History & Society

History & Society

Trace how culture, power, and ideas shape societies across time.

life mars
Was there ever life on Mars? Is there life on Mars now? Did it originate there or here, on Earth? All possibilities are fascinating.
repeat lie
It doesn't matter how ridiculous a lie is. As long as it is repeated often enough, some people will believe it.
predict who wins the bachelor
The researchers consumed a lot of wine while watching 15 seasons of the show.
psychopathy
Instead of a mental illness, some research suggests that psychopathy — in moderation — is a reasonable life strategy.
internet language
You better like and share this article lol.
In a new book, an MIT scholar examines how game-theory logic underpins many of our seemingly odd and irrational decisions.
Israel looks to deploy its “Iron Beam” air-defense system within the year.
Presidential gravesites are spread out “democratically” — but this is more by accident than design.
Research shows that octopuses are sentient, emotional creatures.
alien messages
There are pros and cons to sending interstellar messages to aliens that may or may not exist.
heavy neutral atom
Every timekeeping device works via a version of a pendulum — even the atomic clocks that are accurate to nanoseconds.
invisibility cloak
Two types of nanotechnology, metalenses and metamaterials, could soon make Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a reality.
russia cancelled
Some question the ethics of sanctions aimed at cancelling Russian art and culture and punishing ordinary citizens.
You can’t control external threats, but you can manage how you prepare and respond to the risk.
extraterrestrial
It didn't look like anything I'd seen before, but I'd be a great fool to consider "aliens" as a reasonable possibility.
nanofabricators
Today, we could use Big Data to radically reform democracy. Tomorrow, we could build nanofabricators and usher in an era of abundance. Is society ready?
volcano dinosaurs
Volcanic activity caused the end-Triassic mass extinction 200 million years ago. The dinosaurs survived and rose to dominance.
Democrat elephant faces the Republican donkey
People underestimate their opponent’s capacity to feel basic human sensations. We can short-circuit this impulse through moral reframing and perspective taking.