Science & Technology

"The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not." — Gertrude Stein

Be Skeptical of Thought Leaders
Evan Selinger picks apart Susan Liautaud’s “cheerful boosterism.”
Evan SelingerJun 14, 2021
- Science & Technology
Survival Strategies
Josh Berson’s new book shows how we can adapt our “skills reservoir” for an era of climate crisis.
Johanna DruckerMay 31, 2021
- Science & Technology
The Hubris of Big Data
Firmin DeBrabander warns against the dangers of increasingly refined data analysis.
Firmin DeBrabanderMay 24, 2021
- Science & Technology
Caveat Editor: Competing Takes on CRISPR
John Dupré considers four new books on the history and ethics of CRISPR by Kevin Davies, Eben Kirksey, Henry T. Greely, and Walter Isaacson.
John DupréMay 20, 2021
- Science & Technology
To the Grave: Secrets, Sins, and Nuclear Insecurity
Joshua Roebke reviews a much-heralded book on the troubled history of nuclear secrecy in the US.
Joshua RoebkeMay 19, 2021
- Science & Technology
Behind the Numbers: Aggregated Risks in the Age of COVID
While we know more than ever about how health and disease work, experts’ inability to speak in specific terms makes it easy for them to be ignored.
Christopher J. PhillipsMay 12, 2021
- Science & Technology
Seeing Time: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity for Beginners
A charming review of a charmingly quirky art-science book about simultaneity (how to see it) and Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
Paul DickenApr 29, 2021
- Science & Technology
Anti-Anti-Anti-Science
A gentle critique of Andrew Jewett’s “Science under Fire,” and a nuanced exploration of science-hesitancy.
Michael D. GordinApr 20, 2021
- Science & Technology
Alternative Internets and Their Lost Histories
Lori Emerson excavates the history of alternative internets like AfroNet — and concludes our current monolithic internet is the offspring of colonialist mindsets.
Lori EmersonApr 12, 2021
- Science & Technology
Chasing White Supremacy into Tech’s Lairs
Tamara Kneese reviews "Your Computer Is on Fire," a new collection that details the tech industry's glaring racism and sexism.
Tamara KneeseApr 4, 2021
- Science & Technology
Silicon Valley’s Hidden Voices
W. Patrick McCray lauds two new books for showing how Silicon Valley’s success and image are based on obscuring certain people.
W. Patrick McCrayMar 25, 2021
- Science & Technology
The Gospel According to Frank: A Nobel Laureate’s Naïveté
Geniuses don’t always deliver — whether in person or on the page.
Joshua RoebkeMar 11, 2021
- Science & Technology