Culture
Inverse documents cultural change that is being pushed forward with technology, science, and art. Below is a selection of beats that help comprise Inverse’s culture report. For a complete feed of all culture stories, scroll to the bottom. —Nick Lucchesi, editor-in-chief.
4 reasons ordinary people become spies
Susceptibility to four factors shows whether a target can be exploited.
The oral history of Idiocracy, Mike Judge's time travel triumph
“At a certain point, it went from a good vibe to thinking that this movie was cursed from the beginning.”
Hidden in the infrastructure bill is a $2 million fight to save a vital creature
Why is Congress trying to save the bees? It's complicated.
Magic mushrooms: Why cancer patients are suing the DEA
Plus: the diet your memory needs now.
For terminally ill people, mushroom legality may come too late
A doctor and two cancer patients are suing the DEA in an attempt to receive therapeutic access to psilocybin, one of the compounds in magic mushrooms.
5 Olympic Games that never happened
If the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are cancelled, it won’t be the first time.
Henry Golding has main character energy
The Pentagon UFO Report is just the beginning. Here’s what happens next.
Four big mysteries remain, and three groups can solve them.
Franklin D. Roosevelt High School: Marvel’s weirdest Easter egg ever, explained
Did Loki just reference one of the strangest episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D?
“No MSG Added”: The racist history of the MSG myth
“The start of the MSG myth was... a tacitly racist game of telephone.”
Battlefield 2042 is repeating the MCU's biggest pop culture problem
Video games need to get comfortable with offending people — here's why.
Covid-19 "lab leak": Why it's worth looking into
It’s essential we understand where Covid-19 came from — and that includes taking a critical look at the lab leak hypothesis.
Jacksepticeye calls out “Chad energy” in Activision and wider gaming culture
“It’s really sad to see that some aspects of that still remain.”
Is Robin bisexual? Maybe, but it shouldn’t matter
The comics show Tim Drake accepting a date from a male suitor, but that doesn't mean anything concrete just yet.
You need to watch the most inventive time-travel movie on Netflix ASAP
Two demographics may have increased risk for Alzheimer's, study finds
How a complex set of factors makes ethnoracial minorities vulnerable to memory loss and dementia.
What will Earth look like in 2121? 10 young leaders give their predictions
What do you hope Earth looks like in 2121?
White people are shown to have peculiar ideas about “diversity” —study
Can a Harry Potter video game be saved after months of controversy?
New documentary reveals how Star Trek changed NASA forever
Woman in Motion highlights an overlooked and essential moment in spaceflight history.
Gina Carano Fired: How an army of Twitter stans changed Star Wars forever
Gina Carano was only recently let go from her role on 'The Mandalorian,' but one group of people spent months fighting to get her fired. Here's what they're planning next.
Monica's friend on WandaVision may be a tribute to this dead comics artist
"Goodner" might not be a superhero, but it could be something even better.
White cops are different from Black cops in 1 crucial way, study shows
Outcomes of a lifesaving procedure reveal systemic racism
Racism causes significant health care disparities, a new study examining young, Black patients finds.
Jeff Bezos: How the clumsy approach of a billionaire could’ve gone differently
A miniscule tweak could have changed everything.
"This Website Will Self-Destruct" is the website we need in the chaos year, 2020
Life is hard. This website listens.
Scientists extract an alarming stat about the amount of news Americans consume
Fake news makes up less than 1 percent of Americans’ news consumption, but researchers reveal another massive, complex problem across the media landscape.
The 5 best science podcasts, 2020 edition
The best science podcasts and podcast episodes from the science writers and editors at Inverse.
How to keep up with coronavirus news without losing your mind
Avoid COVID-19 news overload with three expert-backed strategies.
Anxiety from the news: A psychologist explains how to cope with it in 2020
Coping with stress caused by the news cycle is manageable if we know how to address it.
Welcome to Inverse 2.0
You love to see it
Study reveals how Americans feel about working with A.I.
Only 1 in 5 Americans are excited about working with AI.
The solution to stopping deepfakes might be staring us in the face
A misinformation expert tells Inverse that deepfakes have a people problem.
Why millennials everywhere are killing climate change denial
Why the climate change deniers are losing the debate.
Study on Trump's Twitter habits reveals he has 4 tweet styles
Researchers break down how Trump tweets.
Electrek Editor Fred Lambert Is a Driving Force in Electric Transportation
Lambert obsessed over electric cars so much on Reddit that he went pro.
'Shang-Chi' director reveals the truth behind the movie's dragons
Destin Daniel Cretton rises to the occasion as the director of Marvel's first Asian superhero movie, 'Shang-Chi.' He dishes on representation and dragons.
How Asian American internet trailblazers gave new life to Shang-Chi
The final story in a series on Shang-Chi’s origins, rise, fall, and rebirth.
