Surprising Science — February 4, 2011

Cancer Isn’t a Disease; It’s Part of You

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Cancer cells are your own body, your own cells, just misbehaving and going a bit wrong. Therefore, we don’t need to cure cancer, just control it.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Two colorful cells with purple nuclei, green cell edges, and radiating filament structures against a black background.

Health

When muscles work out, they help neurons to grow

The findings suggest that biochemical and physical effects of exercise could help heal nerves.

A golden-brown turkey being carefully lowered into a metal pot outdoors, ready for a deep fry amidst the grassy area and wooden fence.

Starts With A Bang

What happens if you deep fry a frozen turkey?

It’s the ultimate setup for a Thanksgiving Day disaster. The physics of water and its solid, liquid, and gas phases compels us not to do it.

The Present

Microplastic overload: Is cutting production the only realistic way to curb pollution?

On November 25, U.N. members will meet in South Korea to cap off a series of meetings aiming to reduce global plastic pollution.

A silhouette of a person with glowing orange eyes against a brightly lit office window exudes an aura of power, casting dramatic shadows that heighten the room's awareness.

Business

How leaders can avoid a power-driven descent from hero to villain

If you have any sort of power for any reasonable length of time, you will be changed by it — awareness of the effects is crucial.

A gloved hand grips a vaccine-loaded syringe, framed by a red-tinted portrait of a historical figure in the center and a grainy black-and-white landscape on the right.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: When should you try to change your friend’s beliefs?

“I have a friend who thinks vaccines cause autism,” writes Nina. “What can I do?”

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

The President Who Does Gets Egypt

Perhaps it is the fate of political leaders never to receive praise when praise is due. Certainly not in the West, and most certainly not in Anglo American politics. Essentially […]