I really enjoy publications like the NY Review of Books and Times Literary Supplement. In theory, they're for book reviews. In practice, they're a way for non-experts (like me) to learn about major ideas in the humanities and social sciences. The writing is often quite beautiful.

For science and technology, are there publications that serve a similar function? For example, where can I find a leading scientist surveying how a field has evolved or read a lyrical take on a recent discovery?

I'm hoping for something beyond the overt storytelling or sensationalism that I sometimes find in popular magazines.

What do you read for that purpose?