All Articles
What Can Night-Shift Workers Do to Feel Better?
One question for Sarah Chellappa, a neuroscientist at the University of Cologne.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Our Solar System’s Demise
First the oceans boil off. Then things really get serious.
How Shannon Entropy Imposes Fundamental Limits on Communication
What’s a message, really? Claude Shannon recognized that the elemental ingredient is surprise.
The Real Magic of Rituals
We might call them superstitions or spells, but they genuinely drum anxiety away.
What Is Misinformation Doing to Us?
One question for Daniel Williams, a philosopher at the University of Cambridge.
The Trouble With “The Big Bang”
A rash of recent articles illustrates a longstanding confusion over the famous term.
Targeting Cancer’s Achilles Heel
Biden’s Cancer Moonshot aims to cut annual deaths in half. Scientists have the goal in their sights.
What Do Dolphins Talk About?
In the latest episode of the Ignorance podcast, Diana Reiss takes us behind the scenes with some chatty dolphins.
Why Should We Delay Gratification?
One question for Yuko Munakata, a psychologist at the University of California, Davis and director of the Cognition in Context Lab.
To Save the Deep Ocean, We Should Mine the Moon
The moon contains a lot of mineral wealth—but how practical is mining it?