Guest Thinkers — September 1, 2010

Quick update for 2/23/2010

Nothing like the flu to get you off track

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Posts might be a little sparse for the next few days – I’m recovering from a rather nasty bout with a flu-type thing, so I’m fallen behind in pretty much everything. I’ll try to get back up to speed here in a few days, but if you run across any fascinating volcano news, feel free to post it here.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A person sits on a sidewalk near an escalator entrance, next to an overturned shopping cart on a metal grate.

The Present

Can science solve the poverty problem?

An evidence-based policy movement is arming the fight with tools and programs that are more effective than ever before.

In the depths of space, a spiral galaxy twists like a cosmic Kraken, its bright core and distinct arms encircled by a sea of stars against the dark expanse.

Starts With A Bang

Devouring “the Kraken” led to the modern Milky Way

Did the Milky Way form by slowly accreting matter or by devouring its neighboring galaxies? At last, we’re uncovering our own history.

A red number 5 with orange flames extending from the left on a dark background, symbolizing the fiery drive to improve company culture.

Business

5 ways to rapidly improve your company culture

Don’t become one of those organizations that slouches toward positive behavioral change — here’s how to move fast.

A digital illustration of a human brain with blue veins and a glowing light at the top, set against a black background.

The Future

How Neuralink’s chief competitor is tapping into the brain without surgery

“Neurotech is not just about the brain,” says Synchron CTO Riki Banerjee, explaining how their tech can help with paralysis, brain diseases, and beyond.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Do gravitons need to exist?

Electromagnetism, both nuclear forces, and even the Higgs force are mediated by known bosons. What about gravity? Does it require gravitons?

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Friday Flotsam: Another rumbling Russian and tossing nuclear waste into volcanoes

The latest USGS/SI volcano report, how we use the magnetism of minerals to tell us about a volcano and should we dispose of nuclear waste by throwing it into a volcano (?!)