ADVERTISEMENT
Armchair Virologists
Armchair Virologists
Pretending to be a javelin aficionado is one thing. Professing to have real insight into the ongoing pandemic is quite another.
Armchair Virologists
Armchair Virologists

Pretending to be a javelin aficionado is one thing. Professing to have real insight into the ongoing pandemic is quite another.

Pretending to be a javelin aficionado is one thing. Professing to have real insight into the ongoing pandemic is quite another.

culture

Book Excerpt from Some Assembly Required
Neil Shubin | Jun 1, 2020 | 4 min read
In the prologue to the book, author Neil Shubin sets the stage for discussing the iterative repurposing that marks several transformational developments throughout evolution.
Revolutionary Repurposing
Neil Shubin | Jun 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Evolution needn’t make improbable leaps to facilitate transitions into uncharted biological territory. Adapting new uses for existing structures works just fine.
Book Excerpt from The Idea of the Brain
Matthew Cobb | May 1, 2020 | 4 min read
In Chapter 10, “Memory," author Matthew Cobb takes readers inside a couple of seminal moments in the scientific search for memory’s mechanics.
Where Do Our Memories Live?
Matthew Cobb | May 1, 2020 | 3 min read
A new book explores research through the ages that has tried to map the intricacies of the human brain, including pinpointing the seat of memory.
Book Excerpt from The Waterside Ape
Peter Rhys-Evans | Apr 1, 2020 | 4 min read
In Chapter 11, “Surfer’s Ear,” author Peter Rhys-Evans describes a key piece of evidence he says supports his hypothesis of a brief period of semi-aquatic living in early hominins.
Did Human Evolution Include a Semi-Aquatic Phase?
Peter Rhys-Evans | Apr 1, 2020 | 3 min read
A recent book outlines fossil evidence supporting the controversial hypothesis.
Book Excerpt from Tree Story
Valerie Trouet | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
In Chapter 5, “The Messiah, the Plague, and Shipwrecks under the City,” author Valerie Trouet tells the tale of wooden structures crafted by Europeans millennia ago and how dendrochronology helped determine their age.
Confessing to Plant Blindness
Bob Grant | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
I have taken plants for granted. I pledge to change.
Opinion: Tree Rings as Soothsayers
Valerie Trouet | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Not only can studying the growth patterns obscured within tree trunks tell us about the past, the field can also help us plan for the future.
Opinion: Crafting a Cure for Plant Blindness
M. Timothy Rabanus-Wallace | Mar 1, 2020 | 5 min read
The plant awareness revolution will be led by poets, philosophers, and hipsters; not just scientists.
Book Excerpt from Drugs Without the Hot Air
David Nutt | Feb 24, 2020 | 4 min read
In Chapter 14, author David Nutt describes the opioid crisis currently besetting the US.
Opinion: Governments Should Rethink Drug Policies
David Nutt | Feb 24, 2020 | 5 min read
Draconian drug laws harm citizens the world over. It’s high time to use sound science to change the landscape of prohibition.
It Takes Less Than 30 Days to Compost a Human Body
Jef Akst | Feb 17, 2020 | 2 min read
In a small trial of deceased volunteers, a Seattle-based company called Recompose demonstrates that its method for “natural organic reduction” of a human body completely breaks down soft tissue.
female scientists looking at computers
Scientists Report Stress, Bullying, and Harassment in New Survey
Amy Schleunes | Jan 15, 2020 | 2 min read
The results shed light on a research culture that encourages “unkind and aggressive conditions.”
Ten Minute Sabbatical
The Scientist | Jan 13, 2020 | 2 min read
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
Book Excerpt from Physical Intelligence
Scott Grafton | Jan 13, 2020 | 5 min read
In Chapter 2, “Surfaces,” author Scott Grafton describes the ancient process of action perception, which helps organisms navigate their environments.
Why Do We Forget How to Walk on Ice?
Scott Grafton | Jan 13, 2020 | 3 min read
A new book explores the crosstalk between mind and body and how it helps humans navigate their worlds.
Medicare For All: A Scientist’s Take
The Scientist | Dec 31, 2019 | 1 min read
Rachel Madley, a Columbia University PhD student, discusses her views on access to healthcare.
Book Excerpt from What Science Is and How It Really Works
James C. Zimring | Dec 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Author James Zimring challenges the notion of "known" scientific entities.
ADVERTISEMENT