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Rhesus monkeys.

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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.

A woman communes with nature.

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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.

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?

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.

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The Andes from above.

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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.

The selfie.

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Culture

Civilization In The Time Of Selfies

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?

Cat and frog.

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.

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

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.

Two young boys at a Cincinnati Reds game.

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Culture

In Praise Of Being Bored

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?

Moss growing on a fallen tree.

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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.

Star field in deep space many light years from the Earth.

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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.

Albert Einstein recognized that space and time can not be easily separated.

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Science

Has Next Tuesday Already Happened?

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.

Epigenetic effects on human development are sometimes attributed to the mother based on values.

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.

Baseball park magic.

iStock

Culture

An Attempt To Explain The Magic Of The Ballpark

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."

There's a debate on college campuses about whether to provide trigger warnings for students on class materials.

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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.

How would life change if humans had "soft immortality?"

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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.

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

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.

Just thinking like a scientist can change decisions you make.

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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.

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.

A star in deep space.

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.

Cartoon scientists dancing.

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Culture

A Lasting Marriage Of Pop Music And Science

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?

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.

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Science

Crocodile Meets Godzilla — A Swimming Dino Bigger Than T. Rex

Workers at the National Geographic Museum in Washington grind the rough edges off a life-size replica of a spinosaurus skeleton.

Sports

Parkour May Run, Flip, Dive And Slide Its Way Into Olympics

A Libyan youth displays his skills in parkour, an extreme sport, during a friendly competition in Tripoli on March 7, 2014.

Health

A Doctor Who Performed Abortions In South Texas Makes His Case

Dr. Lester Minto closes his clinic, Reproductive Services of Harlingen, after 35 years.

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