Explainers

We live in a world of too much information and too little context. Too much noise and too little insight. That's where Vox's explainers come in.

Anal and oral sex spread monkeypox. Let’s talk about it.

Why it’s spreading like an STI through gay men’s sexual networks, why women are at risk — and why condoms might help.

By Keren Landman

Liz Cheney lost her election battle. She’s still in a war on Trumpism.

Cheney’s Wyoming loss was predictable. Her bigger fight, against Trumpism, is now fully underway.

By Ben Jacobs

What could the Inflation Reduction Act mean for you?

By Ellen Ioanes August 16

The Inflation Reduction Act, explained

By Emily Stewart, Li Zhou, and 1 more August 16

How the Western drought is pushing the power grid to the brink

By Umair Irfan August 16

How Beyoncé became Beyoncé in 3 not-at-all-easy steps

By Constance Grady August 15

Afghanistan’s staggering set of crises, explained

By Jen Kirby August 15

The Espionage Act and Trump’s documents, explained

By Ellen Ioanes August 13

Society is a mess in Emily the Criminal, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Not Okay

By Alissa Wilkinson August 12

Liz Cheney’s primary is all about Donald Trump — except in Wyoming

By Ben Jacobs August 12

The “Dark Brandon” meme — and why it’s so confusing — explained

By Aja Romano August 11

Why do wigs on TV look so awful?

By Chika Ekemezie August 11

Remote workers are starting new businesses behind their bosses’ backs

By Rani Molla August 11

Four ways of looking at The Rehearsal

By Alissa Wilkinson August 8

7 of your most pressing monkeypox vaccine questions, answered

By Keren Landman August 8

Meanwhile, Congress is set to pass a huge wildlife conservation bill with bipartisan support

By Benji Jones August 8

The drama over Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan travel plans, briefly explained

By Jonathan Guyer August 4

Should you get another Covid-19 vaccine booster now or wait for the new shots?

By Umair Irfan and Keren Landman August 4

How Gordon Ramsay’s lamb slaughter joke explains our confusing relationship with meat

By Kenny Torrella August 3

The stock market can be an emotional roller coaster. It shouldn’t be.

By Emily Stewart August 3

Alex Murdaugh stands accused of killing his wife and son. That’s just scratching the surface.

By Aja Romano August 2

Election deniers could soon be one election away from running Arizona

By Natalie Jennings August 2

The mysterious disappearance of the Secret Service’s January 6 texts

By Ben Jacobs August 1

The attack on a prison holding Ukraine POWs, explained

By Tory Lysik July 31

Stopping inflation is going to hurt

By Emily Stewart July 28

Sri Lanka’s new president is already cracking down on protests

By Ellen Ioanes July 23

Jordan Peele’s Nope, explained

By Alissa Wilkinson July 21

Europe’s gas crisis is here

By Jen Kirby July 21

Sadhguru, the spiritual leader with ties to Will Smith and Modi, explained

By Sonia Paul July 18

Biden sought to end endless wars. So what’s the military doing in Somalia?

By Jonathan Guyer July 18

Costco’s inflation-proof $4.99 rotisserie chicken, explained

By Kenny Torrella July 18

Why the US doesn’t want Turkey to invade Syria

By Ellen Ioanes July 17

BA.5 doesn’t care that you just had Covid-19

By Umair Irfan July 17

How can Sri Lanka move forward?

By Ellen Ioanes July 16

Sri Lanka’s organic farming disaster, explained

By Kenny Torrella July 15

A complete timeline of the Lea Michele-Beanie Feldstein-Funny Girl casting controversy

By Constance Grady July 13

How the Fed ended the last great American inflation — and how much it hurt

By Dylan Matthews July 13

America has an innovation problem. The H-1B visa backlog is making it worse.

By Miranda Dixon-Luinenburg July 13

Don’t mind the economy, now is still a good time to find a new job

By Rani Molla July 13

The true physical and mental costs of pregnancy

By Miranda Dixon-Luinenburg July 12

The battleground House and Senate races where the end of Roe could have the biggest impact

By Nicole Narea and Li Zhou July 10

Why disasters are getting more severe but killing fewer people

By Umair Irfan July 10