in the insects they’ve raised in their homes.

Culture

For people stuck at home and self-isolating, puzzles can be a satisfying pastime. For Chris Ramsay, they’re also a business.

Culture

M. J. Johnson, a four-time winner at the World Beard and Moustache Championships, mastered his facial hair long before the “quarantine beard” flooded social media. Now, as an emergency worker, he may be forced to shave off eight years of work.

Culture

Air plants have no stems and don’t require soil to grow. They’re also related to . . . pineapples? We explore the ways in which air plants, or the genus Tillandsia, are much more than a millennial hobby—they are one of nature’s continually evolving species, and they’re an obsession that connects people all over the world.

Culture

Popcorn has been a quintessential part of the American movie theater experience for decades. But the crunchy, buttery snack has a convoluted history wrapped up in mass marketing, flavor engineering, and even a connection to vaping.

Culture

Some might take them for a passing fad, but crystals have a deep history in religion and spirituality, as well as drawing our fascination.

Culture

The relationship expert Esther Perel, along with a professional wedding-vow writer, explain the evolution of vows, and why the best ones embrace marriage in all its imperfections.

Culture

In their zeal to treat dogs like members of the family, some pet owners are supplying their pups with everything from “pawdicures” to private chefs.

Culture

From pothos to succulents, why people love taking care of plants.

Culture

From a twenty-nine-dollar cup of coffee to competitions for roasting beans and tasting notes of flavor, specialty-coffee culture is attracting coffee lovers and hard-core connoisseurs.

Culture

Bread enthusiasts discuss baking techniques and the ways that low-carb diets have villainized the starchy staple.

Culture

The “Forged in Fire” contestant Frank Sausto walks through the making of his Kukri sword.

Culture

Devotees of disaster preparedness stockpile supplies and make plans for the worst.

Culture

A look at why humans, from Aristotle to Freud, seek to classify, categorize, and understand the self.

Culture

What drives these severe-weather watchers to risk it all for a close encounter with a tornado?

Culture

From Maruchan to Momofuku, a look at America’s love affair with the savory noodle.

Culture

The rapper Drake played Fortnite Battle Royale with the professional gamer Ninja, and a video-game phenomenon was born.

Culture

How the sounds of crinkling, whispering, and tapping induce euphoria.

Culture

We look at how society became fascinated with its own image, and try to find the truth behind selfie-taking.

Culture

We take a look at how felines took over the Internet, our homes, and our lives.

Sports

We take a look at some of the nation’s most devout sports fans.

Culture

Through an abundance of freeways, a competitive TV-news market, and morbid curiosity, car chases remain in the public eye.

Culture

As the government budget threatens the population of wild horses, one woman is fighting to keep them free.