The Man Who Loved PhysicsBy Alan Lightman Several years ago, I attended a Buddhist retreat in which I was introduced to the idea of the “retinue,” a constellation of influential…

Arguably the best prescription to improve the situation facing women in science is for there to be more women in science.Oleg Golovnev / ShutterstockThe increasing visibility of women…

Scientists have now produced apparently effective vaccines at sufficient scale to vaccinate most vulnerable populations in the United States in the next few months, and the U.S. population…

Chess offers a unique opportunity. It could perhaps be the ultimate window through which we might see how our mental powers shift during our lives.Screengrab via YouTube / NetflixIn…

On May 29, 1810, Katherine Fritsch, a sister in the Moravian Church, boarded a coach in Lititz, Pennsylvania, along with a group of her friends and began the 75-mile trek to Philadelphia.…

Political life is increasingly sectarian, unhinged from the reality and magnitude of policy disagreements.“Foundation of the American Government,” by John Henry Hintermeister…

The word lox was one of the clues that eventually led linguists to discover who the Proto-Indo-Europeans were, and where they lived.Photograph by Helen Cook / FlickrOne of my favorite…

Sparingly these days do I find myself thinking I’ve got some time to kill. Time has a way of making itself scarce. I’m like some Pleistocene hunter-gatherer, always scavenging…

That Trump’s ship is sinking is now a widespread public perception.Photograph by Gage Skidmore / FlickrDuring the pandemic, I’ve been participating in weekly Zoom calls with…

The emotional connection between hunter and hunted raises important questions about what happens when an animal species disappears—what is the human response to such ill-fate?Wellcome…