Do Insects Feel Pain?

Plus: the lessons of anti-immigrant extremism; rising tensions in the chess world; and tricks for staying deliriously happy all winter. View in browser | Update your preferences Sunday, January 5, 2025 In today’s newsletter, what we owe to the bugs, and then: • The lessons of anti-immigrant extremism • Rising tensions in the chess world • How to stay deliriously happy all winter Annals of Inquiry Do Insects Feel Pain? Insects make up about forty per cent of living species, and we tend to kill them without pause. New research explores the possibility that they are sentient. By Shayla Love The Lede Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today. History’s Lessons on Anti-Immigrant Extremism Illustration by Nicholas Konrad; Source photographs from Interim Archives / Chinese Exclusion Act from National Archives Donald Trump’s recent assertion that he would use executive action to abolish birthright citizenship has a historical link to the Chinese American experience. Michael Luo reports » Our journalism relies on your support. If you believe in a media that is fearless in the face of power, please subscribe today. Subscribe now Louisa Thomas What Magnus Carlsen’s Jeans Have to Do with Chess Photograph by Dipayan Bose / SOPA Images / Getty The fuss around the grand master’s wearing of denim pants to a tournament is a reflection of tensions within the game. Read the column » The Sporting Scene, written by Louisa Thomas, publishes every Sunday. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it. Was it forwarded to you? Sign up. Culture Dept. Fiction “Prophecy” First, they would consult the family astrologer, he said, and only if the man approved of the match would Dev be allowed to go through with the proposal. By Kanak Kapur This Week in Fiction Kanak Kapur on Love and Astrology The author discusses her story “Prophecy.” By Deborah Treisman Winter Discount in The New Yorker Store! Enjoy 20% off most items by using the code WINTER20 at checkout. Browse here » Fun & Games Dept. Shouts & Murmurs Tricks for Staying Deliriously Happy All Winter Layer until you can no longer tell where your body ends and the sweaters begin, and more tips. By Jason Adam Katzenstein Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play our trivia game » P.S. Diane Keaton “is one of the most comedically pure and brainy actresses in our midst,” Penelope Gilliatt noted in a 1978 Profile of the actor, whose birthday is today. “She tends to hoard these gifts, as if she were an impostor guest at a banquet tucking away food for friends under the challenging eyes of a portly butler.” 🎂 What did you think of today’s newsletter? Let us know. If you like the daily newsletter, browse more New Yorker newsletters. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the daily newsletter from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.