Articles Archive

June 26, 2023

“I’m so good at sleeping that I can do it with my eyes closed.” This anonymous quote is a humorous take on the fact that we spend around one-third of our lives asleep. Getting a good night’s sleep seems to be essential to happiness and living effectively. This crossword examines some of the barriers to sleep and how to overcome them.

Starts With A Bang

Why today really isn’t 24 hours long

As the Earth spins and wobbles on its axis and revolves elliptically around the Sun, each day changes from the last. “24 hours” isn’t right.

a painting of a buddha surrounded by other buddhas.

Thinking

An essential introduction to Buddhism in 8 profound quotes

These core teachings make an ideal starting point for exploring Buddhist philosophy.

a man riding on the back of a flying dragon.

Thinking

A very short biography of the Devil

Please allow me to introduce myself.

an artist's rendering of a space shuttle flying over the earth.

The Present

SpaceX successfully launches world’s first “space factory” — and it’s making drugs

Particles behave differently when freed from the force of gravity. A new space factory aims to use this to synthesize pharmaceuticals.

a building with green shutters and a cat sitting on the window sill.

Life

The Swiss city that’s full of cat ladders

A photographer captured Bern’s eclectic and charming feline structures.

A woman sitting on a bench in front Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans.

High Culture

4 famous paintings that used to be controversial

Even the French got upset.

a picture of a group of people in the shape of a brain.

Neuropsych

Nasal drops might prevent PTSD

In the ongoing battle against PTSD, a potential new weapon emerges: a nasal spray loaded with neuropeptide Y.

an image of an alien flying over a pyramid.

The Well

Theology professor: “Ancient Aliens” is fantasy fiction for atheists

Gods and angels have been replaced with hi-tech extraterrestrials.

an old photo of a man and a woman working together.

Neuropsych

“Meraki”: How to cultivate passion in your work

When you do something with all your heart and mind, you do it with “meraki.” When we lack this feeling, it can lead to burnout.

a woman with a towel wrapped around her head.

High Culture

Why “Black Mirror” is so terrifyingly good at predicting the future

The key to its success lies not in its understanding of technology, but in its understanding of human nature.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Do galaxies appear larger in the past?

The farther away they get, the smaller distant galaxies look. But only up to a point, and beyond that, they appear larger again. Here’s how.

a black and white photo with a yellow background.

Hard Science

What is it like to be a photon traveling at light speed?

From a photon’s viewpoint, the Universe is timeless and dimensionless.

a black and white photo with a red border.

13.8

Military “whistleblowers” have been making UFO claims for 70 years

The truth is out there, but it’s probably not in the latest whistleblower’s report.

a man sitting at a table with a book in front of him.

Neuropsych

Intelligent people take longer to solve hard problems

Faster isn’t always better.

a collage of photos with a man and a plane.

Neuropsych

Stoicism isn’t so great when you live in a war zone

The Serenity Prayer is nice — until the missiles come raining down on your city.

Neuropsych

Thalassophobia: The missing Titanic submersible triggers a common fear of deep water

The fear of deep bodies of water may be evolutionarily ingrained.

a close up of a blood vessel with blood vessels.

Health

Man who got the first fecal transplant to cure melanoma shares his experience

“The only options left were experimental approaches in clinical trials.”

Starts With A Bang

No, the laws of physics are not time-symmetric

Whether you run the clock forward or backward, most of us expect the laws of physics to be the same. A 2012 experiment showed otherwise.

Measuring impact

A quick guide to measuring training ROI

Calculating training ROI is rarely straightforward, but this article offers a few best practices for L&D professionals.

a drawing of a spiral with a space in the background.

13.8

The multiverse is cosmology’s unreachable frontier

The multiverse pushes beyond the limits of the scientific method. From our vantage point in the Universe, we cannot know if it’s real.

a man in a lab coat looking at a machine.

Hard Science

Plasma and the strange states of matter made of broken atoms

The familiar terrain of solids, liquids, and gases gives way to the exotic realms of plasmas and degenerate matter.

Hard Science

95% of the Universe is a total mystery

In many ways, we are still novices playing with toy models seeking to understand the stars.

a black and white drawing of a man with a brain on his head.

Neuropsych

The hidden connection between morality and language

Are people are more likely to act less emotionally and more rationally when speaking their second language?

Starts With A Bang

Yes, removing groundwater is changing Earth’s tilt

Despite the enormous mass of the Earth, simply depleting our groundwater is changing our axial tilt. Simple Newtonian physics explains why.

a vase sitting on top of a wooden table.

The Past

What did ancient people eat? Scientists find new clues in old pottery

On the menu: stews, cheese, and fermented drinks.

a collage of a man's face with words all over it.

High Culture

Truly Kafkaesque: Why translating Kafka’s German is nearly impossible

An insect? A vermin? An unwanted animal? What in the world is Franz Kafka talking about?

a couple of heads with different colors and shapes.

The Future

How could we distinguish conscious AI from its zombie equivalent?

The idea that consciousness emerges naturally alongside intelligence could be an anthropocentric distortion.

a blue and pink umbrella laying in the grass.

Health

Transgender detransition is a taboo topic, but data shows it’s on the rise

To advance the gender-affirming healthcare of all those who transition, we must also understand the nature and causes of those who detransition.

two red roosters with their wings spread.

The Learning Curve

6 strategies to manage conflict with emotional intelligence

“Human connection is as threatened by unhealthy peace as it is by unhealthy conflict.” —Priya Parker