Book Review: The Meandering Path of Human Evolution
In “Transcendence: How Humans Evolved through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time,” science writer Gaia Vince provides a sweeping account of the biological and cultural evolution of humanity, and shows...
View ArticleAs Study Sheds Light on Coronavirus Risks, Misinformation Looms
On Monday, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the most comprehensive information to date on the novel coronavirus that has infected thousands around the world — even as...
View ArticleFor a Change of Heart, Would-Be Egg Donors Face Threats and Bills
Several prospective egg donors say that even though they had not signed contracts, nor started injecting necessary medications, they have been harassed and even threatened with legal action by...
View ArticleIndustrial Pollution Is in Your Blood. Is That a Form of Battery?
In modern law, battery is defined as intentional harmful or offensive contact with another person: If I punch or kick you, for example, that’s clearly battery. But what about a company that...
View ArticleTo Secure Satellites, Bolster Cybersecurity Standards in Space
Satellites have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of everyday life. But a paucity of cybersecurity standards worldwide also leaves them also vulnerable to hackers who could compromise or...
View ArticleThe Disappearing Songs of Hawaii’s Endangered Native Birds
New research finds that different species of honeycreepers on the Hawaiian island of Kauai are singing the same songs, with less complex vocal signals, due to the decreasing size of their populations....
View ArticleThe Solution to Soaring Drug Prices? A Public Option for Pills
With prescription drug costs continuing to grow, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed modest reforms, including pegging drug prices to an international index. But the moment might be ripe...
View ArticleEp. 44: Confronting Knowledge Gaps in Intersex Health Care
This month: The impulse to “fix” intersex infants with invasive surgeries is facing increased and, some would argue, long-overdue scrutiny. As doctors, parents, and intersex people face decisions that...
View ArticleBook Review: A Starry-Eyed Vision of the Future
In “The Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives,” Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler predict the many transformative changes...
View ArticleWith Spread All but Certain, Nations Gird for Coronavirus Impact
Amid a lingering mixture of uncertainty and fear, governments must weigh the potential benefits of epidemiological interventions against the costs of disrupting daily life. Some have erred on the side...
View ArticleIn Gaza, Scanning the Sky for Stars, Not Drones
The past decade in Gaza has seen the birth of educational programs for college students and the wider public. They can be traced back to astrophysicist Suleiman Baraka, whose life’s work — along with...
View ArticleThe Tattoo Artists Who Pick Up Where Doctors Leave Off
From drawing on fingernails for amputees to creating realistic-looking areolas for patients who have had their breasts removed, paramedical tattoo artists use flesh-toned pigments to help people blend...
View ArticleIn the Bombast of an American TV Host, Colonial Science Lives On
Last year, American TV host Forrest Galante claimed to have re-discovered a reptile that had already been documented by a Colombian researcher. Critics say his actions echo a longstanding issue that...
View ArticleEvery Breath You Take: The Economic Case for Marine Life
Virtually all forms of marine life, from whales to mangrove forests, confer discrete and tangible benefits to humans, including the sequestration of greenhouse gas as “blue carbon.” Quantifying these...
View ArticleBook Review: The ‘Pablo Escobar’ of Bird Egg Poaching
In “The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird,” Joshua Hammer recounts the outlandish tale of Jeffrey Lendrum, a notorious smuggler of endangered bird...
View ArticleAs Coronavirus Spreads, Hastily Produced Books Capitalize on Fear
Since December, the novel coronavirus spreading across the globe has infected more than 98,000 people. As fear of a pandemic grows among the public, online marketers are taking note, churning out a...
View ArticleUncertainty and Fear: A Week of Coronavirus News
The news this week was a study in uncertainty. U.S. President Donald J. Trump made sweeping, confident, and sometimes baffling pronouncements. Global stock markets plunged, climbed, then plunged again....
View ArticleInterview: Goop’s Chief Scientist On … Goop and Science
The wellness brand Goop has come under sustained fire for trafficking in pricey, pseudoscientific products and ideas, from energy healing to “super powders.” In 2018, they brought on a scientist with...
View ArticleOur Intimacy with Technology May Enhance Humanity
Many scholars now think we’re entering into a dehumanizing “artificial intimacy” with gadgets, algorithms, and interfaces. But our bonds with technology may actually have roots in an ancient and...
View ArticleAs Covid-19 Fears Mount, a Face Mask Shortage Imperils Research
As cases of Covid-19 continue to bleed supplies of N95 respirators dry, infectious disease researchers are scrambling to amass the safety equipment that keeps them safe during high-risk work — a...
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