Science & Technology

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

A Doctor’s Dissent
A doctor attacks those maverick doctors who lambaste the medical profession while channeling its hubris.
Nitin K. AhujaJun 20, 2021
- Science & Technology
The Inflection Pointillists
Conjuring the image of an “inflection point” is a favored device among those who want us to believe that we are in the midst of a world-historic transformation.
Nicholas Agar, Stuart WhatleyJun 18, 2021
- Science & Technology
Horrible Sanity: An Edgar Allan Poe for Our Time
Henry Cowles finds much to appreciate in John Tresch’s new biography of Edgar Allan Poe.
Henry M. CowlesJun 15, 2021
- Science & Technology
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 Drucker May 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