Harvard professor explains Bayes’ rule The formula for rational thinking explained by Steven Pinker. ▸ 5 min — with Steven Pinker
Starts With A Bang Ask Ethan: What does ER=EPR really mean? Two very different ideas, wormholes and quantum entanglement, might be fundamentally related. What would “ER = EPR” mean for our Universe?
Hard Science Organoid intelligence: A new frontier in biocomputers or sci-fi hype? Some scientists think brain organoids could develop a form of consciousness. Others say that’s science fiction.
Thinking How to find the mental sweet spot for smart decision-making The secret may lie in an old idiom: “Sleep on it.”
The Past The futuristic inventions of the Islamic Golden Age The 1,200-year-old “Book of Ingenious Devices” contains designs for futuristic inventions like gas masks, water fountains, and digging machines.
Starts With A Bang Even with quantum entanglement, there’s no faster-than-light communication Even with quantum teleportation and the existence of entangled quantum states, faster-than-light communication still remains impossible.
13.8 How Einstein tried to model the shape of the Universe Not even Einstein immediately knew the power of the equations he gave us.
Neuropsych Could you spot a vulnerable narcissist? Here’s how. Within the “Dark Triad” of personality traits, narcissism exists on a confidence spectrum.
High Culture Science fiction books that predicted the future with terrifying accuracy Jules Verne wrote about gasoline-powered vehicles, weapons of mass destruction, and global warming more than a century ago.
Is marriage dying? Why marriage is thriving — and dying — in different American classes. ▸ 6 min — with Richard Reeves
Starts With A Bang Is humanity dumber than a colony of yeast cells? Left to their own devices, yeast cells will consume all available resources and poison themselves to death. Is humanity smarter than that?
High Culture Friedrich Nietzsche on how art can help you grow as a person For Nietzsche, a great work of art can either veil the horror of reality or – better yet – help us face it.
The Present Emergency powers: Is democracy “backsliding” away? The state of global democracy is relatively strong — but there are clear signs of recent erosion.
The Learning Curve Modern workplaces don’t mix well with our ancient survival instincts. Here’s why. This is your brain on work.
Starts With A Bang The big theoretical problem of dark energy The zero-point energy of empty space is not zero. Even with all the physics we know, we have no idea how to calculate what it ought to be.
Thinking Cunningham’s Law: The satisfying benefits of feigning stupidity “Of course, the spleen is the biggest organ in the body.”
High Culture 5 sci-fi utopias that will seduce you (and likely freak you out) Take a trip through these master-crafted fantasy societies and ask yourself: Could I actually live there?
High Culture Is “The Great Gatsby” really that great of a book? “Painfully forced” is how one contemporary critic described Fitzgerald’s writing style.
Neuropsych Sensitivity is both a brain booster and a survival mechanism Extreme home environments — either very supportive or harshly negligent — tend to produce more sensitive kids.
Starts With A Bang Mass means (almost) everything in astronomy What kind of object will you form? What will its fate be? How long will a star live? Almost everything is determined by mass alone.
Health Apple has a secret project to help people with diabetes The Apple Watch could soon take the pain out of monitoring blood sugar levels.
The Learning Curve 5 questions to help you assess the ethics of future innovations An innovation’s value is found between the technophile’s promises and the Luddite’s doomsday scenarios.
Hard Science Cosmic rays passing through Great Pyramid help reveal hidden corridor A non-invasive method for looking inside structures is solving mysteries about the ancient pyramid.
Neuropsych Breakthrough study discovers that psychedelics breach our neurons New research shows psychedelics activate receptors inside brain cells that other compounds, like serotonin, cannot.
Neuropsych We all get “monkey mind” — and neuroscience supports the Buddhist solution Studies suggest that meditation can quiet the restless brain.
Health Tirzepatide: A novel obesity drug ushers in a new era of weight loss — because this one works Scientists are still figuring out why tirzepatide causes weight loss. One theory is that they “accidentally” created a new hormone.
Is science about to end? Is science close to explaining everything about our Universe? Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder reacts. ▸ 5 min — with Sabine Hossenfelder