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The latest attempt at space travel by billionaire Elon Musks company SpaceX failed spectacularly once again last week. After the two previous attempts ended in explosions, last Tuesdays liftoffthe Starships ninth in totalended with it spinning uncontrollably about 30 minutes into the flight. The flight also failed to meet other objectives set for the mission, including the deployment of mock satellites into space. To anyone with an interest in space travel or astronomy in general, this is probably pretty disappointing news. Even Musks self-proclaimed fanboys are feeling let down after yet another unsuccessful flight. But its my opinion that this latest technological failure is a blessing in disguise. The SpaceX Starship rocket launches from Starbase, Texas, on May 27. Mission control lost contact with the upper stage of Starship as it leaked fuel, spun out of control, and made an uncontrolled reentry after flying halfway around the world, likely disintegrating over the Indian Ocean. [Photo: Sergio Flores/AFP/Getty Images] Of course, humans have accomplished space travel in the past. But as Musk described in a speech last week, he has a specific ambition: the colonization of Mars. Despite the fact that no human has yet set foot on Mars, let alone figured out how to make its environment habitable for humans, Musk is determined to make life on Mars possible. This is where the Starship, specifically, factors in: The rocket is the largest ever built, and Musk intends to use it to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026; the eventual goal is to transport private citizenshundreds of thousands if not millions of themto Mars. He believes that humanity not only can but should secure its future by going to the asteroid belt, the moons of Jupiter . . . and other star systems . . . making science fiction no longer fiction. And thats where I fundamentally disagree. As a recent New York Times profile underscored, the thing you have to understand about Musks space dreams is that theyre rooted in a kind of ethical philosophy called longtermism, an off-shoot of Effective Altruism. This school of thinking seeks to use evidence and reason to maximize good in the world or even the universe. In certain optimistic interpretations, life is seen as an inherent positive. Thus, more lifeor more livesmeans more good. Making it possible for many, many more humans to exist in the future than do currently is, by this logic, one of the most noble quests society could undertake. But the sad truth is that life is not intrinsically good for all humans. For billions of people, life in todays world means surviving all degrees of poverty, violence, illness, discrimination, oppression, and other sources of suffering. Ensuring that future humans exist doesnt ensure that their lives will be good by any measure. A whole extra planet full of humans could just be a whole extra planet full of pain. If humankind grows exponentially, so will all of those problems. Despite the U.S. having the largest economy in the world, some 47 million Americans live with food insecurity. Its estimated that half of all people in the world will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime. About a billion people globally live on less than $2.15 per day. Numerous wars and genocides are unfolding as you read this sentence. Is this really the version of humankind we want to copy and paste across the universe? And thats to say nothing of humankinds impact on other forms of life. We slaughter some 80 billion land animals and trillions of sea animals worldwide annually, and that number is all but certain to grow as global meat consumption continues to rise, as it has done exponentially over the past several decades. Before being killed, 99% of those animals experience the horrors of factory farming, undergoing standard practices like debeaking and tail docking without anesthetic, extreme confinement in crowdd spaces, and the culling of young males. We destroy entire ecosystems, we build mountains of trash, and we simultaneously poison ourselves and everything around us. If human society manages to take over a new planet before resolving any of this, theres no reason to believe it wouldnt follow us. Martians would almost certainly find ways to harm the environment (and the individuals who live within it) and in turn, themselves. Industrialized mass torture of nonhuman animals (and potentially other beings) would expand as new factory farms opened to support a much greater population of humans. At present, we have a way of causing havoc to whatever we touchexponentially expanding the human population will necessarily mean an exponential expansion in the suffering we cause, too. Just look at what Musk accomplished while at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The entity made massive cuts to social safety nets and programs that supported marginalized communitieseverything from education for low-income children to assistance for teens with disabilities to food for hungry families. It’s clear where Musks values are, and we should categorically reject them; I genuinely cant think of a worse candidate to set the priorities for space colonization. Until the human species stops behaving like a cancer to its environment, we ought to regard its growth as just that: cancerous. To intentionally facilitate a massive population boom while all of these problems continue to plague us seems, to me, unconscionable. Maybe, if it ever worked out, space colonization would indeed allow our species to grow in numbers. But theres no evidence that all of those future humans would be thriving, and theres plenty of reason to believe that trillions more animals would exist, living lives of suffering, as a result. But for any of that to happen, Musk first has to actually get a rocket to Mars. Or, you know, into a stable orbit and back in one piece. Fortunately, we dont have to cross that bridge until we come to itif we ever do.
