Jacob Stern

Jacob Stern is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

Devin Yalkin for The Atlantic

Can a Boxer Return to the Ring After Killing?

In 2019, Charles Conwell unintentionally ended Patrick Day’s life with his fists. Now he’s trying to make sense of his life, and boxing itself.

Getty; The Atlantic

The Great Pandemic Hand-Washing Blooper

Should you wash your hands? Yes. Does it matter for respiratory viruses? Not as much as we once thought.
- Jacob Stern
- October 24, 2022
MirageC / Getty

The Masks We’ll Wear in the Next Pandemic

N95s are good. Some scientists want to do much better.
- Jacob Stern
- October 13, 2022
Katie Martin / The Atlantic

Effective Altruism’s Philosopher King Just Wants to Be Practical

“Somehow people feel like unless you’re doing the most extreme version of your views, then it’s not justified,” Will MacAskill says.
- Jacob Stern
- September 29, 2022
Santiago Felipe / Getty; The Atlantic

Fauci Addresses ‘The Pandemic Is Over’

President Biden’s controversial remarks, Fauci says, are a matter of “semantics.”
- Jacob Stern
- September 21, 2022
Getty

Hundreds of Americans Will Die From COVID Today

Is this what normal now looks like?
- Jacob Stern
- September 16, 2022
Paul Spella / The Atlantic; Shutterstock

There’s Nothing Quite Like the Wrath of Losing Your Fantasy League

You really don’t want to get “cheese-shoed.”
- Jacob Stern
- September 11, 2022
Jim Wilson / The New York Times / …

Are We Really Getting COVID Boosters Every Year Forever?

Prepare yourself for a lifetime of fall vaccine campaigns.
- Jacob Stern
- September 9, 2022
The Atlantic

You’ve Probably Seen Yourself in Your Memories

Remembering your life in the third person is a little creepy and surprisingly common.
- Jacob Stern
- August 29, 2022
Katie Martin / Jo Imperio / The Atlantic; …

Fish Oil Is Good! No, Bad! No, Good! No, Wait

Americans love it. But the science is getting even weirder.
- Jacob Stern
- August 5, 2022
Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty

100 Degrees Fahrenheit Is Just a Number

But it sure feels bad.
- Jacob Stern
- August 3, 2022
Yui Mok / Getty

The World Is Burning Once Again

We can only adapt so much to extreme heat.
- Jacob Stern
- July 19, 2022
Getty; The Atlantic

Admit It, Squirrels Are Just Tree Rats

So why do we love one rodent and hate the other?
- Jacob Stern
- July 8, 2022
Ben Birchall / PA Images / Getty

Don’t Worry, It’s Not COVID

Some tips for how to be a good sick person in the COVID era, whatever is ailing you
- Jacob Stern
- July 1, 2022
Paul Spella / The Atlantic; Getty

Please Ignore My Last 577 Tweets

I’m not selling NFTs.
- Jacob Stern
- May 3, 2022
University of Chicago Institute of Politics; The Atlantic

Obama: I Underestimated the Threat of Disinformation

Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg in conversation with Barack Obama about the social web, Ukraine, and the future of democracy
- Jacob Stern
- April 7, 2022
Christof Stache / AFP / Getty

Is Ukraine Barreling Toward a COVID Surge?

War is creating the perfect conditions for an outbreak.
- Jacob Stern
- March 25, 2022
Getty; The Atlantic

Endemicity Is Meaningless

The coronavirus will be with us forever. But we still have no idea what happens next.
- Jacob Stern and Katherine J. Wu
- February 1, 2022
Getty; The Atlantic

Sports Leagues Are Showing Us Just How Bad Omicron Could Get

Even some of the healthiest and most highly vaccinated communities in the country are being ravaged by the new variant.
- Jacob Stern
- December 20, 2021
Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty

We Accidentally Solved the Flu. Now What?

America has a choice to make.
- Jacob Stern
- October 13, 2021
Richard Pierrin / Getty

All These Simultaneous Disasters Are Messing With Our Brains

The earthquakes and wildfires and wars keep piling up. When does our empathy run out?
- Jacob Stern
- August 22, 2021