Welcome to The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science.
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Laughing Apes Take Risks
Hearing the sounds of chuckles may make our bonobo cousins think on the bright side
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Chasing Lost Languages
Author Laura Spinney on the 3 greatest revelations she had while writing Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global
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Ancient Seas Hosted the Ultimate Squid Game
100 million years ago, the charismatic cephalopods ruled Earth’s oceans
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Your Mind Is Part of the Ecosystem
Recognizing the link between mental and ecological health can change how we relate to the world and ourselves -
We Didn’t Start the Fire
But our ancient ancestors set the world ablaze 50,000 years ago -
Rethinking the Big Bang
The largest map of the universe reveals giants at the birth of the universe -
An Elephant’s Tusk Never Forgets
A simple test can peek into ivory to detect deception -
The Weird Cooling Effect of Wildfires
Smoke and dust from fires could block the sun, but that’s not necessarily a good thing
