This Week’s Issue: How Elizabeth Loftus Changed the Meaning of Memory

Plus: the collapse of Puerto Rico’s iconic telescope; why animals don’t get lost; and the rise of the athlete podcaster. View in browser | Update your preferences Profiles How Elizabeth Loftus Changed the Meaning of Memory The psychologist taught us that what we remember is not fixed, but her work testifying for defendants like Harvey Weinstein collides with our traumatized moment. By Rachel Aviv Annals of Astronomy The Collapse of Puerto Rico’s Iconic Telescope The uncertain future of the Arecibo Observatory, and the end of an era in space science. By Daniel Alarcón Our Local Correspondents Fighting America’s Gun Plague In 2020, shootings in N.Y.C. were up more than eighty per cent. Shaina Harrison is on a mission to stem the carnage. By Ian Frazier Comment Biden and the Blame Game at the Border The issues involved are nearly impossible to settle as long as policymakers regard decency as a political weakness. By Jonathan Blitzer Dept. of Science Why Animals Don’t Get Lost Birds do it. Bees do it. Learning about the astounding navigational feats of wild creatures can teach us a lot about where we’re going. By Kathryn Schulz Books The Politics of Stopping Pandemics Even before the COVID-19 crisis, global instability had caused a worrying rise in epidemics. Medical science alone won’t be able to turn the tide. By Jerome Groopman The Art World The Pioneering Feminism of Niki de Saint Phalle The avant-garde artist was one of the late twentieth century’s great creative personalities, with traits that once shadowed and now halo her importance. By Peter Schjeldahl On Television Michelle Obama’s Lesson to Kids According to “Waffles + Mochi,” Obama’s food-travelogue series for kids, being good means absorbing good, organic things. By Doreen St. Félix Podcast Dept. The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster How players began telling a new story about sports. By Hua Hsu Newsletters Sign Up for The New Yorker’s Food Newsletter Get essays on food, restaurant reviews, and notes for the kitchen, all delivered to your in-box. Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs A Pandemic College Essay That Probably Won’t Get You Into Brown “Perhaps Fate is the real Stage Manager.” By Michael Ian Black Cartoons From The Issue Cartoons from the Issue Drawings and drollery from this week’s magazine. You're receiving this e-mail because you signed up for This Week's Issue from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up. Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our Privacy Policy Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.