Revelations of sexual abuse by famous men, such as movie producer Harvey Weinstein and comedian Louis CK, have sparked debate about gender and sexism. That’s great—let’s smash the patriarchy.
You wouldn’t leave home without your smartphone. It gets you everywhere you need to go, and keeps you connected. But, by pinging nearby cellphone towers, it’s also leaving a trail of digital breadcrumbs that the government can follow.
You are lucky. It may not always be obvious, because bad news abounds and being human is often uncomfortable. You have aches and pains and society seems to be going up in flames, yet there are reasons to be grateful on Thanksgiving—and every day. Gratitude has scientifically proven benefits.
Algorithms have an inordinate amount of influence on our lives. The predominant ones largely dictate the friends we interact with online, the goods we buy, and the news we see. An algorithm (YouTube’s) even made Justin Bieber happen—and that’s probably the least impressive example.
The conventional wisdom on plucking emotional strings musically is basically this: Major chords lift spirits and go with heartening lyrics, while minor chords are for darker tunes with moody language.
Blue whales don’t have hands, so they can’t technically be ambidextrous. But just like humans, and lots of other animals, they do have a lateralization bias, or a tendency to favor a particular side. Blue whales tend to be right-biased.
People love dogs. We feed them lobster, take them to spas, sleep with them in our beds, buy them sweaters and booties, and delight in all but their pooping. To those with no canine, this adoration appears absurd, expensive, and gross. The investment, though, may be worth it. Dog ownership, new research shows, is a form of natural insurance offering health and longevity, along with the affection of an animal companion.
“Legal personhood” is not as straightforward as it sounds. For example, in the US, corporations are considered “legal people” in certain contexts because it’s recognized that an entity can also be a “person.” Now, the Nonhuman Rights Project is suing on behalf of three elephants in the Commerford Zoo in Connecticut, claiming that they, too, are “legal people.”
While wind was gusting and solar shone over the last three decades, wave and tidal power made only a small splash. Now they could be the new wave in renewables, as ocean energy projects are being floated globally.
Contemplative exercise can improve your life by refining your mind, so it’s worth trying. But it’s also worth knowing what will work for your particular purposes.
There’s no place like home, our warm and watery planet Earth. But we won’t be living here long if humans don’t change their ways, say 15,365 scientists from 185 countries who want your attention.
“Knowing” and “understanding” are related concepts, but they’re not the same. Each is a distinct mental state involving cognitive grasp: Knowing is static, referring to discrete facts, while understanding is active, describing the ability to analyze and place those facts in context to form a big picture.
Ephrat Livni studies Zen in a tiny cabin in California’s redwood forest. Email her your questions about spirituality, ethics, and living a considered life in the digital age at [email protected]. She’ll report what the masters advise.
Bonjour, and welcome to the brave new age of radio. The word “fuck” is now officially allowed on Canadian airwaves, during the day, with some notable limitations. Namely, the programming must be in French.
Six astronauts are currently sealed in a 430-sq-ft simulated spacecraft in Moscow, where they will remain for 17 days. The crew—three men and three women—will not leave Earth but are laying the groundwork for future moon voyages. One of the things being tested on this static mission is the right ratio of men to women on any given trip.
Happiness isn’t a country. You don’t get there and stay. It’s a fleeting space, a feeling that comes and goes, so focusing on being happy is just a distraction, according to some psychologists. Better to develop resilience, which is a characteristic that you can cultivate to improve the quality of your life in any circumstances.
For a futurist, Richard Watson has funny ideas about time. The British writer and lecturer teaches students, governments, and businesses “disruptive futurology,” or how to think about tomorrow, while rifling through month-old Sunday papers—in print!—skimming dated headlines.
I’m in a redwood forest in Santa Cruz, California, taking dictation for the trees outside my cabin. They speak constantly, even if quietly, communicating above- and underground using sound, scents, signals, and vibes. They’re naturally networking, connected with everything that exists, including you.
Laika was a dog with humble beginnings who would become a global star. The first living being to leave the Earth’s orbit, taking off 60 years ago today in the Russian satellite Sputnik on Nov. 3, 1957, the stray mutt landed a place in history.
Kleptropredation isn’t a crime, though the newly-coined term has a criminal ring, and the act is kind of like theft-meets-murder-in-a-meal. Technically, it’s when a predator eats prey that has just hunted and has a full belly—such that the predator ends up eating its prey’s prey as well.
If you’re reading this story, we’re connected. Physically, you’re anywhere, but digitally we’re in a global conversation, a nonstop cross-cultural exchange on an unprecedented scale.
Usually, when an American president announces a policy change, it’s part of a thoughtful, deliberate campaign to win hearts and minds, and is carefully timed and worded. Not so for Donald Trump’s announcement of a ban on transgender soldiers in the military. It was first delivered via Twitter in late July, and in late August formally signed into an executive order.
The dining habits of city versus country mice have long been used to highlight the virtues of a simple life. In the classic morality tale “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse,” first recounted by Aesop in the sixth century BC, an urban rodent visiting his country cousin snubs the modest food there and urges him to try fine dining in town. They return together, happily feasting on jellies and cakes, until they’re hounded by dogs. The country cousin flees, exclaiming, “Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear!”
US FBI special counsel Robert Mueller’s 31-page indictment of former Trump campaign manger Paul Manafort and former Trump aide Richard Gates carefully lays out a pattern of deception, a trail of unreported assets, and a history of lavish spending.
