Are drugs really frying your brain? What the ‘decade of the brain’ taught us about drug addiction. (Hint, we had it all wrong before.) ▸ 5 min — with Carl Hart
All Videos The drug bible: 10 commandments for safe drug use This man did over 150 drugs to help teach others how to use them safely. ▸ 5 min — with Dominic Milton Trott
The Present The Biden administration is preparing for legal psychedelics within two years Here's what it means for the field.
Health Psychedelic drugs: how to tell good research from bad Which studies are actually worth the hype?
The Present Oregon decriminalizes drugs: Here are 3 metrics other states will track It's "the biggest blow to the war on drugs to date," said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Neuropsych A vaccine for depression Ketamine’s remarkable effect bolsters a new theory of mental illness.
Progress What are the easiest opportunities for progress in your opinion? What are the areas in which a few critical interventions or changes could unlock a disproportionate amount of progress? About the project The goal of driving more progress across the world—scientifically, politically, economically, socially, etc—is one shared by many. And yet, debates about the best way to maximize progress […]
Health 5 drugs that changed the world (and what went wrong) Before anesthetics, some patients would die of the pain on the operating table.
The Present Conspirituality: How New Age conspiracy theories threaten public health A new online religion is spreading misinformation and phony products.
High Culture 4 literary masterpieces whose titles hide a deeper meaning Take a closer look before judging a book by its title.
The Past The high life: Doing drugs with ancient Greeks and Romans Long before tobacco arrived from the Americas, ancient civilizations in the Old World were getting high off hemp smoke and opium.
The Past The story behind the real-life Assassin’s Creed A single knife is sometimes worth more than a thousand armies.
Neuropsych How a global network of “psychedelic centers” could help beat existential anxiety Neuroscientists and artists alike are making the case that we could transform the world through psychedelics.
Neuropsych Hidden trauma: Do psychedelics reveal memories or create fake ones? Here's the thorny reality behind psychedelics' ability to unearth buried memories.
Neuropsych An untold story of LSD psychotherapy in communist Czechoslovakia Uncovering the story of Milan Hausner, the Sadská clinic, and LSD psychotherapy behind the Iron Curtain.
High Culture How Tolkien filled Middle-Earth with a “weird realism” philosophy The One Ring has its own agency and sentience — and it opens up a wonderful philosophy of things beyond our comprehension.
The Past Julius Caesar was once captured by pirates. Then he got revenge. Only Caesar lived to tell the tale.
The Past Is Christianity rooted in psychedelic rituals? In "The Immortality Key," Brian Muraresku speculates that the Eucharist could have once been more colorful.
High Culture 4 writers who pushed dark humor to its absolute limits When done right, dark humor can help us face inconvenient truths and question stifling social conventions.
The Past The 19th-century milk scandal that killed thousands of babies Because the milk was thin and had an unnatural, bluish tint, vendors stirred in additives such as chalk, flour, eggs, and Plaster-of-Paris.
High Culture “Peaky Blinders” was really about learning how to live with PTSD The Netflix show about a Birmingham crime family and their personal demons concluded earlier this month.
Strange Maps A normal tourist map, “but everything is negative” 'Critical Tourist Map of Oslo' offers uniquely dark perspective on Norway's capital.
Health 5 biotech trends to watch in 2023 From synthetic biology to xenotransplantation, biotech will continue to march forward in 2023, in part powered by data and AI.
Thinking What humanity can learn from the “internet” of mushrooms The world is facing many crises, and we should look to natural interdependence and ancient wisdom as we explore science for solutions.
The Past How the CIA used LSD to fight communism Before it fueled Woodstock and the Summer of Love, LSD was brought to America to make spying easier.
The Past How a 1960 traffic stop transformed attitudes on drug addiction Robinson v. California helped to established a rehabilitative ideal: addiction should be dealt with as a therapeutic matter.
The Present Have we reached a humane alternative to the war on drugs? Can treating addiction as a disease work better than treating it as a vice?
High Culture 5 sci-fi utopias that will seduce you (and likely freak you out) Take a trip through these master-crafted fantasy societies and ask yourself: Could I actually live there?
The Past How pirates helped turn the tide of the American Revolution Privateers pillaged British merchant ships in the name of liberty — and profit.