Mind & Society
Why AI-written essays leave nothing in your head
A psychologist explains why memory is a byproduct of thinking, and why handing an essay to AI means you remember almost nothing of it.
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Space
Why Alien Life Probably Isn't Made of Rock
Silicon is more common than carbon in Earth's crust, yet life never used it. An astronomer explains why silicon locks into stone and carbon stays flexible.
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History & Archaeology
Writing began as a shepherd's receipt for 71 sheep
The first thing humans ever wrote down was a number. Olga Popova explains how pebbles in clay balls, and a flock of sheep, led to the first writing.
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Life & Evolution
Stressed Mice Passed Their Anxiety to Pups Through Sperm RNA
Mice exposed to stress had pups that were anxious from birth. Biologist Aleksey Shatskikh explains how small RNAs in sperm can carry that signal to the embryo.
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Technology & AI
Why a million-token AI forgets what you told it
A model that can take a million tokens may use only 5–10% of them well. Mikhail Burtsev on why attention blurs, and why a fresh chat often beats a long one.
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Mind & Society
Could you feel your partner's dopamine level directly?
Max Talanov, a neural network researcher, wants a brain-to-brain link that passes on neuromodulator levels, so we could finally feel what another person feels.
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History & Archaeology
The Gods Flooded the Earth Because Humans Were Too Loud
In the Mesopotamian flood story of Atrahasis, the gods did not punish sin. Humans multiplied, got too loud, and the gods drowned them for some quiet.
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Mind & Society
Chairs and Trees Don't Exist in Physics. Your Neurons Made Them
A hungry rabbit, two pedals and a cell that fires for "any pedal". Konstantin Anokhin on how neurons build red, chairs and people that physics doesn't contain.
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Earth & Climate
Why the Sea Drains Away Just Before a Tsunami Hits
When the sea pulls back from the shore, the seabed near the coast has just sunk. An oceanologist explains why the water falls first and the big wave follows.
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