Latest Posts

Culture	Rereading My Childhood Author Timothy C. Baker examines how our childhood reading shapes our memories and the way we see the world. Timothy C. Baker \| Dec 4
Culture	Remembering My Friend Jean-Louis Cohen Thomas Weaver, Senior Acquisitions Editor for Art and Architecture at the MIT Press, reflects on the life and legacy of Jean-Louis Cohen, a hugely influential French architectural historian, curator, writer, and teacher, who died in August. Thomas Weaver \| Dec 2
Science & Tech	Lessons From Lake Tanganyika’s Scale Eating Fish The macabre diets of scale-eating cichlids help shed light on the important role of frequency dependence in shaping genetic variation and the natural world. Jeffrey McKinnon \| Nov 30
Philosophy	The Town Devoted to Philosophy Notes on my winter’s visit to Larung Gar, one of the largest academies of philosophy in history. Matthieu Ricard \| Nov 27
Culture	Michael Taussig’s Delightful Anthropological Postcards A collection of postcards from the renowned anthropologist’s first fully illustrated picture book, “Postcards for Mia." Michael Taussig \| Nov 22
Science & Tech	Will AI Render Programming Obsolete? It's exhilarating to think that, with the help of generative AI, anyone who can write can also write programs. It’s not so simple. Michael L. Littman \| Nov 20
Science & Tech	A Brief 200-Year History of Synesthesia Richard Cytowic, a pioneering researcher who returned synesthesia to mainstream science, traces the historical evolution of our understanding of the phenomenon. Richard E. Cytowic \| Nov 16
Science & Tech	Sea Salt Is No Health Potion Use a little if you like its taste more than regular salt, but do not believe any of the hogwash about its health benefits. Michael F. Jacobson \| Nov 14
Culture	Bruno Latour on Anna Tsing’s ‘The Mushroom at the End of the World’ "It would be a euphemism to say this book is not anthropocentric — it places humanity on another orbit." Bruno Latour \| Nov 9
Science & Tech	How Stories Help Us Make Sense of the World Language doesn't just inform; it transcends individual understanding to construct shared references and shape collective perspectives. N.J. Enfield \| Nov 6
Culture	Stanisław Lem's Prescient Vision of Artificial Life As with the best science fiction, Lem’s novel “The Invincible” has as much to teach us about our present situations as any futures we may face. N. Katherine Hayles \| Nov 2
Culture	The Rhythm of Life at a Homeless Shelter in New England Author and anthropologist Elizabeth Carpenter-Song offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by rural families on the brink of homelessness. Elizabeth Carpenter-Song \| Oct 30