Search
History and Society
A researcher weighs in on who’s accountable, when and why, in the eyes of the law — and whether the measures work as intended.
The Moon is the most likely place for evidence from the dawn of life on Earth to be preserved in cold storage.
Should social media platforms have the right to decide what speech to allow online? Should the government?
10mins
Dr. Jen Gunter debunks the most common myths about menstruation.
Are fava beans and chianti really the best pairing for human liver?
The Universe's history, from cosmic inflation to the Big Bang to the present, is known. But whether it's infinite or not is still a mystery.
An excerpt from renowned neuropsychologist Nicholas Humphrey’s book “Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness.”
The future belongs to complexity.
Although the Big Bang occurred at an instant in time long ago, we still see the light from it. Will the evidence ever disappear completely?
Known as hypervelocity stars, we originally thought just one would be ejected every 100,000 years. The real number is much greater.
Northern lights in the American South, clusters of huge geomagnetic storms—the Sun is throwing a tantrum right on schedule.
Just being a pessimist, cynic, or apathetic doesn't make you a nihilist.
To know how to protect its astronauts, NASA needs to first understand the threat.
The acceptance of death is deeply embedded in our culture; it's time to overthrow that idea.
God is not a vending machine, but is it wrong to treat him like one?
12mins
Is “identity synthesis” the remedy for racial injustice? This political scientist says no.
While weltschmerz — literally "world-pain" — may be unpleasant, it can also spur us to change things for the better.
Misinterpreted data may be distorting Western predictions about the future of China's economy.
On June 20, 2024, the summer solstice occurs at its earliest moment since 1796: when George Washington was President of the USA. Here's why.
Tech entrepreneur Alvin Wang Graylin sketches out a bold new age of AI-led enlightenment underscored by compassion.
From Nick Carraway to Charles Marlow, these side characters offered truths their scene-stealing protagonists couldn't.
7mins
“If given a chance, nature can rebound, and nature can rebound dramatically.” Biologist Sean B. Carroll discusses the resilience of nature and how humans can help it thrive. Humans litter, […]
A reader asks whether we have an ethical responsibility to always debate bad beliefs, especially those that come from our elders.
The road from Kant to modern cognitive psychology has taught us much about our mental filtering systems.
If you bring too much mass or energy together in one location, you'll inevitably create a black hole. So why didn't the Big Bang become one?
The Universe is precisely dated at 13.8 billion years old, but astronomers claim the Methuselah star is 14.5 billion years old. What gives?
Ancient currents seemed to move in concert with a 2.4 million-year dance between the Red Planet and Earth.
The preservation and celebration of life, and not greed, should be our primary decision-making value.
How (not) to end up in the ash heap of history.
Because of their large and unfriendly neighbor to the east, the Baltics would rather be Scandinavian.