History and Society

History and Society

Map showing regions in Europe and North Africa. Two parts labeled 'a' and 'b' highlight areas with IQ deficit contours. Several crosses are marked on the map.
The Roman Empire at one point emitted roughly 3,600 tons of lead dust per year, causing “widespread cognitive decline.”
Person wearing a light blue suit and floral shirt, flexing both arms, set against a brick wall background.
7mins
From anger to awe: How one woman overcame “debilitating trauma” to conquer a near-impossible 53-hour swim at 64.
A dense star field with various galaxies and cosmic bodies scattered, showcasing a vibrant and colorful view of space. Among them, an isolated galaxy grows in brilliance, capturing the imagination with its distant allure.
Scientists just viewed one of the tiniest, most isolated, lowest-mass galaxies ever found with JWST. Despite all odds, it's still growing.
A group of satellite dishes under a starry sky, capturing celestial signals from star birth.
New telescopes, radio dishes, and gravitational wave detectors are needed for next-generation science. Will the USA lead the way?
A lifelong single with short hair sits alone on a park bench at night, facing away. Bushes and dim lighting surround the scene.
People who've never been partnered tend to be less extraverted, less conscientious, and more neurotic.
Two children displaying defiance as they make faces at each other on the left; a close-up of fingers holding dominoes on the right.
Sunita Sah hopes that by redefining defiance, we can build societies that allow people to live more authentic lives.
Six mesmerizing images, bathed in red hues, reveal distant galaxies—JWST's little red dots. Each is precisely labeled: CEERS 14448, NGDEEP 4321, PRIMER-COS 10539, CEERS 20320, JADES 9186, and PRIMER-UDS 17818—alongside their corresponding redshift values.
The discovery of ultra-bright, ultra-distant galaxies was JWST's first big surprise. They didn't "break the Universe," and now we know why.
A composite image features a stock market graph in the upper half and a black-and-white photo of runners' legs pushing through the pain cave in the lower half.
Resilience isn’t just about pain and perseverance — it’s about embracing the journey.
A digitally altered image blending the flags of China and the United States with pixelated and abstract effects, symbolizing a modern digital cold war.
“Technology has always been co-opted for war, but truly intelligent AI, let alone a superintelligence, is a different beast entirely.”
A bright star emits light in a field of smaller, scattered stars against a dark sky.
Most stars shine with properties, like brightness, that barely change at all with time. The ones that do vary help us unlock the Universe.
Book cover titled “Money on Your Mind: The Psychology Behind Your Financial Habits” by Vicky Reynal, featuring a modern black chaise lounge and a quote review at the top, exploring how emotions like greed shape your financial decisions.
From King Midas to Gordon Gekko, humanity has struggled to grasp greed's true nature.
A superintelligent robot stands against a striking backdrop of red and gray financial graphs and a globe, with the text "The Nightcrawler" boldly emblazoned above.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Large hall with rows of hospital beds occupied by patients and attended by medical staff, likely during an early 20th-century medical crisis.
Caitlin Rivers wants to tell the story of epidemiology and the public health heroes who keep the world safe and healthy.
The cover of "Beyond Stoicism" by Pigliucci, Lopez, and Kunz masterfully blends historical philosopher portraits into a circular design, reflecting the depth and timeless relevance of stoicism.
Pleasure, virtue, and doubt are necessary, but each is insufficient on its own.
A sleek supersonic jet labeled "Overture" by Boom flies above the clouds against a clear blue sky.
"You’ll be able to fly twice as fast as a Boeing or Airbus, and it’ll be like the cost of flying business today."
A person seated in a wheelchair uses a communication device with a Stephen Hawking-like voice, blurred flowers gently framing the scene in the foreground.
Hawking’s refusal to upgrade his communication system preserved a voice that became iconic, not just for its sound, but for the profound identity it conveyed.
A test tube with a clamp holds a clear liquid and a glass rod inside, evoking the precision of nuclear research, set against a neutral background.
A wave of innovation is coursing through the nuclear industry — but ingrained opposition is the biggest roadblock.
A baby with blonde hair and blue eyes looks upward with a curious expression against a blue background.
4mins
“In our current social and physical climate, there's a sense of fatalism, a fear that bringing someone new into the world might be a bad thing.”
Two maps show relative GDP per capita in Europe comparing 1900 and 2010. Darker shades indicate higher GDP relative to the EU average.
In 1900, the UK clearly was the richest country in Europe. That's no longer the case.
Comparison of two 2025 calendars: the left features a full-page format marked with a red X, while the right showcases a compact one-page calendar highlighted with a green checkmark.
It's simpler, more compact, and reusable from year-to-year in a way that no other calendar is. Here's both how it works and how to use it.
Children in a classroom use tablets with headphones while a teacher writes on a chalkboard.
With undersea cables, AI education, and more, the tech giant is helping create Africa’s “digital decade.”
A vintage brass typewriter with exposed keys and mechanisms, evoking a sense of typing consciousness, displayed on a reflective surface.
The Malling-Hansen writing ball, with its potential and limitations, redefined Nietzsche’s philosophical and creative expression.
Multiple country flags on poles against a clear blue sky, representing international diversity and unity.
The nation-state had a good run, but its usefulness may have come to an end.
A bear attempting to catch a jumping fish near a waterfall.
5mins
“While society's been humming along and enjoying all these advances in agriculture and medicine, in the last 50 or 60 years, ecologists have learned a lot about how nature works. I've codified these into a set of rules called the 'Serengeti Rules.'”
A person sits on a sidewalk near an escalator entrance, next to an overturned shopping cart on a metal grate.
An evidence-based policy movement is arming the fight with tools and programs that are more effective than ever before.
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.
Did the Milky Way form by slowly accreting matter or by devouring its neighboring galaxies? At last, we're uncovering our own history.
A man in a suit and tie speaks at a podium with a microphone, gesturing with his right hand.
"Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions."
Known as orphaned planets, rogue planets, or planets without parent stars, these "outliers" might be the most common type of planet overall.
Industrial landscape featuring large smokestacks and various structures of an oil refinery, some incorporating cutting-edge carbon removal technology, set under a cloudy sky.
The carbon market and offsetting system have created “carbon cowboys” and perpetuated forms of neo-colonialism and other inequities.
Image of Earth set against a black background with the text "A Volatile World" in large white letters.
11mins
“We've engineered a volatile world where Starbucks is completely unchanging from year to year, but democracies are collapsing and rivers are drying up.”