Black Holes Ain’t So Black
February 7, 2020
Marcia Bartusiak— Gamma rays from deep space were discovered by accident in the early 1970s. A group of United States satellites called Vela (“watch” or “vigil” in Spanish) had been… READ MORE
Category: Science
Scientific Revelation through a Disproven Theory
February 6, 2020
Gregory J. Gbur— Sometimes, the development of a revolutionary idea in science comes from first pursuing a very wrong idea. One example of this is the discovery of brain localization:… READ MORE
Coronavirus and Autocracy
February 5, 2020
Frank M. Snowden— Some features of “Wuhan virus” are now apparent. In early December it began its career as a human disease after a “spillover” from its natural animal reservoir—possibly… READ MORE
Why We Can’t Forget about the Brain
January 21, 2020
Iain McGilchrist— It might seem reductive to link the highest achievements of the human mind, in philosophy and the arts, to the structure of the brain. I believe it is… READ MORE
Addicted to Distraction
January 15, 2020
Judson Brewer— This is where the magic happens. Once behavior and reward are paired, the dopamine neurons change their phasic firing pattern to respond to stimuli that predict rewards. Enter… READ MORE
Climate Change Street Fighters
January 14, 2020
Michael Mendez— No other politico in Washington, DC, has moved the issue of climate change to a national platform of prominence so quickly as Democratic Congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her… READ MORE
My Doctor Told Me the Cost of the Appointment . . . Give or Take $200!
January 13, 2020
Peter A. Ubel— I had a persistent skin condition, and my dermatologist thought I should see someone with more experience caring for that kind of lesion. So, I went to… READ MORE
How Soon Will We Make Artificial Brains?
December 6, 2019
Michael D. Mauk— Artificial minds are all the rage in books and movies. The popularity of characters such as Commander Data of Star Trek Next Generation reveals how much we… READ MORE
Who Owns Software?
December 3, 2019
Gerardo Con Diaz— When we own something, we can usually explain what that thing is. My car is an object that I recognize, and the blog posts I write are… READ MORE
Urbanization and Sustainability
November 27, 2019
Steward Pickett— Sustainability has become one of the touchstones of the twenty-first century. As the human inhabitants of the planet consume an ever-larger share of the Earth’s resources and increasingly… READ MORE
A Conversation with Trudier Harris on Bigger: A Literary Life