Computing
The Leap Second’s Time Is Up: World Votes to Stop Pausing Clocks
How, and whether, to keep atomic time in sync with Earth’s rotation is still up for debate
Culture1094 articles archived since 1845
Culture
Twitter Is Not Rocket Science—It’s Harder
Elon Musk wants to run Twitter like SpaceX. But human behavior will make it much more difficult
Policy
Internet and Extremism Experts Predict More Hate Speech and Conspiracy Theories on Musk’s Twitter
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, extremists could flock back to Twitter under the guise of “free speech,” and researchers are gearing up to study their impact
Culture
Every Story Is a Science Story
Science applies to every important social issue. Saying so doesn’t make us “unscientific”
Culture
Queen Elizabeth II’s Legacy Keeps the White World Rich and the Black World Poor
The British royal family once led an empire based on white supremacy that caused suffering that continues today
Plants
How to Stop Your Jack-o’-Lantern from Rotting
Prevent your jack-o’-lantern from turning into moldy, maggoty mush before Halloween
Drug Use
Should Parents Really Be Worried About Rainbow Fentanyl?
The candy-colored drugs are the latest Halloween scare, but history suggests such fears are overblown
Intelligence
Neurons in a Dish Learn to Play Pong
A cellular version of the computer game challenges assumptions about intelligence
Statistics
Statistics Are Being Abused, but Mathematicians Are Fighting Back
An expert explains how numbers can mislead and what she’s doing to help people understand them better
Culture
‘Longtermism’ Movement Misses the Importance of War
A moral movement called longtermism, which focuses on protecting humanity’s future, dwells too much on artificial intelligence and not enough on war
Culture
Octavia E. Butler’s Legacy of Time Travel
Why evolutionary biology and social justice belong together, the Silicon Valley fatalism that’s ruining our planet, and more
Culture
How Indigenous Groups Are Using 3-D Technology to Preserve Ancient Practices
To safeguard fragile cultural objects, some groups are replicating them with digital models
Culture
Popular Health Claims, Such as a Woman’s Fertility Dropping at Age 30, Are Wildly Overblown
People should be skeptical of big claims based on only one study and dig a little deeper
History
How Much Medieval Literature Has Been Lost?
An ecological model suggests islands are better at preserving literature as well as species
Culture
Researchers Analyzed Folk Music like It Was Mutating DNA: They Found Amazing Parallels between Life and Art
Using software designed to align DNA sequences, scientists cataloged the mutations that arose as folk songs evolved
Culture
Poem: ‘Death Cap’
Science in meter and verse
Culture
Sometimes Science Is Wrong
Research is a self-correcting process, but that fact is often lost on the public
Archaeology
Pompeii’s Ruins to Be Reconstructed by Robot
An ambitious project is underway to develop a robot with enough smarts, strength and sensitivity to restore fragmented archaeological remains
Culture
Nonfiction Is Cool, and Our Kids Know It
Changes in publishing have altered this genre for the better, so put some books on your holiday list
The Rise of Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkins hold no special status for Americans unless it’s fall. Where did the obsession with pumpkin flavors come from?
