Guest Thinkers — August 19, 2011

Sophal Ear: Killing Fields

Sophal Ear

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A white lab mouse sits in a glass petri dish, cradled gently by hands clad in blue gloves. The captivating scene underscores the crucial role of lab mice in scientific research and discovery.

Life

Scientists kill 192 million lab mice each year. Is there a better way?

Can laboratories become more humane, or is it time to end animal research altogether?

Comparison of early Mars with abundant water and a thicker atmosphere versus the dry and arid Mars of today, much like Venus, which also died in terms of its potential to support life.

Starts With A Bang

Mars could have lived, even without a magnetic field

Mars and Earth were sister planets in many ways, with early similar conditions. Why did Mars die? The leading explanation isn’t universal.

A grid of 15 photos depicts an elderly man with varying levels of digital distortion. He wears a hat in some images and has prominent facial lines and a mustache in all pictures.

The Future

“Model collapse” threatens to kill progress on generative AIs

When AI eats its own product, it gets sick.

An individual in a suit and orange tie gestures toward a firefighter in full uniform and helmet labeled "BUFFALO" with the number "27", as if acknowledging everyday miracles.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: Did God save Donald Trump but kill someone else?

Is it ever possible for God to violate the laws of nature?

Earth viewed from space, partially obscured by a graphical overlay illustrating how oxygen once nearly killed life.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when oxygen killed almost all life on Earth?

Known as the Great Oxygenation Event, Earth froze over as oxygen accumulated in our atmosphere, nearly driving all life extinct.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Beyond Celebrity Adoptions

What the world needs now – and just might be able to listen to – are humanitarian ambassadors like Sophal Ear, who have experienced atrocity and devoted their lives to doing something about it.