Guest Thinkers — September 1, 2010

One more Chaiten Image

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

NASA captured this great image of the ash plume from Chaiten, which has reached 15-km into the atmosphere.

Chaiten from space

Following this eruption, I’m sure there will be a lot of work into why no one had any clue an eruption of this magnitude was about to occur.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Silhouette of a person against a blue background, overlaid with white node and line networks.

Thinking

Mechanized minds: AI’s hidden impact on human thought

While we’re busy wondering whether machines will ever become conscious, we rarely stop to ask: What happens to us?

Yellow and black bird perched on a thin branch surrounded by green leaves.

The Present

How tech is turning science into a hobby

Off-the-shelf consumer technology is helping people pursue their interests — and advancing science at the same time.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: How do scientists color the Universe?

When we see pictures from Hubble or JWST, they show the Universe in a series of brilliant colors. But what do those colors really tell us?

People walking on a city street with steam rising from vents create a scene reminiscent of an omics exposome research study. A woman in a white beanie looks back as buildings and traffic form the vibrant backdrop.

Health

The next omics? Tracking a lifetime of exposures to better understand disease

Of the millions of substances people encounter daily, health researchers have focused on only a few hundred. Those in the emerging field of exposomics want to change that.

A silhouette of a person stands in front of three closed doors in a dimly lit room. White swirling lines surround the figure, adding a sense of motion and mystery to the scene.

Thinking

Are your moral choices driven by logic or emotion?

In the 18th century, David Hume argued that we are only motivated to do good when our passions direct us to do so. Was he right?

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Guest Thinkers

And that about wraps it up for Redoubt

Photo: The north flank of Mount Redoubt in early February 2009. Credit: Chris Waythomas / Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey I’ve been following the waxing and waning of activity at […]