Guest Thinkers — November 4, 2009

Dead Meat

An undercover investigation of a Vermont slaughterhouse has revealed disgusting abuses of animals.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

An investigation by undercover journalists has brought to light “disgusting and disturbing” abuses of animals at a Vermont slaughterhouse, according to the Examiner.com. US Department of Agriculture records revealed that the Bushway Packing Incorporated was temporarily closed after a failed inspection in May, June and July of this year. But the slaughterhouse has since reopened and extremely graphic film from inside it showing new born calves being kicked, given electric shocks and “dragged and cut while unconscious” has been posted on YouTube by the Humane Society of the United States.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Person examining a petri dish with tweezers, holding small colored objects, against a dark background.

Health

Are microplastics really destroying our health?

They’re in our brains, hearts, and blood — but what are they doing to us?

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Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: Can you have a “calling” without a caller?

If you’re an atheist with a vocation, who laid that path for you?

Close-up image of a human iris featuring vibrant blue and yellow hues with a dark pupil in the center.

The mystery at the heart of consciousness

“Is it possible that consciousness is a much more basic phenomenon in nature and is essentially pervading everything?”

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10 min

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with

Annaka Harris

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Does the CMB really “prove” the Big Bang?

Since the mid-1960s, the CMB has been identified with the Big Bang’s leftover glow. Could any alternative explanations still work?

A wasp illustration in blue on grid paper is overlaid on a close-up image of effervescent bubbles in a golden alcoholic liquid.

Health

The first known animal that’s “immune” to alcohol intoxication

Could studying the Oriental hornet lead to a treatment for people with alcohol use disorder?

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