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Marco Giancotti

Marco Giancotti is a freelance writer, product manager, and aphant living in Japan. He has graduate degrees in astrophysics and aerospace engineering—both of which happen to rely on equations more than on mental pictures. He is working on an accessible reframing of key science insights on his website, Plankton Valhalla (which, yes, does contain lots of visualizations). Follow him on Twitter @marco_giancotti.

How Optimists Are Alike

Your brain and the Anna Karenina effect

July 24, 2025

When Logic Beats Imagination

Sometimes picturing things in your mind is counterproductive.

July 31, 2024

My Brain Doesn’t Picture Things

I can’t imagine sights, smells, or sounds. What’s wrong with me?

October 4, 2023