The Well The evolutionary significance of dreaming Ancient societies revered dreams. Modern science tells us why. ▸ 5 min — with Patrick McNamara
Neuropsych The case for viewing depression as a consciousness disorder Depression might be similar to dreaming.
Neuropsych The creative sweet spot of dreaming A recently identified stage of sleep common to narcoleptics is a fertile source of creativity.
The Future Dream hacking: Is this the dystopian future of advertising? A team of scientists has warned that marketers seek to advertise in our dreams. Will our sleep be commercialized against our wishes?
Neuropsych Do spiders dream? What about cuttlefish? Bearded dragons? Researchers are finding signs of multiple phases of sleep all over the animal kingdom. The ‘active’ sleep phases look very much like REM.
The Well The neuroscience of nightmares This is not your average dream interpreter. Nightmares, as explained by a neuroscientist. ▸ 6 min — with Patrick McNamara
The Past What happened to the dream of the Pan-American highway? The Pan-American Highway began a century ago with a vision of unfettered motor-vehicle access between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego. What happened to the dream?
Health New weight loss drug acts like an “exercise pill” Long thought a pipe dream, scientists have discovered a drug that mimics the effects of exercise.
The Well The weirdness of physics: Dreaming wildly with strict rules A physicist discusses the boundaries of reality and experimentation. ▸ 6 min — with Janna Levin
Thinking Why Indonesia has a giant church in the shape of a chicken How one man's divine dream became a poultry-shaped reality.
Neuropsych The N1 sleep stage: How the first 10 minutes of sleep can unlock your creative potential Thomas Edison was on to something...
Neuropsych You can respond to verbal instructions in your sleep Lucid dreamers may have “privileged access to their inner world,” with “heightened awareness... to the outside world.”
13.8 10 of the most mystifying open questions in science From how life emerged on Earth to why we dream, these unanswered questions continue to perplex scientists.
How did we end up here? Anthropologist explains how work has shaped society From hunter-gatherers to the American Dream: This is how humanity’s definition of “work” has developed over time. ▸ 9 min — with James Suzman
The Well Every culture has supernatural agents. Here’s why. From DMT elves, to God, to the figures in our dreams — why are humans so obsessed with the supernatural? ▸ 7 min — with Patrick McNamara
Starts With A Bang Starts With A Bang podcast #101 – Quantum Computing Here in the 21st century, quantum computing is quickly going from a dream to a reality. But what's hype, and what's actually true?
The Future Will EVs match the cost and convenience of gas cars? Not anytime soon. A $30,000 electric vehicle with 400 miles of range that charges in under 10 minutes remains a pipe dream over the near future.
The Past A two-stage psychological model that explains alien abduction stories The truth may be out there — but it’s not in these close encounters of the third kind.
The Present Whatever happened to the Catalan independence movement? The region of Catalonia has been at odds with greater Spain for over 300 years. The prospect of autonomy remains a distant and fading dream.
All Videos The true story behind Carl Sagan’s cult classic, Contact Do aliens dream about meeting us, too? ▸ with Jill Tarter
The Present Your “social location” shapes how you dream about the future When you wish upon a star, it probably makes a difference who you are.
Health Therapy manipulates the emotional content of dreams to cure nightmares A technique called targeted memory reactivation could improve common treatments for nightmare disorder.
High Culture Esperanto: The artificial language that aimed to unite humanity Esperanto was intended to be an easy-to-learn second language that enabled you to speak with anyone on the planet.
Business 12 Mark Cuban mantras for success The innovative investor and entrepreneur deals out advice for anyone looking to follow in his footsteps.
Starts With A Bang The truth about wormholes and quantum computers The science fiction dream of a traversable wormhole is no closer to reality, despite a quantum computer's suggestive simulation.
Neuropsych Imagination: The ability to envision what doesn’t exist is what makes us human Only humans can voluntarily conjure new objects and events in our minds.
High Culture In “The Red Book,” Carl Jung recorded his encounters with entities from “inner space” Aiming to unlock the secrets of his unconscious mind, Jung experimented with intensive daydreaming.