Words of Wisdom — March 31, 2014

Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Universe

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

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.

Starts With A Bang

Our Universe has more galaxies than Carl Sagan ever imagined

Forget billions and billions. When it comes to the number of galaxies in the Universe, both theorists’ and observers’ estimates are too low.

Starts With A Bang

Most planets in the Universe are orphans without parent stars

Known as orphaned planets, rogue planets, or planets without parent stars, these “outliers” might be the most common type of planet overall.

Illustration of a person standing on a ladder inside a large head with a maze-like brain exposed, symbolizing introspection or exploration of the mind.

Neuropsych

Is teaching psychology a waste of time?

When appraising human behavior, people tend to forgo the lessons of psychology in favor of assumption and anecdote.

The letters "AI" appear with a glitch effect in multicolored pixels against a black background.

The Present

AI skeptic Gary Marcus on AI’s moral and technical shortcomings

The cognitive scientist argues the current AI environment is failing us as consumers and a society. But it’s not too late to change course.

Up Next

The Scholar-Athlete Becomes a Unionized Employee

A regional division of the NLRB has ruled that Northwestern’s football players are more like employees of the university than students. So they are entitled to unionize and bargain collectively […]