Humans As Drivers of Evolution
“Anthropogenic,” meaning of human causes, is generally used to refer to climate change. But it also covers the powerful evolutionary force that is humanity.
AI and the Creative Process: Part One
How does generative artificial intelligence upend conventional understandings of who is and what makes for a true artist?
How Upper Lips Got Stiff
The truism that “boys don’t cry” is a Western social convention. Colonialism and imperialism made sure it spread East.
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: Annotated
Jonathan Edwards’s sermon reflects the complicated religious culture of eighteenth-century America, influenced not just by Calvinism, but Newtonian physics as well.
Beth Macy’s Raising Lazarus on the Overdose Crisis
Dopesick author Beth Macy takes a deeper look at the opioid crisis in Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis.
Why Aren’t There More Dogs at the Doctor’s Office?
Dogs can use their superb sense of smell to identify disease in human patients. What’s keeping them from using this ability in the healthcare industry?
Why Do Vaccination Rates Plateau?
Two experts discovered a paradox that can lead people to think disease isn't a problem.
Is Disgust Related to Morality?
The disgust response acts as a behavioral immune system, protecting us from disease, but produces strong reactions to perceived out-groups.
How Scientists Tried to Find a Universal Flu Vaccine
The quest to “conquer” influenza with a shot that could be used every year started out with high hopes, and ended up a hot mess.
The Global Suppression of Indigenous Fire Management
Indigenous peoples' techniques to manage and benefit from fire are threatened, even as wildfires burn more frequently and intensely.