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A Closer Look at the Science of Mirror Neurons
The brain cells once alleged to explain empathy, autism, and theory of mind are being refined and redefined.
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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The Soviet Rebel of Music
He composed on a computer in a dangerous time. His echo is still heard today.
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How Whales Could Help Us Speak to Aliens
Learning to decode complex communication on Earth may give us a leg up if intelligent life from space makes contact.
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The End of the Dark Universe?
A new “post-quantum” theory of gravity says we can wave dark matter and dark energy goodbye.
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Consciousness, Creativity, and Godlike AI
American writer Meghan O’Gieblyn on when the mind is alive.
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Does Science Fiction Shape the Future?
Conversations with visionary science fiction authors on the social impact of their work.
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The Marvelous Seamounts of the Southeast Pacific
An expedition to a little-explored region returns with deep-sea wonders.
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The Ocean Apocalypse Is Upon Us, Maybe
What we know—and don’t know—about a crucial climate tipping point.
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The Case for Scientific Transculturalism
Life will stand a better chance against climate change if we mix big- and small-picture thinking.
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Do Our Oceans Feel the Tug of Mars?
Ancient currents seemed to move in concert with a 2.4 million-year dance between the Red Planet and Earth.
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Let’s Get Granular
Scientists have long puzzled over the behavior of mixed particles in rivers and landslides. New clues could be groundbreaking.
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How a Hurricane Brought Monkeys Together
This island of macaques rebuilt their social networks after calamity.
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The Invasive Species
When it comes to tinkering with nature, our résumé is a list of breathtaking mistakes.
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The Astonishing Ways Animals Use Social Networks
Lee Alan Dugatkin on his 3 greatest revelations while writing The Well-Connected Animal. -
Why AI Can Never Make Humans Obsolete
A conversation with Issue 55 cover artist Angie Wang. -
A Buffer Zone for Trees
How frosty pockets in valleys could help protect some trees against climate change. -
How Melting Ice Has Altered Time-Keeping
Climate change could upend how we synchronize global clocks forever. -
Color-Coding Crops for Climate Change
Novel ways to use gene-editing to make farming more sustainable. -
Why Animals Run Faster than Robots
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. -
The Curious Life of a Singing Fish
Plainfin midshipman fish migrate from the deep sea to spawn—and then things get weird. -
Insects and Other Animals May Have Consciousness
A new consensus emerges. -
Sardines Are Feeling the Squeeze
Climate change and overfishing are decimating sardines in the Philippines. -
I Never Stopped Learning from Daniel Dennett
Reflections on a philosopher who believed we can solve the problem of consciousness. -
10 Brilliant Insights from Daniel Dennett
A glimpse of a mind jammed to the rafters with ideas. -
Making Light of Gravity
Physicist Claudia de Rham on her 3 greatest revelations while writing The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity. -
The Age of Rebellion
The surprising relationship between age and success in rebellions. -
The Feminist Botanist
A 19th-century tale of hermaphrodite flowers, Charles Darwin, and women’s right to vote. -
The Psychology of Getting High—a Lot
Time to extinguish the slacker cliche. -
The Shark Whisperer
Donald Nelson spent his life undoing the damage that Jaws did to the perception of sharks. -
Nine Rebel Astronomy Theories That Went Dark
Bright ideas from astronomy’s biggest stars haven’t always worked out. -
The Part-Time Climate Scientist
A humble steam engineer put humans in the driver’s seat. -
The Bad Trip Detective
The researcher delving into the downsides of psychedelic drugs. -
A Revolution in Time
Why clocks need to follow the tempo of nature.