iStockphoto Policy Still Now, Should Lab Monkeys Be Deprived Of Their Mothers? by Barbara J. King September 11, 2014 Scientists have known for 50 years that taking baby monkeys from their mothers causes them trauma. Commentator Barbara J. King asks why the practice continues today.
iStock Religion Science And Spirituality: Could It Be? by Marcelo Gleiser September 10, 2014 Commentator Marcelo Gleiser says we must let go of the connection between spirituality and the supernatural and realize that science is an expression of our fascination with the mystery around us.
An artist's view of BoldlyGo's SCIM mission in which a probe would skim the Martian atmosphere capturing dust particles and returning them to Earth. BoldlyGo Institute, Inc. hide caption itoggle caption BoldlyGo Institute, Inc. Science Can We Jump-Start A New Space Age? by Adam Frank September 9, 2014 Looking over the state of U.S. science funding these days, it's hard not to get depressed. But the BoldlyGo Institute challenges us to remember that the stakes are too high to give up.
iStockphoto Religion Awe, With And Without The Gods by Tania Lombrozo September 8, 2014 Awe is often associated with religion and spirituality, but atheists are no less capable of experiencing it. Psychologist Tania Lombrozo considers the common core of religious and scientific awe.
iStock Culture Civilization In The Time Of Selfies by Alva Noë September 6, 2014 News reports this week told of photos of naked celebrities that were stolen and posted online. Separately, we learned that even Neanderthal man made pictures. Why are these images so important?
YouTube Culture The Koan Of The Cat And The Frog by Barbara J. King September 4, 2014 September offers fresh starts and, sometimes, extra stresses. Commentator Barbara J. King says this one-minute video clip will bring us all back to a place of calm.
A view of the Large Hadron Collider in its tunnel at CERN in Switzerland. Martial Trezzini/AP hide caption itoggle caption Martial Trezzini/AP The Challenge Of Betting On A Scientific Idea by Marcelo Gleiser September 3, 2014 In taking sides for or against a theory, scientists place their faith on an idea. Commentator Marcelo Gleiser asks what happens when the idea can't be tested or validated. Is it still science?
Culture Cute Dog Video Answers Mystery Of The Cosmos. Maybe by Adam Frank September 2, 2014 Newton's laws, quantum mechanics, information theory — the fundamental rules of existence — find expression in the human world for human purposes, says commentator Adam Frank.
iStockphoto Culture In Praise Of Being Bored by Alva Noë August 29, 2014 Boredom is increasingly a thing of the past. We've got devices to fill up every instant. Some people say baseball is boring. But maybe its popularity is in the fact that it allows us room to be bored?
iStockphoto Religion Atheists Feel Awe, Too by Barbara J. King August 28, 2014 Some people of faith claim that the world is meaningless without belief in God or gods or an afterlife. Commentator Barbara J. King says the view of some atheists is mirrored in two recent novels.
iStockphoto Science The Universe Is Still Dark After All These Years by Marcelo Gleiser August 27, 2014 We've learned so much, yet we still don't know the composition of 95 percent of the cosmos. Commentator Marcelo Gleiser says it is good to stay humble and keep an open mind as the search continues.
iStockphoto Science Has Next Tuesday Already Happened? by Adam Frank August 26, 2014 Your birth and death define the end points of a line in the four dimensions of space-time, explains commentator Adam Frank. All the moments and all the places in between fill out this line.
iStockphoto Science Using Science To Blame Mothers by Tania Lombrozo August 25, 2014 The complex science of fetal and early childhood development is sometimes distilled into a single, unhelpful message: It's all about mom. Psychologist Tania Lombrozo explains how values can play in.
iStock Culture An Attempt To Explain The Magic Of The Ballpark by Alva Noë August 22, 2014 What makes some middle-aged men and women act like children at the baseball park? Commentator Alva Noë wonders about that distinct attitude of love and longing that we call "being a fan."
iStockphoto Policy Grappling With Trigger Warnings And Trauma On Campus by Barbara J. King August 21, 2014 Are trigger warnings a good idea when teachers ask students to consider material about emotionally wrenching topics? Anthropologist Barbara J. King says yes — in some cases.
iStock Philosophy Soft Immortality: Would You Do It? by Marcelo Gleiser August 20, 2014 Is immortality something desirable, or a many-headed monster? Commentator Marcelo Gleiser says that as medical science extends our lifespan, the question becomes more real all the time.
From the Abu Simbel temples in southern Egypt, dating back to the 13th century B.C. iStockphoto hide caption itoggle caption iStockphoto Culture Lessons From The Last Time Civilization Collapsed by Adam Frank August 19, 2014 Life as we know it is being threatened by everything from climate change to resource depletion. Commentator Adam Frank looks back at 1177 B.C. — and what we might learn from peoples past.
iStock Science Thinking Like A Scientist Can Help Overcome Allure Of Appearances by Tania Lombrozo August 18, 2014 What can a near-encounter with poison hemlock tell us about childhood development and problems of induction? Commentator Tania Lombrozo explains.
Road Through The Valley at Canyonlands National Park. Paul Giamou/iStock hide caption itoggle caption Paul Giamou/iStock Policy Immersion In Nature, Naturally, Can Be Risky by Barbara J. King August 14, 2014 Restorative for the spirit, hiking in the wild involves risks. Though commentator Barbara J. King's husband ran into trouble on the trail recently, she says increased public access is not the answer.
iStockphoto Religion We Don't Need To Be Created To Be Relevant by Marcelo Gleiser August 13, 2014 Life doesn't necessarily lead to intelligence. So, says commentator Marcelo Gleiser, the fact that we are thinking, molecular machines should mean something — and redefine the way we relate.
iStock Culture A Lasting Marriage Of Pop Music And Science by Adam Frank August 12, 2014 These two realms of life may seem like an odd couple. In the spirit of summer's lack of seriousness, astrophysicist Adam Frank reflects on the work of one band that has spent decades linking the two.
Culture Of This And That: Intimacy In Social Media by Tania Lombrozo August 11, 2014 That moment when you first open Twitter. Commentator Tania Lombrozo takes a look at the language of social media.
Culture Is Wine-Tasting Junk Science? by Alva Noë August 8, 2014 Recent studies have given the field a bad rap as of late. Commentator Alva Noë says the problem is not with the idea of connoisseurship but with an underlying picture of how perception works.