We’re ending 2024 with more questions than answers. There are the timely ones: Can men and women really be friends when the gender divide has become so stark and contentious? And does the term “Latino” make sense in politics anymore? There are some more existential ones, too, like who has the right to die? Can tourism actually save a planet in crisis?
Welcome to the December issue of The Highlight
This month we’re also making the case against optimization, taking a look at how AI impacts vulnerable Americans, and uncovering the hidden antibiotic trade-off for kids. Plus, there’s interpersonal relationship advice, book recommendations just for members, and a Highlight podcast on inventing a future to fight for.
Corbis via Getty Images
Is the group too diverse to think of with just one word?
By Christian Paz
Drew Shannon for Vox
Yes, men and women can (and probably should) be friends, even when relations are fraught.
By Allie Volpe
Paige Vickers/Vox; book cover courtesy of Common Notions
Author Eman Abdelhadi on imagining a better world.
By Jorge Just
Hoi Chan for Vox
I tried to make the perfect choice every time. It eroded my humanity.
By Sigal Samuel
Paige Vickers for Vox
Books to get you through the next four years.
By Constance Grady
An unexpected industry is booming in Colombia. Here’s why that’s a good thing.
By Benji Jones
Everyone evolves. Your friendships can too.
By Angel Martinez
A “suicide pod” in Switzerland roils the right-to-die debate.
By Marin Cogan
An intervention to reduce child mortality may accelerate drug resistance.
By Jessica Craig
Without enough houses for its growing homeless population, the city is using machine learning to make its process fairer.
By Carly Stern
It turns out cleaning your hands is more complicated than killing germs.
By Keren Landman
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