Because many squid have brain nerve fibres that are hundreds of times thicker than those of humans, neuroscientists have long used them for research. These nerve fibres have led to so many breakthroughs in the study of neurons that many scientists joke that the squid should receive a Nobel Prize.

The giant squid is the perfect embodiment of a sea monster: it is huge, it has tentacles, it has big eyes, and it is absolutely frightening-looking. But, most important, it is real. Unlike the Loch Ness monster, we know it's out there.

I don't camp; I don't hike. I hate bugs, and I'm phobic of snakes.

When I work on stories, I tend to lose sight of everything else. I forget to pay bills or to shave. I don't change my clothes as often as I should.

I had many different careers early on. I knew I wanted to be a writer. But, like so many people, I didn't know how to be one - other than just do it. I didn't know what form it would take.

It's funny: I don't know if she babysat, but I spent time with Judy Blume when I was little.

When I work on stories, I tend to be pretty obsessive.

I'm kind of odd; I'm a technophobe who isn't a technophobe. I'm afraid of new things, but eventually I love them. That happened with Twitter.

Honestly, I had no idea what to do on Twitter when I started. I didn't follow it enough. Slowly, though, I started to realize what I'm okay at. Like, I'm just not particularly witty.

There was a part of me that always wanted to be an editor.

The biggest difference with Twitter and writing long form is you're part of a virtual community where you know people, or think you know them, through their links.

One of the nice things about 'The New Yorker' is they let you write stories that sometimes end up almost half a book.

Firemen have a culture of death. There are rituals, carefully constructed for the living, to process the dead.

In Brazil, the history of the interaction between blancos and indios - whites and Indians - often reads like an extended epitaph. Tribes were wiped out by disease and massacres; languages and songs were obliterated.

I never want to make people upset, but sometimes we may. When I interview people, I try to make it clear that our obligation is to what we uncover and to telling that story and to presenting it fairly and making sure everyone has a say.

Most of Gingrich's moderate positions are rooted in a realpolitik that transcends ideology.

Books were a huge part of my childhood growing up. We would go on vacation, and my mom was always carting manuscripts around.

I'm sure every author has their own process.

One of my favorite authors to read is Eric Ambler, who helped pioneer the form of realistic suspense novels.

I often say that the best way to find a story is a one-inch brief in a local newspaper.

I haven't read a word of Proust. And I listen obsessively to sports radio.

Memory is a code to who we are, a collection of not just dates and facts but also of epic emotional struggles, epiphanies, transformations.

I'm a very slow reader.

I covered Congress, and everyone always wanted me to be a political reporter.