The Week’s Best Longreads: The Daily Beast Picks for March 24, 2012

The Song MachineJohn Seabrook, The New YorkerThe hitmakers behind Rihanna.

The Age of Double StandardsRobert Kuttner, The American ProspectAmerican Airlines can declare bankruptcy and wipe away debt. But you can’t—and that’s just the beginning.

The Case Against GoogleMatt Honan, Gizmodo

Is search no longer central to Google’s mission? And are its recent moves "evil" by its early company standards?

JunglelandNathaniel Rich, The New York Times MagazineSince Katrina, the cartoonish pace of vegetation growth in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward resembles something out of a Chia Pet commercial.

Should Science Pull the Trigger?Carl Zimmer, WiredThey could produce drugs that would zap the viruses behind common illnesses. But is it a good idea?

The Cardinal Sees RedPeter J. Boyer, Newsweek Cardinal Dolan is not satisfied with the Obama compromise on contraception. America’s pope girds for battle.

For more great longreads, check out our friends at Longreads.com.