Can we build a Metaverse that’s GOOD? Expert Matthew Ball explains how the Metaverse is a golden opportunity to fix the internet. ▸ 4 min — with Matthew Ball
Starts With A Bang Starts With A Bang Podcast #86 – Stars in the Universe It’s the very closest stars to us that hold the key to unlocking the possibilities for life in star systems all throughout the Universe.
Health Acne is a “disease of Western civilization.” Is overwashing to blame? People living in non-industrialized societies don’t get pimples.
Hard Science China has discovered a brand new Moon mineral It could one day fuel nuclear fusion reactors.
Life Pando, the world’s largest organism, has stopped growing Pando is a stand of aspen in Utah that is 14,000 years old and weighs 12 million pounds. Humans threaten to end its long reign.
The Present The credibility of science is damaged when universities brag about themselves The “attention economy” corrupts science.
High Culture Was the mysterious, $450-million “Salvator Mundi” really painted by Leonardo da Vinci? “Salvator Mundi” sold for a record-breaking $450 million in 2017, but is it really as valuable as people were led to believe?
Google’s secret “Project Maven”: Evil—or moral? The U.S. military once used Google’s tech without their employees knowing. Anna Butrico explains the complicated history behind “Project Maven.” ▸ with Anna Butrico
Starts With A Bang Ask Ethan: How does the CMB prove the Big Bang? In the 20th century, many options abounded as to our cosmic origins. Today, only the Big Bang survives, thanks to this critical evidence.
Sponsored The Wizard of Oz is a story about the dangers of the gold standard Reading between the lines of Dorothy’s adventure to the Emerald City.
High Culture What is modern art about — and why won’t it go away already? Modernism has lasted longer than any art movement since the Renaissance.
Strange Maps After oil and gas, Europe is now running out of wind You might think it’s impossible to run out of wind, but Europe’s “wind drought” proves otherwise. And it’s only going to get worse.
Starts With A Bang Laser energy will never exceed this ultimate limit Amplifying the energy within a laser, over and over, won’t get you an infinite amount of energy. There’s a fundamental limit due to physics.
13.8 NASA’s DART: A giant leap for mankind in protecting Earth from an asteroid impact This technological feat changes our cosmic history.
The Learning Curve Women face 5 biases in STEM. Here’s how to bridge the gender gap. Women have made incredible gains into STEM fields, but they continue to face gender biases in the workplace.
All Videos “I don’t have imposter syndrome and neither do you” An inclusion expert explains why women of color are held back. ▸ 7 min — with Ruchika T. Malhotra
Starts With A Bang Why the Moon’s two faces are so different The far side of the Moon is incredibly different from the Earth-facing side. 63 years later, we know why the Moon’s faces are not alike.
Neuropsych Even your hands betray your emotions If you’re trying to hide how you feel about something, be careful with your hands.
The Present Stanford engineers warn that electric car charging could crash a grid powered by renewable energy Most electric car charging is done at night. A grid powered mostly by renewable energy might not be able to meet demand, but there is a solution.
Neuropsych When Harvard psychologists declared war on Sigmund Freud, Freud won Sigmund Freud developed the decidedly unscientific principles of psychoanalysis in a time when most psychologists were trying to join the ranks of chemists and medical doctors.
Hard Science Where is the center of the Universe? Here, there, and everywhere The Big Bang is commonly misunderstood, warping our understanding about the Universe’s size and shape.
Starts With A Bang The fundamental problem with gravity and quantum physics We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: General Relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don’t work together.
Neuropsych 5 reasons talking to yourself is good for you Talking to yourself seems to yield real benefits, from boosts in cognitive performance to improved emotional regulation.
Strange Maps This shell is not just a symbol, but also a map Scallop shells have accompanied pilgrims to and from Santiago de Compostela for centuries, for more than one reason
The Well Why consciousness is one of the most divisive issues in science today Is science destined to crack the code of consciousness—and how would we even go about it? ▸ 8 min — with Max Tegmark
Health Gene therapy partially restores function to color receptors in color blind children The researchers and patients are excited to see if color vision will develop over time.
Thinking “But you did it first!”: A defense of the whataboutism We could even benefit from more whataboutisms — if they’re used properly.
Starts With A Bang The biggest challenges of redirecting a killer asteroid Sooner or later, Earth is going to be hit by a large enough space object to cause significant damage to humanity. Stopping them isn’t easy.
Neuropsych Testosterone-injected gerbils become extra-cuddly, “super partners” The recipe for a perfect date night: a rom-com, a bowl of popcorn, and a syringe of testosterone — at least for gerbils, anyway.
Health An old anti-psychotic offers a new way to treat chronic pain Fluphenazine, once used to treat schizophrenia, is capable of blocking a compound connected to chronic pain.