Science & Technology

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

How to Live Through the Apocalypse
Barbara Kiser extols two remarkable books offering two very different ways of surviving our perfect storm of crises.
Barbara KiserSep 28, 2020
The Mycophile’s Plea: On Merlin Sheldrake’s “Entangled Life”
Joanna Steinhardt sifts through "Entangled Life," the new book from Merlin Sheldrake.
Joanna SteinhardtSep 17, 2020
- Science & Technology
The Nature Scam
Mark Trecka reviews "Natural: How Faith in Nature’s Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science," the new book from Alan Levinovitz.
Mark TreckaSep 16, 2020
At Home in the Unseen World
Psychiatrist and historian George Makari remembers his father, Jack Makari, a pioneer of cancer immunology and microbiology.
George MakariSep 14, 2020
- Nonfiction
- Science & Technology
Fraud by Numbers: Metrics and the New Academic Misconduct
UCLA professor of Law and Communication Mario Biagioli dissects how metric-based evaluations are shaping university agendas.
Mario BiagioliSep 7, 2020
A Culture of Promises: On Liz Marshall’s “Meat the Future”
The new documentary “Meat the Future” presents the case for cultured meat in terms that are almost naïve.
Benjamin Aldes WurgaftAug 31, 2020
Migration as Bio-Resilience: On Sonia Shah’s “The Next Great Migration”
Reviewing Sonia Shah’s recent book, John Washington shows how a nuanced understanding of migration’s critical import has been a long time coming.
John B. WashingtonAug 26, 2020
What We Know About Hurricanes: On Eric Jay Dolin’s “A Furious Sky”
The astonishing spectacle of hurricanes shows us how much we know and don’t know about the natural world.
Lyn MillnerAug 20, 2020
Gaia Versus the Anthropocene: A Conversation with Dorion Sagan
A celebrated ecological philosopher discusses climate change, the coronavirus, and the powers of the biosphere.
Greg RuggieroAug 19, 2020
- Science & Technology
Like Flies to Honey: On Eric H. Cline’s “Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon”
Lydia Pyne reviews Eric H. Cline’s recent book, "Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon
Lydia PyneAug 16, 2020
- History
- Science & Technology
Suicide Missions
Historian Michael D. Gordin reviews several books in order to tackle the problem of deferred solutions — the fact that we seem rigged to defer suffering.
Michael D. GordinAug 12, 2020
In the Belly of the Beast: How the Whale Encapsulates Modern Ecology
Ferris Jabr plumbs the depths of “Fathoms: The World in the Whale,” the new book by Rebecca Giggs.
Ferris JabrAug 5, 2020