This Week’s Issue: The Mystery of the Skeleton Lake

Plus: the countdown to a coronavirus vaccine, Ian Frazier on rereading “Lolita,” and why we still love “The Office.” View in browser | Update your preferences Annals of Science The Skeletons at the Lake Genetic analysis of human remains found in the Himalayas has raised baffling questions about who these people were and why they were there. By Douglas Preston Coronavirus Chronicles Countdown to a Coronavirus Vaccine The race is nearly complete, but distributing the doses will be a breathtaking challenge. By Carolyn Kormann A Reporter at Large A Tycoon’s Deep-State Conspiracy Dive Patrick Byrne, of Overstock, had always been outspoken. Did an affair with a Russian agent push him too far? By Sheelah Kolhatkar Personal History Nabokov, Steinberg, and Me Rereading “Lolita” and reflecting on crossing paths with two heroes on Route 66. By Ian Frazier Comment Getting Through the covid Winter We’re in a strange limbo. Real empowered national leadership won’t arrive until Inauguration Day, and the next wave of infections is already here. By Amy Davidson Sorkin On Television “A Teacher”: A Series Best Saved for Fourth-Period Health Class Depicting a relationship between a high-school teacher and her student, the show takes aim at a permitted perversion, a subject of memes and giddy Post headlines. By Doreen St. Félix Books The Italian Genius Who Mixed Marxism and Children’s Literature Gianni Rodari, who has been almost unknown in English till now, united a fantastical imagination with a deep interest in education. By Joan Acocella Podcast Dept. Why Do We Still Love “The Office”? The show’s enduring popularity, even during lockdown, says a lot about the place where we used to spend most of our time. By Sarah Larson Pop Music The Raw Sounds of Rico Nasty The artist is part of a growing field of young women rappers who seem a little louder, a little freakier, and a little rougher around the edges each week. By Carrie Battan PAID POST The perfect gift | 30% off with code ICE30 “An astounding act of meditation and a guidebook back to our senses.”—Claudia Rankine, author of “Citizen: An American Lyric” Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs My Colleague, the Antichrist How much gnashing of teeth can you take before it drives you round the bend? By Jack Handey Cartoons From The Issue Cartoons from the Issue Drawings and drollery from this week’s magazine. This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To insure delivery, we recommend adding newyorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your contacts, while noting that it is a no-reply address. Please send all newsletter feedback to tnyinbox@newyorker.com. For more from The New Yorker, sign up for our newsletters, shop the store, and sign in to newyorker.com, where subscribers always have unlimited access. Contact us with questions. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.