Latest Posts

Featured

Science & Tech	It Turns Out We Were Born to Groove The evolution of beat perception likely unfolded gradually among primates, reaching its pinnacle in humans. Henkjan Honing \| Dec 14, 2023
Culture	The Hidden Powers of Everyday Ritual Psychological anthropologist Bradd Shore explores the subtle but powerful influence of rituals on shaping our lives. The Editors \| Dec 11, 2023
Science & Tech	A Day in the Life of a Fossil Preparator Although it leaves few written traces, the work of preparing specimens is a crucial component of scientific research. Caitlin Donahue Wylie \| Dec 7, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023
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, 2023