Shang-Chi: Why Marvel’s most influential comic disappeared.
'Master of Kung Fu' was once a red hot Marvel comic created by writers inspired by the coming martial arts craze. So why haven't you heard of Shang-Chi before?
How Marvel's Shang-Chi had to "destroy" its own racist origins
The first in a series about Shang-Chi’s origins, rise, fall, and rebirth.
Henry Golding has main character energy
“No MSG Added”: The racist history of the MSG myth
“The start of the MSG myth was... a tacitly racist game of telephone.”
'47 Ronin' sequel script is finished, writer reveals
Aimee Garcia, star of 'Lucifer' and 'M.O.D.O.K.,' prioritizes diversity in her '47 Ronin' sequel. She tells Inverse the latest on the follow-up to the Keanu Reeves film.
Attack the Block 2 release date, trailer, plot, cast for the alien invasion sequel
One of the best indie sci-fi action movies of the 2010s is finally getting a sequel, with John Boyega and writer-director Joe Cornish returning.
Star Trek's next big comeback could finally deliver on a long-overdue promise
White people are shown to have peculiar ideas about “diversity” —study
Raya and the Last Dragon is the best post-apocalypse epic since Mad Max: Fury Road
A blend of familiar Disney formula and Southeast Asian-inspired folklore, Raya and the Last Dragon is an instant classic that is light on its feet.
White cops are different from Black cops in 1 crucial way, study shows
Strange New Worlds could change Spock in one huge, historic way
Star Trek fans know that Spock isn't strictly heterosexual. Could it become canon?
"Toxic online mentality": Trans employees of Activision Blizzard speak
At Activision Blizzard, LGBTQ+ employees say they experienced a toxic work environment and were forced into the closet.
The science of sexual orientation
Can genes explain sexuality? Should we even try to know?
Is Robin bisexual? Maybe, but it shouldn’t matter
The comics show Tim Drake accepting a date from a male suitor, but that doesn't mean anything concrete just yet.
'Loki' Season 2 can still fix Season 1's biggest disappointment
Does calling Loki genderfluid matter if we don’t see it meaningfully depicted on screen?
Sylvie isn't just "Lady Loki," Sophia Di Martino tells Inverse
Sophia Di Martino is now the mirror image of Loki but she's quick to remind fans that Sylvie is her own person with her own story yet to be explored.
Is Loki bisexual? Marvel finally fixes the worst part of the MCU
It’s been a long time coming.
Is Loki genderfluid? "It's always been there," Tom Hiddleston tells Inverse
Over the weekend, Marvel revealed that Loki may be genderfluid in the MCU. Here's why that matters, according to Tom Hiddleston and 'Loki' writer Michael Waldron.
You need to play the best pride game on Xbox Game Pass ASAP
Celeste is about a lot more than climbing a mountain.
WandaVision may have secretly solved the MCU’s worst problem
Just as LGBTQ+ people have always existed in history, they’ve also always existed in the MCU.
Star Wars may have just introduced its first onscreen transgender character
Star Wars’ newest mysterious kid could be a huge win for representation.
'Last of Us 2' reveals why the worst trope in video games needs to die in 2021
The creators of one of 2020’s biggest indies, an industry insider, and a queer gamer discuss why doomed lesbianism is so damaging, and how games can do better going forward.
32 Life Hack Products Reddit Is Obsessed With
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
Look: Ancient tools reveal how early humans made clothes
That fur cape is so last season.
37 Genius Things That Work So Well They Should Cost Twice As Much
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
4 reasons ordinary people become spies
Susceptibility to four factors shows whether a target can be exploited.
The best sci-fi thriller on HBO Max infiltrates the mind — literally
Experts weigh in on the mind-expanding memory tech at the center of sci-fi thriller 'Reminiscence,' starring Hugh Jackman.
Is it a crime to forge a vaccine card? And what’s the penalty for using a fake?
It’s not good.
The secret to modern happiness could come from an unlikely ancient source
We may need to look back.
Why this type of bike has an unfair reputation
Electronic bikes are better than their reputation among mountain bikers might suggest.
Voynich manuscript: Why this 400-year-old text has left academia puzzled
The meaning of the cryptic text has eluded scholars for centuries. Their latest efforts include computational analyses seeking new insights into the medieval enigma.
Stonehenge: Travelers who love ancient legends should visit this enigmatic site
For centuries still, the rocks have held onto these secrets — but now a pioneering study reveals the answer to at least one of these mysteries: How Stonehenge has managed to stand the test of time.
"Toxic online mentality": Trans employees of Activision Blizzard speak
At Activision Blizzard, LGBTQ+ employees say they experienced a toxic work environment and were forced into the closet.
Cybersecurity experts reveal how to stop hackers accessing your Android
It’s now well known that usernames and passwords aren’t enough to securely access online services.
