Observations
How a Flawed Experiment “Proved” That Free Will Doesn’t Exist
It did no such thing—but the result has become conventional wisdom nevertheless
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Observations
Could Fruit Flies Reveal the Hidden Mechanisms of the Mind?
New understandings in neurobiology are emerging from experiments on Drosophila, raising hopes the tiny insect will aid insights into human cognition and dementia
Observations
Long Live the Multiverse!
The idea that our universe is just part of a much vaster cosmos has a long history—and it’s still very much with us
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The Downside of Tech Hype
It makes it harder for scientists, engineers and policy makers to understand how technology is changing and make good decisions
How Video Games Can Teach Us to Play Well with Others
What I learned from a game that brings the phenomenon of implicit bias vividly to life
Sampling Kilauea’s Infant Crater Lake
Wherein we get our first look at what Kilauea’s new crater lake is made of
Why Is Same-Sex Sexual Behavior So Common in Animals?
It’s long been considered an evolutionary puzzle, but new research suggests this may be the wrong way to think about it
The Media’s Coverage of AI is Bogus
Claims that machine learning can predict sexuality, psychosis, and more are greatly overblown
The “Hobbit” at 15
A shocking discovery made a decade and a half ago is changing our understanding of human evolution
Blindness in Kashmir
A doctor mourns a wholly avoidable epidemic of visual and moral impairment
Introducing the December 2019 Issue
Fire tornadoes, the black hole paradox, GPS under attack, and more
When We Finally Find Aliens, They Might Smell Terrible
A better understanding of what gases to search for in exoplanet atmospheres is key to locating extraterrestrial life
October 2019: Earth’s Second Warmest October on Record
The year 2019 is very likely to be Earth’s second warmest on record, behind 2016
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A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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