A New Form of Life
by William Haseltine
If a machine can reproduce, adapt, and consume energy, is it actually alive?
0:00 / 29:52 · Narrator Charon
Daily edition
2026-09-18
Today's Crosscut
Nepal Flood Resilience
A massive gap separates global humanitarian goals from the muddy reality on the ground, where surviving a flood often comes down to something as simple as a working river gauge.
Building a Resilient Nepal × Who is to Blame for the Massive Death Toll in the Nepal Floods?
0:00 / 22:15 · Narrator Sulafat/Charon/Vindemiatrix
Future-gazing →
Behind the news →
Big Tech, Big Cons: Scammers Are Hiding in the Apps That Make Your Life Easy
by Soumya Gupta
When did a search result become the only background check you need before handing over your money?
0:00 / 10:10 · Narrator Sulafat
For the curious →
The Thinking Style That Makes People Vulnerable to Extremism
by Leor Zmigrod
Why are people who struggle to adapt when the rules change so vulnerable to extremism?
0:00 / 12:45 · Narrator Vindemiatrix
Smart escape →
The Whimsy and Heartbreak of America’s Garage Sales
by Caity Weaver
What happens to a lifetime of carefully kept possessions when they are finally priced to sell?
0:00 / 34:33 · Narrator Gacrux