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In Praise of Distracted Meditation
As with most things in life, when it comes to meditating, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
What the “Grievance Studies” Hoax Actually RevealsThe headline-grabbing prank has more to do with gender than with academia.
The Great EndumbeningIQ scores look to be on the decline. Is there a complicated explanation, or are we just getting stupider?
The Beaver Should Be America’s National MammalForget the bison. The beaver has a uniquely American spirit, and it’s about time we recognized it.
Why I Blame Wall Street for My Lyme DiseaseForest management is complex. In the past few decades in the Northeast, there’s been a lot of change.
Who Gets to Read the Research We Pay For?Scientific journals’ lock on new studies has ignited tension for years. When it comes to access for people with rare diseases, it becomes an ethical issue too.
The Supreme Court Isn’t Equipped to Judge Harvard’s Discrimination LawsuitCourts have always been bad at statistics, and statistics is getting harder to adjudicate.
The Shiloh Scandal Is Even Worse Than It SeemsThe forced drugging of child immigrants is a moral abomination that can’t just be blamed on Trump.
Trump Just Appointed a Science Adviser. Good!The president can’t seem to focus on a single point of view. That means it’s possible to change his mind.
What Would Happen if All Matter on the Earth Was Replaced by Blueberries?A Q&A with the one scientist brave enough to figure it out.
Everyone Is Missing the Point About Brian Wansink and P-HackingThere are more crucial lessons to learn from the replication crisis.
Hurricane Florence Is Coming. Here’s How to Prepare for It.Florence could be one of the worst storms in recent memory.
A Radical ’70s-Era Group Is Relaunching to Help Scientists Get Political Under TrumpIt’s called Science for the People, and its awareness of how science fits into policy and politics is deeply necessary in 2018.
The New York Times Shouldn’t Have Built Its Facebook and Anti-Refugee Violence Story Around That One StudyIt’s an interesting bit of research, but it’s preliminary and mostly focused on methodology.
Should You Get an Amber Collar for Your Pet? Probably Not.They’re advertised as a natural way to protect against fleas and ticks, but the evidence seems sparse.
Is There a Logical Inconsistency in the Constitution?The mathematician who wrote the “Incompleteness Theorem” proof was apparently alarmed by our founding document. He just never explained why.
Fishy Fish PillsPaul Greenberg’s newest book explains why omega-3 supplements may be useless for you and terrible for the environment.
Why the Abortion Debate Feels Like Such a StalemateSince Roe v. Wade was decided, abortion politics have become increasingly partisan. It’s not just due to the moral weight of the issue.
The Worst Fires in Recent California HistoryThe Carr fire is even more alarming when you put it in context.