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E-Commerce
The color of the summer is here, and it started with a chocolate bar. Pistachio (both the food and the color) is all the rage right now. The nut entered the limelight over the past several months after various food creators on TikTok popularized Dubai chocolate, an indulgent chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream, tahini, and shredded phyllo dough. This spring, Dubai chocolate officially made its way into the mainstream, appearing as a cookie at Crumbl, a shake at Shake Shack, a chocolate bar at Trader Joes, a donut at Krispy Kreme, and a returning latte flavor at Dunkin. [Photo: Patislove] Demand for Dubai chocolate has spiked so high that pistachio producers in Iran exported 40% more nuts to the United Arab Emirates in the six months leading to March 2025 than they did in the entire 12 months before. Some stores have had to limit sales of the bars due to disruptions of the global pistachio supply chain. But it turns out that for customers in the U.S., theres a bonus to the trend besides an influx of tasty treats: The nut is relatively shielded from potential tariffs. Come what may, chances are that its about to be a very nuttyand very greensummer. A mechanical shaker harvests pistachio nuts on a farm in Californias San Joaquin Valley. [Photo: Ed Young/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group/Getty Images] America dominates the pistachio market The U.S. is the top producer of pistachios globally, accounting for about 75% of the worlds supply, according to Zachary Fraser, president and CEO of American Pistachio Growers (APG). The second-largest producer is Iran. The 2024-2025 U.S. pistachio crop harvest, Fraser says, was 1.1 billion pounds in-shellthe third-largest harvest in the history of the industry. So far, Fraser reports, the Trump administrations tariffs have not had an immediate impact on the nut’s production. The industry is closely monitoring tariffs as the situation evolves, and we are active in the conversations with government officials to stay on top of the changing dynamics, Fraser says. Continuing to invest in market development and new countries to drive demand is part of that strategy. From APGs perspective, theres been a marked rise in interest in pistachios over the past several months. Recognizing the trending Dubai chocolate bar, its been exciting to see the popularity of pistachios grow across many other food and beverage products, Fraser says. Were seeing pistachios incorporated across baked goods, spreads, snacks, ice cream and more. [Photo: Shake Shack] Pistachio goes beyond the bar Pistachios arent staying confined to sweet treats, either. As the nuts flavor profile has risen into stardom, so, too, has its signature sage-green hue. In the past two months or so, pistachio green has exploded from the chocolate wrapper to fashion runways, mood boards, and even interior design. In March, Homes & Gardens called the hue designers go-to color for spring and summer 2025. In May, Harpers Bazaar noted that the gastronomic shade defined recent fashion shows by Miu Miu, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and others. The average American is also becoming enamored with the color. According to Pinterest global data from January to March 2025, searches for pistachio chocolate bar surged 1,989%, while searches for pistachio outfit ideas jumped 361% and those for pistachio green weddings were up 285%. Sydney Stanback, global trends and insights lead at Pinterest, says pistachios are “having a major moment” on the app, noting, What started in the kitchen is now spilling over into style, with this earthy green inspiring everything from homemade desserts to intentional fashion choices.”
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E-Commerce
Antonia Saint Dunbar, cofounder of the period underwear brand Thinx, loves the way she feels when she’s wearing heels. “It has a divine geometry,” she says. “It creates a perfect pitch for your body, elongating your leg, creating an anatomical architectural balance.” Saint Dunbar isn’t alone: Even as society has become more casual, making sneakers and Birkenstocks acceptable to wear in more situations, many women still love the way they look and feel while wearing heels. But sometimes this means compromising comfort for style. While running Thinx in heels, Saint Dunbar says she often had to scan the room for a place to sit because her feet hurt so much, and took cabs so she wouldn’t have to walk. Part of the reason that heels are so uncomfortable is that many early shoe designers were men. They designed heels they believed would make women look attractive, but had no idea how the shoes would feel on the wearers feet. Today, women aren’t willing to compromise on comfort. This is particularly true after the pandemic, Saint Dunbar says. Stuck at home, women stopped wearing heels and turned to more comfortable footwear. Now painful heels feel even more unacceptable. The good news is that there’s a new generation of shoe brands focused on designs that make them more comfortable, including Sneex, Nomasei, and Marion Parke. Saint Dunbar herself is among these founders. In 2016, while still running Thinx, she launched Antonia Saint NY, which creates more comfortable heels. She’s taken the silhouette of a classic stiletto and added a layer of padding inside to provide better arch support and toe cushioning. She’s just relaunched all of her shoes with a slimmer version of the padding to offer the same level of comfort with less bulk. As we head into summer, we’ve been testing out the most comfortable shoes for everything from weddings to company outings. Here are five we love. [Photo: Antonia Saint NY] Antonia Saint NY Vicki DOrsay, $286 This shoe has a 2-inch heel that gives you just enough lift. Its outfitted with an updated padding system called SoftSurround. There is a layer of cushioning within the entire upper, with a special focus on the toes and the back of the heels. There is also a rubberized outsole for better traction. The outer is made of a soft Nappa leather. It’s designed to help you get through a full day without any pain. [Photo: Sézane] Sézane Gloria Sandals, $215 These strappy sandals offer the vintage aesthetic that Sézane is known for, featuring an elegant circle design. They’re versatile, since they can be dressed up or down, looking just as nice with jeans as with more formal summer dresses. With a 2.75-inch heel, they offer height without leaving you with achey legs or calves. [Photo: Margaux] Margaux City Sandal, $375 As their name implies, these shoes are designed for pounding the pavement. They feature a 2.5-inch block heel that is very walkable, and crisscross straps that are placed to make your feet feel supported. The insole features foam padding for cushioning. They come in a wide range of colors to match your outfits. [Photo: Nomasei] Nomasei Baghera, $450 Founded by former shoe designers at Chloe, Nomasei wants to bring comfort to the luxury shoe experience. The brands Baghera sandals are meant to provide all the leg-lengthening effects of a high heel, bu in a much more comfortable silhouette. They feature a 2.3-inch wide block heel, with an insole made of memory foam, lining made of goat leather, and an outsole made of calf leather. [Photo: Rothy’s] Rothys Knot Sandal, $189 If you’re concerned about the environment, Rothy’s is a good option. The brand was first known for its flats, but it has expanded into new silhouettes, including heels. These sandals are made of eight ocean-bound plastic bottles that have been recycled into a knot material. With a 2-inch block heel and a plush footbed, they’re designed to be worn all day. And as a bonus, theyre machine washable, which extends their life.
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E-Commerce
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