Every summer before the NFL season begins, former Stanford football captain Sam Schwartzstein reads “The Hidden Game of Football” — a seminal book from 1988 that pioneered football analytics — to remind himself how far sports data has come. “Stats are things you can see,” he said. Analytics, he added, are “the statistics that you […]
On the boundary of a West Sacramento industrial strip and some of the most fertile farmland in America, twenty glass flasks sit in rows inside a steel incubator, each plugged with an orange stopper and swirling with a cloudy liquid labeled with blue tape. There are no trees, no humid heat, and no soil, yet something tropical is growing. That
Cocoa, Cultured: Inside the California Startup Growing Cacao from Cells Read More »
Takeoff in 3, 2, 1 The astronaut’s voice excites me as I float face down in a Stanford swimming pool. My snorkel pokes above the water while a flotation belt strapped around my waist keeps me suspended effortlessly near the surface. Inside the diving mask covering my eyes, I watch as the land – not
Can Virtual Reality Recreate the Awe of Space? Read More »
In most years, Talya Shragai can devote a few concentrated weeks to securing federal funding that supports a full year of research for Stanford’s Disease Ecology in a Changing World (DECO) program. But as recent federal decisions have snatched funding away from climate and health research, she has spent this year as DECO’s Research and Program Manager chasing nearly a dozen
As Hantavirus Spreads, Climate and Health Research Faces a Funding Crisis Read More »
On the morning of April 25, Collin Wright opened his eyes in his childhood bedroom in Houston, a day he had been waiting for since he first picked up a football, 17 years ago. Before he’d even come downstairs, the house had already told the story. Life-size photos of Wright in his Stanford uniform lined
Unexpected Draft Day, unwavering faith: Collin Wright lands where he belongs Read More »
For the playoffs, Jordan Jurich-Weston stocked her fanny pack with a pocket-sized toolbox and a bottle of Ibuprofen. When not competing on the roller derby track as Eris Jordan, she’s the maestro behind the Bay Area Derby league’s live broadcasting channel. Her production crew can be spotted by their black shirts on which she screen
Bay Area Derby: The DIY Sport Made Real by the People Who Show Up Read More »
About 90 minutes south of San Francisco sits the Garlic Capital of America. A city of 61,000, Gilroy hosts a yearly Garlic Festival, is home to the world’s longest garlic braid, and remains one of the only places in the country where visitors can purchase garlic-flavored ice cream (available in both chocolate and vanilla variations).
Recently resettled refugees continue to turn to local organizations for support, despite federal funding cuts.
Refugee admissions freeze causes shifts for Bay Area resettlement organizations Read More »
FERNBRIDGE, Calif. – Last October, Cate Edwards received a text message from a blocked number. “You need to contact this number,” the message read. “He can help. We need the mill here. It’s his personal phone. I can’t tell you who I am.” Cate and her husband Shawn had recently moved from Kentucky to open
In Rural Humboldt County, a Wool Mill Revives a Lost Fiber Economy Read More »
Update July 6, 2026: Since the publication of this story, Laine Higgins has left the Wall Street Journal to pursue an MFA in creative writing with a nonfiction concentration at Columbia University. Whenever Wall Street Journal sportswriter Laine Higgins enters the press box at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the attendants check credentials before letting sports
“All In”: A young woman’s journey to sportswriting at The Wall Street Journal Read More »
PALO ALTO — On a cloudy Saturday morning at Baylands Nature Preserve, all is quiet save for birdsongs and a couple early-risers trotting on a crushed gravel trail. At about 8:50 a.m., a few cars roll into the parking lot. Then more. Now, about 70 locals dressed in running clothes — most older, some middle-aged,
It’s more than a running club. For these LGBTQ+ runners, it’s a place to be yourself Read More »
On a clear April evening at Oracle Park, the crack of a bat was replaced by the hum of conversation about…not baseball, but carbon. San Francisco Climate Week 2026 kicked off not in a conference room but in one of the city’s most beloved gathering places, home to the MLB Giants, and the choice was anything
