I have no intention of running a 130+ mile ultramarathon.  And I have no desire to eat vegan.  And yet, I could not resist the transformational tug of Eat and Run, a memoir by ultramarathon champion (and plant-based diet advocate) Scott Jurek. Turns out, Jurek's amazing achievements began with the everyday questions we all ask: What are the limits of my potential?… Read More >>

Last week the FDA approved Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s pill Belviq to treat obesity when combined with healthy eating and weight loss, after denying it in 2010 because of concerns over tumors that developed during animal trials of the drug. Now, however, the FDA cited three studies of nearly 8,000 overweight and obese patients before giving approval… Read More >>

In case you missed it, from our July/August issue: Colin Powell reflects on the wisdom he’s gained from his years of public service and the values that sustained him in tumultuous times, in an excerpt from his book It Worked for Me. One way to see the greatness of our country, Powell believes, is through the eyes of young adults who come to America as part of… Read More >>

In his "Deep Fried Gadgets" series, photographer Henry Hargreaves battered and fried some of his most prized technological possessions—a laptop, an iPod, an iPad, an external hard drive—and the weirdly enticing results were posted on Wired's RAW Filephotography blog. “I was itching to deep fry some things that you wouldn’t usually find near a fryer and thought, ‘Why not… Read More >>

Summer is the season of avocados, and I thought I knew all the tricks: how to make them ripen faster (stick them in a brown paper bag with an apple), how to stop the ripening (pop them in the refrigerator). Yet this latest tip in avocado folklore blew my mind. After years of gently squeezing avocado after avocado to figure out when they’re perfectly ripe… Read More >>

I'll be the first to admit I did poorly in high school physics. But regardless of my utter lack of comprehension, I definitely appreciated this enlightening video describing the mechanics behind that beloved childhood toy. Read More >>

In a world of 44-ounce Big Gulps and restaurant entrees that can be triple a healthy serving size, it’s important to have a good eye for healthy portions. But if you’re constantly exposed to ginormous servings, your sense of normal can be thrown way out of whack. That’s what I learned while taking this cool interactive Supersize Soft Drink quiz from the New York Times. According to a related study of… Read More >>

Nora Ephron, the "writer and filmmaker with a genius for humor," inspired an incredible outpouring of digital memories last night as news started to spread of her dying. (See below for a sampling, from EW's celebrity tweet coverage.) Central to Ephron's work is food—even in her description of New York from our July/August issue: "I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action… Read More >>

Toby Montoya had made a promise to his best friend, Sgt. Kenneth Rahm of the Illinois National Guard, that if Rahm ever deployed, Montoya would go with him. So when Rahm's unit was called up, Montoya put in a transfer from the New Mexico National Guard and the two men were deployed to Afghanistan together. In 2009, Montoya's vehicle was hit by a roadside… Read More >>

Forty years ago today, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded Atari, and the gaming giant is celebrating with a big push onto smartphones. The company released Centipede: Origins for iOS and Droid devices last week, overhauling the original's iconic pixelated graphics with a fresh design and layers of new gameplay aimed at today's Angry Birdsgeneration. "The touch screen adds a dimension… Read More >>